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

Maokong Gondola Ride in Wunshan District, Taipei

     After one day rest for my sister-in-law and her friend, it was time for us to depart to Taipei. We would meet and join other Americans for a 14-day-trip around Taiwan. We decided to take the Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) to Taipei. It would save us about 1 and half hour from Taichung to Taipei due to its highest speed up to 300km per hour. Normally, it would take us 2 and half hours from Taichung to Taipei by bus. 

     

      This was in Wurih station which is in the suburb of Taichung. When the government started this project, its idea was to improve the development of the economic situation and life standards in the urban areas. Thus, it would balance the differences among cities and remote areas. 

Warm Welcome to Taiwan

     
My husband has been inviting his family to Taiwan for 


decades. This day was a very exciting and very important 


day to him and he  couldn't believe that he was going to see


 his sister in Taiwan. It was his dream to host her and other


family members in Taiwan.  Now he had the chance to 


introduce this beautiful island, Taiwan, to her. 


   It took us about 90 mins to drive from Taichung to 


Taoyuan Airport to pick them up. 

It was the first time that my American sister-in-law and her girlfriend visited Taiwan or Asia.