Day 6 : Kenting National Park

     It was raining when we arrived at the hotel. The hotel was in a remote area which is isolated from the city and there was any other restaurants nearby. Our choice for super was at the restaurant in the hotel. After having simple fried rice and one dish of vegetable and soup, we went to check the outdoor hot springs' pools. There were two pools under canopies and some pools were under the sky. Some Chinese tourists already enjoyed soaking in the hot springs. Because of the rain, my husband and I decided not to go for it. Our friends soaked in the hot springs and told me that they really did enjoy the hot springs. 

This was the view in front of the hotel. We left a little bit later than the Chinese  tourists. So we had a chance to enjoy the peace and tranquility of the place.  

Since we visited the east coast, we had seen this scenery everyday. I liked the fresh and peaceful feeling. 

Pitrure from Ann and Ted
This was the outdoor hot springs pools in the hotel. The hotel website stated that "its hot springs came from a 1460 meter deep underground thermal water. Its quality is more pure than other hotels which hot springs were only from a few hundred meters deep." Every morning, the hotel will open the value of the pipe line which went all the way to the thermal water source in order to clean and maintain the pipe line. If you wake up early, you can see steam come out from the pipe line. 

We had traveled 403 km so far from north down to south on the east coast.  

We would take Highway 9 crossing the mountain to the west towards Kenting National Park, which wad established in 1984. It was the first national park in the southernmost part of Taiwan. It would take us about 3 and half hours driving (121km) without a break on a winding mountain road. So we left a little bit early, but it was still later than those Chinese tourists. Our first stop ten minutes after we left was a 7-11 store for cups of American coffee and snacks to go along with the mountain drive.   

Picture from Taipei Station
We stopped at the Daiwu rest area for our second stop, a pee break and also sightseeing. We were at Daniao village in Dawu township which is an aboriginal territory.   

Day 5 Visiting the East Rift Valley Scenic Area

     We left our hotel in downtown Hualien at 9 am and traveled south to Chiben, in Taitung county for the night. The rain hung in there all day with a light drizzle. It had rained since day one when we started our journey. Well, we all had to learn how to get along with the nature. 

     My husband's friend has a private airport in Hualien. My husband decided to take us to see his friend's airport at the last moment. So, I made a phone call to his friend for visiting his airport. That was not a problem at all. He had his employee waited for us. At the same time he invited all of us for a lunch. The idea was definitively not in our plans. So I had to say no to him. Don't be surprised for this type of hospitality as it is part of the Taiwan culture.   

One of my friend's hangers

His airplanes (picture from Taipei Air Station)

Day 4 -- Taroko National Park

     It rained hard at night but it was just sprinkling in the morning. I have been to Hualien many times. I knew it would clear up after a shower. So, I was not really worried about the weather situation in Hualien but the road condition and the heavy Chinese tourist flow in Taroko National Park were my major concerns. This would be a leisure day for us so no time constraints. We left our hotel which was in the downtown area of Hualien at 9 Am.   

Our sightseeing spots in the park

This is the famous gate for entering the Tarako National Park from the east. It has been there since 1960. Today the road has been expanded. It will lead you to the park headquarter and also the police station for applying for hiking permit by taking the road to the right.    

DAY III -- Cemetery Visit and Qixingtan

    Just before we visited Jian Chinxiu Temple, we took a small backside road which also goes to Qixington for stopping at public cemetery area for my sister-in-law. She likes to visit cemeteries when she travels. Our driver was surprised that we asked to stop at the cemetery. 

     There is a cultural difference. Most Taiwanese avoid passing by any cemetery and don't even ask to visit one. Cemetaries are much different in the United States. But for our American's friends, they were not afraid at all and enjoyed the visited. They asked all kind of questions like if it was a family tomb or what the characters on the grave mean, etc. 

     I whispered to the rested spirits, " Sorry, we bother your peace. My friends are just interested in looking at your houses and taking some pictures. I hope you don't mind." I was told to respect human beings and all the spirits when I grew up.  

     This cemetery is different than the west of Taiwan as I know. Some of them are family tombs which heavily used the tiles. It is more luxuries than the west.  In the west, most tombs are individual space with concrete layouts. It might be the geography differences or the residents' cultures and religions. 

