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Published: November 2nd 2006
Baiyang Waterfall
Part of a 3-tiered cascade.I'm going to talk about food again, so please bear with me. Living in Masuda our dining options are rather limited. We eat at the same damn restaurants offering the same damn food time and time again. Not to say the food isn't tasty, but there's only so many ways you can cook rice. So when we travel, we tend to treat ourselves a little and eat at places not available to us back home (which is why I know exactly where to find a Wendy's in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and Fukuoka). Now, Taiwanese food is great - even better than Greek and Thai food in my opinion - so why, you ask, would we choose to eat at Domino's Pizza two nights in a row?
Well you see, the pizza here is crap, and it always has corn on it. Yes, corn. So for two nights in a row we dined on
real pizza with garlic bread and tater-tots while sitting in our room watching movies. It was bliss, and I'm getting hungry just thinking about all that gooey cheese.
And the Wendy's in Osaka, it's in the basement of a nondescript building not too far from the
Tunnels
The path to the Baiyang Waterfall. seedy red-light district in downtown. Don't ask how we ended up there in the first place - we found the Wendy's, and
that's what's really important.
Anyway, back to the real reason you're here:
Taroko Gorge. About three hours from Taipei down the east coast is Hualien, a ho-hum city decked to the nines in marble pinched from the mountains. While the city is nothing to write home about (or in this case, blog about), Taroko National Park is. Hot springs, waterfalls, ravines, steep marble canyons, and clear rivers running through the gorge to the Pacific Ocean - Taroko Gorge is nature at its best. It's Taiwan's biggest attraction and it's practically deserted!
We spent two days hiking in the park, and at times it seemed like we were the only ones there (Taiwan isn't exactly tourist central, which is exactly why you should go). There's nothing but time to relax along the river or soak up the scenery, or walk around naked (if that's your thing). Unfortunately, numerous trails have been closed off - some quite recently, others for several years - due to people-smushing rockslides that frequent the area. Taiwan sits on a major tectonic plate boundary
Suspension Bridge
Rock the boat! Don't rock the boat! which causes plenty of nasty earthquakes.
Three important pieces of information we picked up on this trip:
1) Buses no longer drive down the east coast. The only way to get to Hualien is by train - John Coltrane (two can play that game, Cory).
2) You can flag a bus down anywhere along the highway within Taroko National Park. I'd recommend in the morning you take the bus all the way to Tienhsiang, do the Baiyang Waterfall trail, then start walking back towards Park Headquarters 15km away. When the time is getting late or you're getting tired, jump on a bus back to the city.
3) Denise
really hates it when I go stomping across a suspension bridge, making it sway and bounce...especially when she's right in the middle. I, on the other hand, think it's great fun!
All in all, it was the perfect way to end our trip to Taiwan. Fresh air, clear blue skies, and wonderful mountain scenery always earn top marks in my book. It really is quite spectacular - and growing up in the shadow of the Rockies, I know what I'm talking about. Pictures are worth 1000 words, but even sometimes
Shakadang River
Clear blue water. a picture won't do. You simply have to see it for yourself.
Camille & Denise P.S. - In response to my last entry, I received a rather snippy message from 'Harry', some guy who likes to run his mouth before asking questions and getting the whole story (which I would've been willing to discuss, by the way, if you'd have left an email address Harry). It seems he disagrees with some of the comments I made in
Depose regarding the protests in Taipei on National Day. Whatever the case may be, Harry can go fuck himself, because if anyone's gonna cop an attitude on this blog, it's me.
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Dannit
non-member comment
Show your face ye dirty bastard! Fair fight! Except Camille gets a hockey stick. I've seen what he can do with a hockey stick, it's a combination of magic and horror that will stay with me for the rest of my life.