The highlight of our visit to Taroko National Park is our trek over the Baiyang Trail. We walked around 2.1 kilometers one-way and the more than 4-kilometer experience back and forth is definitely well worth it and here's why..

This is the tunnel entrance to trail along the Central Cross-Island Highway and is the jumping point to the trail. Mr. Lu dropped us off here and instructed us to proceed as he parked his car nearby and promised to catch up as soon as he can.


Mr. Lu lent us his rechargeable flashlight as we enter the the tunnel entrance. There are 6 more tunnels ahead of us until we reach our goal, and our cabbie promised us a surprise at the end when we reach the Cave of Water Curtain.


Without the flashlight, the tunnel is pitch black but straight. My mom and I decided to walk without the flashlights as we can clearly see the end of the tunnel. From where we started the tunnel seemed short but it's actually not. It's cold inside but there's a hand rail and the floor is paved although it's wet so we didn't have a hard time walking towards the end.


On the other side of the tunnel is yet another marvelous view of a gorge, rocks and marbles over the riverbed. Pretty amazing as we gasped over the view that we pass by as we go along.


There were also some plants and flowers, that made the whole journey cool and refreshing as we enjoy the walk.


butterflies over flowers


Minutes later and we reached another tunnel. Again, it is pitch black inside but this one is curved, although shorter, so we can barely see anything inside without the flashlight.


As you go along the path, make sure you watch out for signs that warns visitors of dangers like falling rocks from the mountain.


Somewhere along the way, Mr. Lu was able to catch up with us. For his age, he seems very healthy! On one of the tunnels, it was quiet but he pointed out to us that there are actually bats inside.


still a long way to get there!


come let's go!


Other than the plants, flowers, riverbeds and marbles that we pass along the way, there were also some sights like this small waterfall.


On one of the tunnels, there were also limestone formations that Mr. Lu pointed to us.


At last, after a series of tunnels, we're almost there! I was beginning to feel wary that it has been a long walk that my mom may feel tired sooner.


One more tunnel and we saw this marker that welcomed us to the Cave of Water Curtain.


We had to fold our pants before we enter to prevent it from soaking. Mr. Lu also suggested that I remove my shoes because we will be dipping in the water so I walked barefoot on this rocky path. My mom was wearing rubber sandals so she's safe. And oh, Mr. Lu is so ready that he even have ponchos to lend us for wearing so we won't get wet!


And here we are inside the cave! At first you may think this is just another cave but you can see here our feet are dipped in the water. The place is cold but the water is colder. Stepping on the cold stones barefooted was cool at first but it started to tire me later on.


We passed by some frogs and limestones and they are simply marvelous.


And then we reached the water curtain. Falling water from overhead and it sure was a fun experience feeling the pressure hit our bodies. Mr. Lu told us the water is safe to drink but I don't drink water so I didn't bother and just let my mom taste it. She said the water is good and it's cold!


A group of youngsters are inside playing with the water curtain. Looks like a fun activity to do but I didn't have extra clothes with me at that time so I just walked over it a few times.


We didn't proceed further at the other end of the cave because it was prohibited at that time and was deemend unsafe. We went out feeling refreshed and relaxed and began to make our way back to the trail entrance.

On the way, we passed by a short hanging bridge. At the backdroup is a waterfalls going down to a river below.


a closer view of the waterfalls


and yet another waterfalls!


Another rock formation to tickle your imagination - do you see an elephant?


Wow! It's all I can think of at the back of my mind as we go along the familiar path again we passed coming in. The 2-hour walk over what's worth 4.2 kilometers of trail way was definitely worth it. Taiwan kept on giving me surprises and now I understand why Janet Hsieh is so proud of her country.

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One of the interesting things to do inside Taroko National Park is to let one's imagination run and go wild. How? By staring hard at the rock formations, your creativity may stir up and an image of something may come up to your mind. Take for instance some rocks where locals and visitors claim look like a head or face of a person.

An example of this is the head-shaped rock at the right. Now you have to stare hard and keep an open mind for you to see the head. If you let your minds extract more creative juices, you may be able to see a face on the left across it.


We saw this rock formation when Mr. Lu parked his cab near a high mountain inside the park.


Here's another "face" carving from the rocky mountain. Now it gets queer!


