Haulien, Taiwan, Asia

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We're kinda missing the family so we make weekly calls home via Skype or our Magic Jack phone. The family is large and there is a lot to say and hear. It helps make living in another country manageable.

Here are some of the unique things about living in Taiwan.

NO TIPPING! They do not understand the concept, so it is impossible to leave a tip even if we would like to. They will chase us down the sidewalk to give us our dime in change.

Because of all the scooters, the streets are very clean. They wash the wheels on large trucks before they leave a construction site. Otherwise, we would be sandblasted by the dirt on the roads.

Scooter engine oil and gear oil change on Linda's new scooter......$10.25 for the best quality oil, oh and they washed it too. Gas costs 35 NT divide by 28NT per CAD, so about $1.24 a liter, we are spending under $5 a week per scooter.

It is now the end of October, and the locals wear jackets and parkas on backwards when they scooter. Actually, they wear their jackets and parkas backwards EVEN when it is very hot claiming it keeps the pollution off of their clothes. Daytime temperature 28-30 degrees, nighttime temperature 22 degrees. The humidity has dropped, and we find the weather absolutely lovely!

We love our local Taiwanese Buffet. We walk up, fill our plates from the selection of over 50 different dishes of rice, noodles, vegetables, chicken, fish, pork and duck, sometimes lamb too. Pay for the food on your plate at the end of the line, usually between $6 but never more than $8, go upstairs, all the cold sweet tea you want to drink, soup, collect your chopsticks then sit and eat while watching one of the several large screen TVs. It is very handy, tasty and cheaper than eating at home.

Now that Linda has her scooter and is able to drive to school unescorted, she has a whole new realization about red lights and scooter etiquette. Cars stop at all red lights whereas scooters slow down, look and may go. We always have to watch the scooters coming from the right; when they make a right turn into traffic, they NEVER LOOK! If they looked, they would have to yield. If they have a short distance to go, they go against traffic. WE must get out of their way, they just go straight and expect everyone else to miss them. It works, but you have to get used to NO RULES for scooters! If the street corner is too congested, go on the sidewalk. Pedestrians are definitely the lowest on the totem pole, scooters on top, cars in the middle, pedestrians at the bottom. The locals talk on cells, smoke, and the worst, they even TEXT whole driving scooters. So, 40 scooters go to take off just before the light turns green, and someone in front is NOT MOVING. One rule, DON'T crash!

It is shocking to see adults with helmets but the children without. (Really!) It is amazing to see a small child standing between the drivers arms, while another sits or stands behind and holds onto the driver, and sometimes another adult on the very back. Small children do take naps with their head on the speedometer. It is common to see 4 on a scooter, and occasionally, even 5. Maurice is very pleased that Linda now has her own scooter, because when riding on the back, she used to continuously be digging her fingernails into his ribs as she watched all these scooters buzzing around without looking. Now that she's driving, she is a lot more comfortable getting around the city. The freedom is exhilarating, and despite, or maybe because, of the fact there are no rules, scootering is a blast!

Thursday morning, Oct 10th, Chris and Annie picked us up in their CRV at 8AM, destination Hualien and Taroko Gorge. Taiwan is an island that measures about 400 kilometers long and 140 kilometers wide. The eastern two-thirds of the island consists mostly of rugged mountains running in five ranges from the northern to the southern tip of the island, and is home to only about 10% of the 23 million people who call Taiwan home. Therefore, to get to Hualien, we had to travel south and around the mountains before heading up the East coast. We drove through Taitung and along the Eastern coast before heading inland through the Riff Valley to Hualien, the closest city to Taroko Gorge. We enjoyed the scenery as we wound our way through the small towns, very seldom reaching speeds above 70 kph. Thanks to the GPS on the iPad, we were able to drive directly to the Ocean Hotel, located just across the street from a dock. We had chosen the Ocean Hotel because they were advertising rooms with a balcony overlooking the ocean. We were not disappointed, our rooms were large, and our balconies had a table and a few chairs, so we could sit, read, and do school work in a very beautiful and comfortable setting. We settled in, and then went for a nice stroll along the ocean front, getting our bearings and stretching our legs after our 7 hour drive.

