Hunting for surfboards...

January 6- After another lovely breakfast of rice soup with shredded pork, green beans, steamed buns and eggs, we headed south in the Space Gear. Our hope was to hit some beautiful beach spots, allow Paul some time to catch the waves with a surfboard rental, and maybe stop at a few villages and hot springs. Much to Paul's disappointment, although the surf was good, the Taiwanese felt that it was too dangerous and wouldn't rent out any surfboards. Who would have thought, with all the beautiful coastline! We did end up stopping at some hot spring resorts, but since none of us had swimsuits other than Paul, and they wouldn't let us stick our feet in, Paul had to go in by himself. That was kind of a bummer because we couldn't even enter the area and had to watch from the sidelines!

Paul's overall thoughts about surfing in Taiwan =(

It really was a gorgeous drive and we made it into Hualien in time to catch dinner at the shabu shabu place again! If we had a few more days, we probably could have done a few additional stops. Next time! That evening, we stayed in a lovely little minsu (or guesthouse) called the Sea-Hi B&B. The owner was also very nice. He welcomed us in, got us settled into our rooms and then brought us some hot tea. We had booked two rooms, and each of our rooms were 2 floors, so in each room, one of the beds was up in the loft area, which was nice. It really was a pretty neat minsu with an oceanview and a lovely yard area to sit, relax and drink some tea in!

Taroko Gorge-ous!!!

January 5th- Taroko Gorge! I woke up early and enjoyed the fresh air- it was such a beautiful day and the setting of the B&B was really nice (among mountains and very green). Once everyone woke up, we had a good breakfast of rice soup, shredded pork, yams, etc. Paul and Adam weren't feeling it, so they made it into an "oatmeal" by adding a bit of sugar on it. It gave us a good laugh.



It was a fabulous day to check out the park- it wasn't crowded at all since it was right after the new year and people had returned back to work. The sun was out for most of the day, with just a little drizzle right at the very end before it rained for most of the night. We did a couple hikes, went through some very dark tunnels, and overall had a great time! Overall it was a fabulous day!






Taiwanese people are very cautious, because we saw a ridiculous amount of warning signs everywhere we went! Below is just a sampling of the many we saw!

And finally, a fun little video showing how absolutely dark the tunnels are!! I had read that in a guidebook but simply forgot to pack the flashlights in our backpacks before flying out.

Hualien, Shabu Shabu and the Cingshui Cliffs

January 4- Today we headed off on the train to Hualien! The train ride was very pleasant, with one side facing the Pacific Ocean and the other side facing rice paddies. We arrived in Hualien and grabbed our rental car (the Space Gear worked out really well for us- made it so much easier to see Taroko Gorge) and then ate lunch at this totally fun shabu shabu place that was all-you-can-eat, so several different kinds of meats, tons of different seafood options, veggies, and then side dishes like egg rolls and even chicken nuggets, as well as a display of desserts, ice cream, coffee, sodas, etc. (we went back and had dinner there at the end of our trip- it was that good).





After stuffing ourselves silly, we went to our hotel. We stayed at the Crossing the Rainbow Bridge B&B and it was a wonderful stay. The owner is part of an indigenous group called Truku and when we first arrived, he sat us down and shared with us a little bit about the history of Taroko Gorge and the Truku people, as well as how to greet people in the language. He was super welcoming, he lent out bikes, and overall it was a great little place to stay. If anybody goes to Taiwan, definitely check this place out! It is 5 minutes from the Taroko Gorge Visitor Center and absolutely wonderful place to stay! It is supposed to be eco friendly, using solar power to heat up the water according to the owner.


After getting settled in, we decided to head out to the Cingshui Cliffs, which were a few miles away. Adam drove the Space Gear with Susan, Betty, Dad and I, while Paul borrowed a bike and met us there. We were there until sundown, and then we headed back to the hotel. We grabbed a late dinner at a small restaurant, played a little basketball, and bought some food at the 7-11 for our picnic lunch in Taroko Gorge. Overall a really great day!

Day 3- National Palace Museum

On our third day in Taiwan, Paul's family friend Fanny met us at the hotel and we took public transport to the National Palace Museum. It is a huge museum with so much to see! Unfortunately, we didn't stop to eat breakfast, so by the time we got to the museum, Paul and I were starving. We ended up eating a little bit of food at the teahouse on the top of the museum before hitting the artwork and history housed at the museum. I didn't get a chance to take many photographs, but I recall that Betty and I were very tired from our late night out the evening before at the Shilin Night Market.

Mom, dad, Betty, Adam and I headed back to our hotel a little earlier so that we could grab the luggage that we were leaving at my uncle's house while we went to Hualien. We made a pit stop at a beautiful tea shop where we bought some tea for our uncles. We then had lunch at...you guessed it...McDonald's! It was a 3 story McD with a ton of students in it studying English and other school subjects. We made it back to the hotel and grabbed a ton of luggage that we brought to my uncle's.

Mom and Dad on the subway...long days!

We arrived at my uncle's house for dinner, where the rest of the family joined us (Susan and Paul came a little while later after having some sushi with Fanny). My uncle, aunt and cousins ordered in pizza and fried chicken, and my uncle made some incredibly good dishes as well (brown eggs with rice, marinated chicken wings, and salad to name a few). I also ate more fruit and pineapple cake for dessert- seriously eating was one of my favorite things in Taiwan. At the end of the evening, my cousins and uncles and aunts took us back to our hotel later that evening. Again, it was just another example of the kindness, love and hospitality that we received during our time in Taiwan.

The reddish fruit in the back is a popular Taiwan tropical fruit called bell fruit. I had never seen or tasted anything like it, but it was darn good!