And this scene can be witnessed from a viewing deck that has a feel of a Japanese garden zen.


me and Mr. Lu


a monument marker, not sure what it says


Furthermore, we reached the Cihmu bridge where white marbles are. It is in a point where Liwu and Laosi rivers meet. At the other end of the bridge is a pavilion where one can relax and catch a view of the surroundings.


white marbles and more faces!


river flow


stairs to the pavilion


We also dropped by the Visitor Center, mainly to use restroom. Little did we know that there is a museum inside the place and the personnel inside called (and signalled by hand) for us to come in.


me and the planets of the solar system


explanation of the natural wonder but we could not read the characters :)


the park


photos of different areas inside the park


Looking at the photos taken from the park made us realized there are so much to do and and moreso to see but we got so little time.

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From Shakadang Trail, Mr. Lu went brought us to a spot overviewing Changchun, or the Eternal Spring Shrine. Taroko National Park is so massive that one cannot visit all the places inside so we just selected a few interesting places to go to. The shrine is dedicated to 212 military personnel who gave their lives for the construction of Central Cross-Island Highway.


The shrine is said to be the most photographed place here in the park and it's understandable why. Aside from the shrine itself, spring water from Changchun falls continuously flow from the mountain adding beauty to the attraction.


on top of the hill


writings on the rock wall


This tunnel is the starting point of a 1.5km trail to the shrine. It is short but we didn't go through because some points might be too steep for my mom to climb.


Mr. Lu's cab


We then proceeded to Yanzihkou or Swallow Grotto. As we walk towards a tunnel entrance, Mr. Lu pointed us two hanging bridges, an old one and new one. Both looks scary for someone with fear of heights for they are quite long. The old one is situated on a higher altitude.


pathway and viewing deck of the swallow grotto


tunnel entrance and swallow grotto marker


inside the tunnel


These are the grottos, I didn't get it at first but apparently a grotto is a small caverns and there are lots of these naturally carved into the rocks. I confirmed this with further research later on.


And this is a swallow. I also thought swallow was an adjective to the grotto, but later did I realize that they refer to a number of swallow birds around the area.


Liwu river and the gorge


me


A nice and comfortable place, great view and more learnings for me! I also learned that the term gorge refers to a deep narrow and rocky valley, like the one above along the Liwu river.

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After being fetched from the train station and having lunch in a local fastfood in Hualien, we found ourselves on the road again, this time enroute to Taroko National Park.


Our cabbie, Mr. Lu, stopped by the entrance of park and took advantage to have a photo of me and my mom taken. The park is famous for its wonderful marble gorge and beautiful sceneries.


The view around the area is simply marvelous, and it's just the start. Greens and mountains covered with clouds and the rocks - an awesome spectacular for a non-local like us!


me


5 minutes after and into the park, we stopped by the entrance of Shakadang Trail or "Mysterious Valley Trail" which is right after the first tunnel and before the second one coming from the park entrance.


me and my mom at the trail entrance


This is the view of the trail from above. The pathway carved on the mountain at the right side is the trail itself.


From the trail entrance on a side of Shadakang bridge, one has to climb down a number of steps via stairs to reach the trail.


The trail which traverses alongside the Shakadang river is mostly flat with just a few moderate inclination making it easy to walk on to for beginners. You need to watch out for the sharp stones from the mountain walls and ceilings of the trail however to avoid injury.


Mr. Lu showed us where the carpark is and instructed us to take it easy and be back in around 20 minutes where he will be waiting. We took his advise and walk towards the trail but we barely made it far enough.


view of the bridge from the trail


view of the river farther away from the trail


We stopped walking further as soon as the trail started to turn after around 8 minutes of walking and started to head back.


huge rocks and marbles along the river


more rocks and marbles by the riverbed


yet another gigantic rock!


As we make our way back to the carpark area where Mr. Lu is waiting for us, a few tourist buses had stopped by the entrance and alighted a number of tourists. We had to wait for all the "chaos" top die down and stabilize before we started to go our way against a few others that were left, fighting for space on a narrow staircase.


The lion statues mounted on the bridge reminds me of the monuments seen on the railings as you approach the gate of Angkor Thom.


me and my mom, making it alive after climbing the stairs against hoards of other tourists


This is just the beginning and there are lots more to discover in this wonderful park I never thought would be this big!

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Our third day in Taiwan was spent in a location east of the country. Initially I planned to go all the way south to Kaohsiung or Taichung so we can try the High Speed Rail but instead scrapped the plan for economy and timing reasons. We woke up around 7:00AM, had our breakfast and went off by 8:00AM. A number of taxis line up outside our hotel entrance so hailing one was never a problem. Holding a map in my hand, I diligently pointed out where we wanted to be dropped off and I'm glad the driver understood after looking closely with his eyeglasses on.