There is a Tomb Sweeping Festival on April 5 each year. The descendants will go to their ancestors tombs to clear up the weeds and also pay their respects to their ancestors. But, after the  Tomb Sweeping Festival, the weeds start growing and no body seems care about it anymore until next year. However, it offers the best food resources for the migrant birds and the Gray-faced-Buzzard Hawk. Before they fly back to the northern region, they come to Taiwan as a midway rest stop in April.  After removing and burning the overgrown weeds, small animals, like snakes and rats have no places to hide. That is why it offers the best food resources for the migrant birds. 

A Lion guards the resting spirit and also shows the family's reputation and wealth.  
The above three pictures were contributed by Ann & Ted

Day III--Train Ride from Yilan to Hualien

      Last night, the rain continued. If I didn't have a mission the next day, I might feel it was romantic listening to the sound of the rain falling on the bamboo trees and into the puddles. Today, my main job was to insure that everyone load their suitcases into the bus and find taxi's to transport us to the Luodong Train Station in order to catch the train at 13:26 pm to Sinchen, Hualien on time .  

      Our driver showed up at the villas on time. After we loaded our luggages on the bus, I wished him good luck for driving down the Suhua Highway safely.  Our schedule was free for us to walk around the park this morning. 

The Park Map From Its Official Website 

                                        http://www.ncfta.gov.tw/ncfta_eh/e02/index.aspx

     The center has 24 hectare lands of traditional Taiwanese architect, Art training, learning center, and visitor area etc.      

A bunches of students standing in the rain to see a dragon dance in front of the Traditional Theater.
The most enjoyment for those kids were buying traditional toys and snacks or DIY (do it yourself) their own souvenirs. In fact, it was not just for kids but also for adult to shop around the Traditional Handicraft Artists Studios of 33 stores along  the street which hosted the imitated architects of the early 20th century of Taiwan on both sides of the street. It is a great place for travelers to pick up souvenirs for families and friends . 

Definitely Taiwanese which is the name of this compound, offers traditional Taiwanese food, desserts, and snacks. 

Day II-- The North-East Coast

     After one good night of rest, we were ready for our 13-day trip around Taiwan. But, according to the weather broadcast, there was a torrential rain warning in the north part of Taiwan. Also, the unusual rain pattern had caused some damaged on the roads and some scenic spots which we were to visit. 

     Our driver called me two days prior to the trip started and gave me a suggestion which was to change our itinerary. He asked me if we could start from the west coast instead of the east coast due to the weather situation. It sounded to be a good idea but it also meant that we had to compromise our hotel reservation, a none refundable cancellation. If the government closed down any transportation methods, it would be another story. Hence, I was not comfortable with the weather situation and also worried about our driver situation. At that point, the only thing I could do was to keep my fingers cross for our trip.  

This was the bus, a 9 passenger mini bus including the driver, that we hired. 

One Day Trip in Taipei with B.M.W

     It was the first day that we started our travel journey in Taiwan. The day before was just a warm-up day for the entire 13 days trip. It was unusual that it rained during this time. Normal, it was a dry season in Oct or Nov. It was not good for our plan because we were going to experience the true Taipei life with B.M.W. ................Wait, don't even think about that we really had a BMW car waiting for us.  

      B.M.W is a transportation system in Taipei for ordinary people, students, or commuters between home and working places.  B represents the bus system or bike,  M is MRT (Municipal Rapid Transit), and W is for walking. It is also a very convenient system for a traveler who is on his or her budget.  You can take a bus or walk to a MRT station. After getting off MRT, you can walk or take a bus to your destination. It offers many bus schedules in many places, especially at tourist spots. MRT starts at 6 AM and closes at 12 PM. The bus system is cooperated with MRT schedule, starting at 6 AM to 12 PM, depending on which bus line you are taking.  After the completion of the MRT system, the traffic congestion situation was improved tremendously.   

MRT Official Website: http://english.trtc.com.tw/MP_122032.html

     

In order to having energy for dealing with our schedule, we would need a good breakfast. 

It offered various selections. It was good enough to me 

     Since we were not a typical tour group, we had changed our schedule due to the weather condition. Originally, our first stop was Taipei 101. Its visibility would be bad because of rain. So, we decided to visit National Palace Museum first.  We spent 3 hours in the museum. It seemed too long for us because we were exhausted by just working in the museum. 

The picture was taken by our friend Ted & Anne 
Learning how to take MRT

This photo is distributed by Anne & Ted
Waiting for MRT