Next morning, after a wonderful buffet breakfast (included in the room), we set off on the 20 km drive to the gorge for a day of hiking and exploring. First stop was the information center, located at the park gates. Inside, there was a model display of the gorge complete with lights to indicate locations such as bridges, tunnels, hiking trails, and the few towns on the one road that crosses the center of the island of Taiwan. There were bathrooms, a huge interpretive area, a restaurant, and a store where we picked up some maps and other trinkets.

Then we headed up the twisty, winding road that took us past temples, over colorful bridges and through tunnels via the road that at times would narrow down to a single lane. We drove through long tunnels which had water dripping through the rocks from the roof of the cave as we drove along. There were rock overhangs where the road had been blasted along the side of the very vertical cliffs. The gorge has vertical mountains, unlike anything we have ever seen anywhere. It is like taking a dinner bun and ripping it open. During Typhoon Usagi on September 12th, the whole side of a mountain had given way and blocked the road. It took a week or so to reopen the road, and several trucks and other large machines were still working to widen the road and stabilize the side of the mountain. They were dumping the rocks over the edge into the river basin below.

The road clings to the edge of the mountain, without a shoulder and only a small guard rail to protect the bicyclists, scooters and vehicles. We dropped rocks over the edge, and watched them fall for 7 or 8 seconds before they landed in the river directly below us. We came along construction which caused us to wait about 30 minutes, then the workers would allow traffic through every hour or so. We hiked a trail that took us through a 30 foot tunnel which was completely dark after taking 3 steps and of course we didn't have a flashlight. Because of the heat and humidity, our clothes were soon soaked and our hair was matted to our heads. As the path wound its way back to the road, we came upon a geographical museum which had a wonderful display explaining how, over the millions of years, the Tectonic plates collided, pushing upwards and creating the island of Taiwan. Chris especially has a wealth of knowledge in this field, and was able to describe to us much of what the displays were showing, because of course, all of the explanations were written in Chinese only. As we made our way back down the road to the CRV, we encountered many cyclists, and that led us to wonder why so many people would choose to ride their bikes up into the mountains in this heat. The answer....."Because it was there and they could"! They were, of course, very serious cyclists as they all wore the fancy gear and rode expensive bicycles. We then continued up the road, admiring the scenery, and eventually arrived at the Silks Palace, our destination for today. Silks Palace is a 4.5 star resort situated high up in the mountains overlooking the gorge. Besides the hotel, there are also several restaurants, a gas station and a few other amenities located here. We enjoyed a beer from the 7/11 and snacks from the street vendors before winding our way back down and out of the gorge.

We headed back towards Hualien, and once out of the park, decided to take the back-roads to the city. We angled towards the coast and eventually came upon a large wide beach full of people. We parked and strolled along the pebbly beach. It was very pleasant, the wind coming off the ocean cooled us down. The ocean was quite angry, and there were lots of people strolling, or sitting on the small rock beach watching the huge waves come pounding in, and spraying everyone with mist. Yep, another typhoon was going by. We admired the multicolored rocks, and gathered a few special ones to take back with us.

We got back to Haulien and decided supper out of the hotel was in order. We drove a kilometer or so to the city center where there were shops and restaurants, parked the CRV and went wandering. It wasn't long before we lost Annie and Chris, but it allowed us to do some much needed shopping. The streets were full of small shops displaying their wares on racks on the sidewalk. Linda found some cute tops, stuff for the grandkids and also a few pairs of shoes, which was a good thing because the old ones were getting quite worn. We dined at a Chinese buffet, then shopped a bit more before wandering back to our hotel, taking a path along the river rather than the sidewalk. It was glorious, the sounds of nature, the fish jumping and the wonderful scents of nature caressing us as we strolled along the path. We came upon the back garden of an interesting restaurant where luckily, the owner noticed and opened the gate for us. We were treated to a unique European ambiance while enjoying desert and a drink. The owner spoke English, had spent time in Europe, and had modeled his establishment along German and Swiss lines. He visited with us and shared stories of his travels and how he brought items of interest back for his hotel and restaurant. He had a few rooms that he showed us, and we will consider staying in one of his "secret garden" rooms when we return.