This is the Taipei Zoo and we got dropped off right in front its entrance after a less than 10 minutes ride and fare of NTD100. You can see a lot of visitors waiting outside early for the park to open by 9:00AM.


However, this is not where we intend to go. Right beside it is Taipei Zoo MRT station and that's where we rode a train going to Taipei Main Station (NTD35), transferring via Zhongxiao Fuxing.


As we approached the platforms, the train doors were closing and then left abruptly without passengers. We had to wait for another 5 minutes for another train to come and another 5 minutes since the train had to be cleaned before leaving since this is and end station.


Upon reaching Taipei Main Station, I immediately went to the TRA ticket booth, handed a paper to fill up but since I cannot understand Chinese characters, I ended filling the form with wrong information since I just guessed what the boxes meant and wrote down our names and age so the person behind the counter had to fill some information up himself. I made sure that we are early to claim our ticket early as they may release tickets if left unclaimed 30 minutes before the train departs.

I purchased the tickets by previously consulting the schedule from Taiwan Railway Administration website at http://163.29.3.96/TWRail_EN/index.aspx and booked it from http://railway.hinet.net/net_eng.htm. My original plan was to take Tze Chiang 1091, a Taroko Express that leaves Taipei by 8:00AM and arrives in Hualien by 10:08AM. For the return trip, I intended to take Tze Chiang 1096 that leaves 7:30PM from Hualien and back in Taipei by 21:45. Both schedules are both unavailable online, as well as those that runs a couple of hours before or after that schedule when I was trying to secure tickets. It was night time, 2 days before my intended date of trip so I instead have set an early alarm clock and booked early next morning as soon as the online ticketing started. The website only accepts ticketing between 6:00AM - 11:00PM and based on a tip, they clear up unclaimed ticket reservations every day. I was able to reserve tickets for Tze Chiang 1086 that leaves Taipei by 9:30AM, arriving in Hualien by 11:42 AM and a return train of Tze Chiang 1078 that leaves Hualien by 8:00PM and arriving in Taipei by 10:30PM that very same day for this day trip. One tip I can give to online bookers is that to do it in advanced (7 days prior) because tickets get snagged really fast especially on weekends and more surely during holidays.

The train arrived 5 minutes before it's scheduled departure and left right on the dot so make sure that you arrive earlier at the station and on the right platform minutes prior.


The Tze Chiang 1086 service utilized a Taroko Express train, as marked in the schedule website. This means the train is actually faster than the regular Tze Chiang train and will arrive minutes earlier as compared to a non-Taroko Express train service. Inside, the interior of the train looks new and very neat.


One-way tickets costs NTD445 but booking it with a return fare automatically gives a 10% discount to travellers so I was able to purchase roundtrip tickets at NTD802. Not sure how they computed it though because a 10% discount will mean only NTD801 but I'll make no fuss about it.


Expect a view of the countryside enroute to Hualien (or back to Taipei) during daylight unless you will be sleeping the whole time. The whole travel appears to be scenic though I was seated by the window on the right side. We were initially told that scenes from the left window are more
beautiful but because of the late booking for a weekend trip, I'm just glad that we were able to secure our tickets.


Midway the trip, a girl comes out selling items like food and drinks and even collectibles to passengers.


The train is well advanced in terms of technology, the button that open doors from one car to the other is touch sensitive and likewise, the door for the lavatory is the same.


some scenes outside the window as we get nearer Hualien


We arrived exactly by 11:42 AM as scheduled on the ticket. I took a chance to have my photo taken from one end of the train and then we hurried up to go out of the station.


the train station and the platforms


underground walkway to the rear exit of the station


For going around Hualien and our main destination, I hired the service of Mr. Lai-Fu Loo. He may be contacted via +886 9 2856 9081 which I used to transact with him via SMS. I tried to call him but unfortunately we had a hard time talking in English by phone so I reverted back to SMS again. He charges NTD2200 for the tour of around 8 hours and will pick you up and bring you back to the train station, perfect for a day trip like ours! After a few minutes, we are already on our way to Hualien City.


Mr. Lu brought us to this place to eat lunch. He insisted that we have our lunch instead since it's already lunch time anyway. He ate with us but his wife have prepared packed lunch for him which he happily ate while telling stories about his wife. I'm not sure of the name of the place though so if you happen to know, please fill me in.


The fastfood serves packed lunch boxes similar to a Japanese bento, something that is popular in Taiwan as influenced by Japan. Here is the interior of the small fastfood and most of the people that came in ordered boxes in large number but to go. On the left, you can literally see stacks of the lunch boxes.


