A Much Needed Vacation

Again I say "Happy New Year".  This past week has been different from any other week here in Taiwan, namely because I didn't have to teach during it.  Instead, I went on a 7-day scooter trip around the entire island with two of my friends.  This was one of the most unique adventures of my life, and I loved every minute of it.  I'm going to try (but fail) at recounting a day-by-day retelling of the week:

Roughly our route around Taiwan, marking where we slept each night

Day 1: We set out on our road trip last week, Sunday.  Seeing as it was the start of the new year, and 2/3 of our party were born in the snake year, it was only right to start at a temple.  Our first stop was at an enormous temple in Shengang, which is actually a neighboring city for Homei (where I work).  Hundreds of people flocked to the temple at alongside us to burn their ghost money offerings, and say their prayers for the upcoming year.  The next big stop of the day was at the second biggest port in Taiwan, Taichung Port.  It was nice to get to the water's edge, but, as I learned throughout the week, the west coast water is nothing compared to the ocean view of the east.  Our day finished up in Jhunan which is several hours north of Taiwan where we set up camp in a city park.  Admission, sleeping though the entire night was pure luck, we weren't in a campground, and potentially could have been told to move on at any time (what's life without a little risk though?).
Day 2: Waking up in Jhunan meant that that was where we started our sightseeing.  We begin with a trip to the rice god temple, then we were on the road again.  We traveled north, past Taipei, and stopped for nothing.  Well, nothing but a fruit break along on the beaches of Tamsui.  The rain held us back that night, and instead of getting to our destination in Yehliu we splurged on a hotel room.
Day 3: Brr! We woke up to a cold morning on day 3, so it was nice to have a nice, warm shower.  There were no destinations in our small town, so we took off immediately for Yehliu which is in the north eastern corner of the island.  Yehliu is known for its unusual rock formations which are caused naturally by the elements (like water and wind).  The rock formations have since been named based on the person/object that they resemble, such as Queen Nefertiti, Cinderella's slipper, a dragon, and a fish.  The rest of the day was spent cruising the mountains and coastlines of the beautiful east coast.  We attempted to set up camp that night in Suao, but the combination of wild dogs, wind, and uneven ground led to another hotel night, and we stayed in the cheapest of cheap hotels (a decision I think we might have regretted in the morning after discovering the mold on our beds, the faulty plumbing, and the lack of hallway carpeting (or finishing for that matter...).  

Posing with the Queen's Head rock at Yehliu National Park

Day 4: Once free of the hotel, we headed out into the ups and downs of mountain roads.  We drove along the Chingshui Cliff, a narrow road which is close to 100 years old, and borders the edge of the mountain above a 1000m drop into the sea.  A few hours later we arrived in Hualien which is approximately the middle of the island, and is exactly opposite from where I live.  Hualien is the area of Taiwan that most people would say is the most beautiful.  Hualien is probably best known for Taroko Gorge, a marble canyon with temples, hiking trails, rivers, and mountains of course.  The area of the gorge which I was most excited to see was the Eternal Springs Shrine, which is a small shrine built over a waterfall.  Following up the walking trail from this point led to more shrines, temples, and a bell-tower pagoda where we each rang the bell to ease the souls of those who died in the building of the gorge roads.  We settled into a hotel room for again that night (as you can tell, camping didn't go according to plan, but the hotels really did make sleeping nicer).

The Eternal Springs Shrine

Day 5: What's a trip to Hualien without visiting the bright, blue beaches? After an ice cream cone at the water's edge we were on the road again, this time headed south towards Taitung.  This was the leg of the journey where we crossed over the Tropic of Cancer for the first time, so, as any good tourist would do, we stopped for pictures.  Did you know that, a vertical pole placed on the Tropic of Cancer will cast no shadow on the summer and winter solstice? It's ok, I didn't either, but that is why markers for the Tropic are typically in this form.  After our slight pit-stop we were off again, and when we arrived in Taitung which is in the south east part of the island, where we set up camp in a hot spring campground in the Chihpen area.  It was fun to stay within walking distance of the springs (and thankfully these springs weren't as sulfuric smelling as some of the others I have experienced).  

Day 6: After a lie-in we explored some of Taitung by following the guide-book's suggested temples.  We saw the Chingchueh temple, which is known for housing two large Buddha's on the main altar, and for requiring the removal of shoes prior to worship, and the Dragon Phoenix temple.  The drive onward took us around the southern tip of Taiwan and back north (slightly) to Kaohsiung.  The biggest adventure of this night was, without a doubt, our attempted camping location for the night.  With the southern weather warming us, we attempted not to set up traditional camp, but instead to sleep on a sheltered platform in the warm night's air.  The only problem with this plan is that we acquired an unwelcome guest who was inexplicably fascinated with us, so much so that he circled us for a while, then settled down under our platform.  That's right, he was under us!  Needless to say, that sleeping arrangement did not last long, but we were able to settle down comfortably on the floor of a guy that lives in Kaohsiung (a friend of one of the guys I was traveling with).

Day 7: Our final day.  I was sad to see the trip end, but we all agreed that during our final section of the drive we were just excited to get back to our own beds.  The morning started with breakfast and a trip to a cafe where you can watch planes take off from Kaohsiung airport.  Then we went to the Lotus Pond, which is a series of temples and shrines build around and on top of a pond (actually, it is more of a lake than a pond).  And alas, the week was over, and we were off towards the north for our final few hours of sights and sounds.

Standing on the tiger pagoda, overlooking the Lotus Pond

I know I've missed things, I know that the other half of the memories of this trip will randomly resurface in my mind from sporadically.  Overall, my review is that this was an ideal way to spend 5-days off of school, and if given the choice, I would gladly do this trip again.  I saw some amazing things, and spent time with some lovely people!  Happy Snake Year everyone!