Next morning we were greeted by rain. The typhoon was headed for Japan and Hualien was on the outer sweep of the storm. We enjoyed the morning visiting and drinking coffee, then headed to our rooms to do school work and watch TV while the rain continued on. Mid afternoon the rain stopped so we went walking and discovered a surfing beach near us. People were surfing on one side of the break water while the waves rolled in a boiling churning manner on the other. We walked on the boardwalk along the beach, captivated by the ocean and enjoying the sights. Yep, we got caught in the rain but our umbrellas protected us enough to be able to continue walking for a distance. Then what appeared? A 7-11 complete with outside tables where we enjoyed snacks and a beer. The rain stopped, we continued sipping our beer, and later wandered back to the hotel. We asked the front desk to recommend a seafood restaurant. They called a cab and asked the driver if he knew of a good fish restaurant. He did, so we piled into his car and were whisked away to a restaurant where the staff spoke only Chinese. The waitress sort of rolled her eyes but through gestures and lots of head nodding or shaking we managed to order clams, lobster and fish ... right from the fish tanks. Chris knows enough Mandarin to order Taiwanese beer so we were set AND we all enjoyed our meal.

Next morning, we headed for home, and decided to drive over the mountains instead of going back around the way we had come. The hotel served us an early breakfast, and we were on the road by 7:30AM. Back through the park we headed, once again climbing and twisting and climbing some more. We stopped a few times to take pictures of the spectacular scenery, and kept winding our way up the mountains. There were times when we had to put the CRV into 1st gear to get it to climb comfortably. Once we drove for over an hour averaging maybe 10-15 kilometers per hour and then we stopped at a lookout point and realized we had only gained a few hundred meters, but we were now on the other side of the gorge. We climbed over the tree line, up to a height of over 10,000 feet. They do get snow here in the winter, there were signs showing that tire chains were necessary when there was snow. If you slid at all, you would be off the side of the mountain and spiraling down to sure death! At the top, we ran into heavy traffic and a lot of parked cars. People from the populated West coast drive up into the mountains to enjoy the hiking and the fresh air, so it was one way at a time traffic. At the very top, we stopped to take pictures and there was an information center where it showed an outside temperature of 12.9 degrees Celsius. It has been a long time since we had felt these temperature,s though because we were hiking, we felt comfortable. Then, it was down off the mountain peaks, and soon we were winding our way through small towns, around picturesque lakes and back on the flatland. The way down the west side was not nearly as dramatic as the east side of the mountain range, though it was still very pretty.

On the level land, we got on the #3 highway, and had another Taiwanese experience. The #1 super highway runs along the coast from north to south, whereas the #3 runs inland a ways, also north to south. There are 3 lanes going each way. Much of the freeway is built on concrete pillars well above the ground. We followed the highway for about a 150k's. We estimate that at least 75% of the time, we were directly above the local highway underneath. There were no stops, no lights and people drove the speed limit of 110kph. We pulled off at a rest area where there was a parking lot with green and red lights along with numbers directing us to a row that had empty parking spots. There was a huge clean bathroom area, as well as a large food concourse and store complex. All of this has been built in the last 10 years we estimate. Their infrastructure here is amazing and they are building everywhere. We arrived back home at 4PM Sunday afternoon after an 8 hour interesting and scenic drive. We had a great time with Annie and Chris, and look forward to spending more time with them.

Realizing that this was Canadian Thanksgiving Sunday, we called up Foster Hewitt's Bar and Grill, a Canadian owned place, and made reservations for their Thanksgiving dinner. The only thing missing from the traditional Canadian Thanksgiving Feast was cranberries. There was a full house of Canadians and we even visited with some Saskatoonians!

Then it was back to school with Spirit Week to look forward to. Neon day caught Linda in Neon pink ... Halloween was celebrated on Friday, October 18th, as it just fit into the schedule at that time. We decorated our room, inside and out and were the only ones with decorations until the PTA arrived on Thursday to deck the halls with Halloween stuff. The kids were ALL in some sort of costume and we had games and treats all afternoon on Friday. What fun!