This is what I had for lunch - pork meat slices, vegetables, bean curd and marinated egg (#1 from the menu), all for NTD60. The pork meat and vegetables were very good while my mom who had chicken (NTD70) but basically the same sidings loved the egg. It comes with clear soup with vegetables and cold tea (self-serve). We didn't know these things and I'm glad that Mr. Lu helped us get the soup and tea although I was ashamed of practically being served by him. I'm also happy that we get to sample something that locals eat rather than going to a fancy place or another western fastfood once again.


After lunch, we left the place and proceeded to Taroko National Park, a 30-minute drive from where we ate.


As we got closer to the park, we came to a place where the road is surrouded by trees on the side that meats halfway in the middle. A very beautiful scene!


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An hour's worth of driving from Nanya, Mr. Yang brought us to our last destination for the day - Keelung City. After showing us around the harbor he dropped us off in Miaokou or otherwise known as the Keelung Temple Night Market.


Different things happen around the area, there are stores selling clothes, arcades, displays of some sorts, beauty shops and other things you can think of.


The most famous thing to do here definitely is to eat. Around the area are lots of food stalls selling items that may be familiar and other stuffs that may seem quite odd.


There are also covered places where one can sit down and eat literally on the street.


Fruit stalls selling juices and shakes are also available. Apparently these is common around Taiwan.


Somewhere around the area is Dianji Temple, built in 1875.


Tourists and locals commonly flock here for seafood. Yes, since Keelung is located near the harbor, fresh seafood items are available in most stores! My mom and I were literally drooling over the fresh food items but since we cannot converse, I hesitated to try it out since we may have problems asking them how we wanted it cooked. My action plan then was to see someone eating something that looks yummy and point to his plate or bowl upon ordering. Unfortunately this didn't work either.


After almost an hour of going around, we saw little shrimps and fried crabs in one of the stalls, but I'm that's all that we'll have for dinner. I suggested that we just buy something for takeout and eat back when we reach our hotel and for early dinner, we can just have something from the nearby fastfood stores. Then I saw a buyer that used tongs and put his order in the basket which he handed over for further cooking and seasoning. I did the same, getting a couple of big fried crabs and gave it to the cook. When the crabs were fried and ready for eating, he got a pair of scissors and cut them to little pieces. I experimented with the food saying yes to all seasonings he was asking if I wanted to put them in and then handed it over to me after paying NTD 200 and got a change of NTD50.


This is usually our last choice but we got desperate that moment. First we had lunch from the convenience store where we got a sandwich and pizza plus softdrinks and then for dinner, we went to a nearby McDonald's.


My mom had chicken (served in a paper bag) while I had a Big Mac burger, both served with fries and softdrinks. At the back of our mind is a thought that at least we got something we can eat when we get back to the hotel.


We passed by a convenience store to pick up some items and then we called Mr. Yang for our final pick-up. It was already dark when we met up with him and started to feel the tiring day as we headed back to Shenkeng.


There was traffic on the way back due to some construction on the highway and a huge trailer carrying cars that slowed down one of the two lanes in our direction but we reached just in time, a little past 8:30PM, a sleek 12 hours after our pick-up time. I paid him the price we discussed plus added a couple more hundreds as a tip for a very good service. Looking back, we have done a lot that day and we could not have done it without him and his eagerness to explain things to us even though he is having a bit of hard time thinking of words to use. I definitely recommend him to anyone who's coming in town and would need such service.


Deep fried crabs. They are yummy and yes, for me they are worth it. It was so good that my mom who usually don't eat much of crabs almost finished them all. The seasonings added were also great!


Some sort of fruit. We thought at first these were lychees when we bought this from a vendor for NTD100 in Yangmingshan Park but we were surprised they were not. They were like berries, tasted slightly similar to strawberries and sweet. If anyone knows what these were, please feel free to fill me in.


Odd-looking pastry. This is supposed to be like bread but is rolled and shaped like a tape measure. It was okay, but we were just intrigued by its looks.


We had a day packed with all sorts of activities but we are grateful. It was just day 2 and still have a few more days ahead of us in the city but we felt like we began to understand the culture and feel of a local through the stories and experiences we had just for the day. As we felt tired, we went to sleep earlier that day to get ourselves recharged again for the adventures ahead of us.

