Blogs from Hualien, Taiwan, Asia - page 5

We awoke early on the second day and caught a train down the East coast of Taiwan to Hualien. Once there we found a scooter to rent, filled up with gas and headed to Toroko Gorge National Park about 20 kms away. Taroko gorge was once home to the Atayal people who were known for weaving, facial tattoos, and headhunting. The majority of the Atayal people have moved out of the gorge, but some still remain working at hotels, resorts, and selling woven and leather products. The gorge itself is filled with marble-walled canyons and gigantic cliffs. The road through the gorge connects with the cross-central highway, but we went only as far as Tienhsiang. The road winds through canyons and at times is so narrow only one car can fit through. There were many tour ... read more

Greetings from Eastern Taiwan Tuesday, 19th August 2008 The day trip to the Taroko National Park was memorable because:- It offered a great orientation for first time visitors to the gorge. Precious time was not wasted on shopping. Reasonable stopping time at the various attractions in the park. Sumptuous lunch was served at the Grand Formosa Tiensiang. I missed the black pepper salmon fried rice, the scallops (very fresh) with asparagus and the steam yellow chicken. So much so that when I got back to Singapore, I requested mum to try adding salmon and black pepper to her fried rice. It has since become a family favourite. Mr friendly guide was knowledgeable and passionate about "his" park. Even though he has been doing this for the past 20 years, I could still sense his child-like excitement ... read more

The day before we left Hualien to come home, Suzanne and I went to church at Agape House one last time. "Agape" (unconditional love) House is a Christian alcohol and drug residential recovery facility about twenty minutes north of town on Hwy 9. This is my farewell to the men and women living in the place: Journeys Suzanne and I are going home to Canada tomorrow. In other words, we are on a journey. So are you—but your journey is quite a bit different from ours—and very similar to the best-known journey in the Bible. Exodus. The journey from bondage in Egypt to the Promised Land. The Israelites called their Promised Land “the Land of Milk and Honey”. They expected it to be a place of ease and plenty—but in reality it was neither. More about ... read more

I added a couple of brief clips about the local scenery. Unless someone thinks I have nice feet, I should apologize for showing them at the end of the vids. Before you even look into the window of a business establishment here—fat lot of good the sign does when I can’t read—you can spot the Internet Cafes a mile away. The giveaway is the disproportionate number of bicycles from kids who should be doing homework instead of “play computer”, and jazzed up scooters from the young pups who should have better things to do than “play computer” as well. Guangfu has one such place, and what a money machine it must be for the proprietor! Across the street from the place is a restaurant I will never forget. My good friend Joe took me there for ... read more

There are a few videos in this chapter--and I know that they will be of limited interest other than to foreigners who have lived in Taiwan and have now gone home. One of the biggest hits, believe it or not, was the musical garbage truck from a few chapters ago! Quite a few people asked for a copy of it. It’s a bit disconcerting really—all the filming and snapping I’ve been doing over the last two years, and the common response is “What a cool garbage truck? Could you send me a copy?” We are back now, from a marvelous yet bittersweet weekend in Taipei. It was Dragon Boat Festival, and the trains were very crowded. We got to Kim and Stephanie’s place mid-evening on Friday—early enough to have a good long talk before bedtime. The ... read more