The following Saturday, 7 of us met for breakfast at 7:30AM and then headed out of town for a day in the country and a visit to the Mud Volcanoes. Les led us out of town and under the superhighway, then up into the hills. It was the first time Linda and Kevin had ever seen these formations. They are quite unique. The craters are at the top of a hill, with the largest being maybe 10-15 feet high. Every 15-30 seconds, there is a loud burp as the surface of the mud bubbled upwards 5 or 6 inches, and gases escape. Occasionally, a bit of mud would flow over the edge and down the side of the hill. Because the silt is so fine, it takes days before the mud is dry enough to walk on. We left there and rode for another hour or so along the top of the mountains. We followed a winding paved road, stopping on occasion to admire the view. Once back down in the valley, we stopped for lunch at our favorite country restaurant. It was an elegant quiet restaurant that featured a lot of herbs in their dishes. They sold all types of herbal plants as well. We bought 3 different types, and were able to put them in the storage under the seat of the scooter to get them home. We followed the highway back towards Kaohsiung, and stopped at the old brick factory for a bit of a tour. We got back to the apartment around 4 in the afternoon, tired but refreshed. What a great way to relax on the weekend and still giving us Sunday to prepare for another hectic week at school.

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Photos

Evil Knievel? No, Linda
"If Jenn can go 100 k on her new scooter, so can I!""No Linda, not a 100 kilometers per hour, a h 100 k's on the ODOMETER!"

Building a New School
We have lost half the school yard. A fence was built to separate the construction area from the school.

Ground Breaking Ceremony Sept 24,2013
They have begun construction by clearing trees, pruning back the ones that are being saved, leveling the ground and are now working on footings

Taiwanese Buffet
Just 2 blocks from home, we often have supper here.

Don't Eat in Empty Restaurants
This place is always full of locals. Many fill trays to eat upstairs, while many fill containers to go.

Supper and Tea for 2---$7-$8
Fill your plate, then pay for what you've taken at the end. Convenient, fast, cheap with a great selection

The Streets are wet
At the construction site exit, the surfaces are washed off to prevent dirt on the streets.

Washing Truck Tires
They wash all the truck tires before leaving a site to make sure they don't track dirt on the roads.

The View off #9 Highway
The highway swings to the south end of Taiwan before heading up the sparsely populated East coast. It took us 7 hours of steady driving to cover the 345 k's from Home in Kaohsiung to Hualien.

The Riff Valley
Because of the small towns and the twisting highway, we were seldom above 70 kph.

Model of the Taroko Gorge Pass
This showed the sights along the gorge, and gave us a perspective of where we were headed.

Heading into Taroko Gorge
The hills are covered in green. The river flows to the sea, sometimes in torrents when it rains.

Chris, Annie, and their CRV
We stopped at a scenic lookout and footbridge. It is very hot (32) and humid (90%) out.

Result of Typhoon Usagi
The whole side of the mountain gave way, and crashed down the hillside, totally burying the highway.

Clearing the Debris
The highway was closed for a period of time, they are now stabilizing the hill. The equipment looks small from here.

Steep Mountains
Notice how vertical the mountains are! Imagine trying to build a road through here. The Japanese originally built the road for use in WW2.

This is how you do it
The highway was constructed by the Japanese during their occupation in the 1940's using Taiwanese slave labor.

We Were There
It took about an hour of driving to get to the other side of this mountain.

Viewpoints Along the Road
We stopped and hiked, all the while appreciating the scenery!

Fun!
Maurice was sooo thirsty! We started a trend, the Taiwanese tourists followed our lead and took this picture as well.

It's a Long Way Down
The sign said only 8 people at a time on the swinging bridge.

Comments

[Diane Selby]

Wow!!
Glad you two are having such a blast. Makes the blizzard of Sunday here seem rather inconsequential. Don't know if I could handle the traffic - particularly on a scooter!! Hope to see you when you get home. Keep smiling!! Cheers, Diane

[Mallory and Warren]

Thanks for sending your most recent blog. Very interesting! I can't believe the amazing highways through the mountains!! Winter has definately arrived here as you probably have heard!

[Joan Hanson]

Sounds like you're having a great time. Home for Christmas? I enjoy reading your blogs!