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A day that started hot and sunny in the morning has turned into a hard and cold rainy afternoon, but that didn't stop us in keeping our spirits high as we pushed further for this wonderful trip. After finally getting into our cab for more than an hour of wait in a covered carpark-turned waiting shed in Jiufen which almost had us soaked and drench after a sudden pour, we then proceeded to the nearby Gold Ecological Park located in Jinguashi, a World Heritage Site, in Reuifang township. Here we can see the remains of the mining industry that was popular during the early 20th century.


stairs going up


tables and "mini houses" near the gift shop and restaurant


going up to Jinguashi Crown Prince Chalet


These are Japanese-style residences built during colonization period of Japan. They were built by the Japanese Mining Co. for their miners and families.


Unfortunately the park was closed when we came that day. We weren't informed by Mr. Yang, our cabbie, who also might not know or perhaps he did try but the message was lost in translation. The guards manning the entrance didn't inform us either and we just went inside as the rain is pouring bad. If I ever had the chance again to be around, I will definitely visit the place as I am always amazed by gold and mining. Entrance to the park is NTD100 while an additional NTD100 is collected for the Gold-panning experience where participants are thought how to mine gold. Another NTD50 is needed for access to the Benshan Fifth Tunnel experience where you get to be a miner yourself.

We then left the park and made our way to the Gold Waterfall. It was explained to us that due to the mining of gold nearby, the water is affected by chemical reaction with pyrite and thus form the semi-golden colored water and rocks.


Down the road, one can view the Yin-yang Sea (Yin-yang Hai), where one part of the sea is yellow/gold-colored while the other part is the normal blue/dark gray colored. The color of the water is also affected by pyrite helping form iron particles.


A few minutes more driving and we reached Nanya, where big rocks can be seen from kilometers away.


Nanya is known for its rock formations and is part of the North Coast & Guanyinshan National Scenic Area.


big rocks


more rocks


the shore


going up


the view below from above


The latter part of this day trip around Taipei City and surrounding county became more of a geological adventure for us. Everything was unexpected but we are suprised and delighted to see all these wonderful natural sceneries despite the heavy rain. We are also supposed to go to Beitou Cape but we have to walk a bit and because of the weather, we decided not to proceed.

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While Yehliu Geopark proved to be very interesting and spectacular, our hungry stomachs dictated us to proceed to our next destination where Mr. Yang and us agreed to take our lunch. As we walk towards 7-Eleven where our cabbie will pick us up, we passed by and got amused by people lining up on the restaurants nearby. My mom and I later realized that these are seafood restaurants and as seafood lovers, it got us more hungry than ever. Too bad our lunch destination is still a 40-minute drive away!


On the way, Mr. Yang recommended that he stop by a place and let us try a local practice. Since we're here for experience and it sounded like a safe thing to do, we're obviously game and got a bit of surprised to drive by a place where a number of big posters with sexy girls are flaunted to public.


Adding more to the surprise, a tight and skimpy-dressed girl knocked over our cabbie's window and talked with Mr. Yang.


After a few exchanges of what seemed to be ordering of something and negotiation, the girl had proceed to this small box-like window shop and got something and returned a small package to our cabbie, got the payment and left.


What Mr. Yang ordered are betel nuts! Apparently traditional folks in Taiwan love to chew this delicacy and we were a witness to this chewing (and spitting) eveywhere. He got something else to go with it and asked us to chew both at the same time. We were handed a plastic cup where we can spit it out in case we didn't like it.


After a few seconds of chewing, I had to spit it out fast because I didn't like the combination of something bitter, sweet and tangy. My mom apparently liked that red-colored thing and Mr. Yang explained to us it's a tradition here in Taiwan that sellers of betel nuts wear something sexy and sit on a window shop to attract customers.


After that, we went off to our next destination, passing by tunnels and highways, as well as scenic views on the way.


It was past lunch time when we reached the place and got dropped off meters away from the entrance of Jiufen Old Street. Since it was weekend, a number of people are coming in and out of the alleys. Jiufen meaning "nine portions" in Chinese was a historical village back then where nine families would ask for merchants to deliver nine portions of anything that is delivered to be consumed by the respective families. Since it was a remote area up in the mountain until the gold rush nearby, deliveries back then was scarce and may take a long time. Today Jiufen is developed and is a favorite must-see among locals and foreigners especially during weekend.


Inside, the aroma of different food being cooked can be smelled anywhere. Stalls here sell different things from soaps to cute little things but most of them sell food of different kinds and varieties.


Here are some of the things we saw while walking through the alleys of Jiufen:

a woman preparing the ingredients of the food which is put into a wrapping


fruits and vegetables


grilled seafoods like squid, clams, mussels and other shells


hotdogs and sausages of different colors and sizes


grilled meat and seafood


baked pastries


colorful delicacies


sweets


We intend to eat lunch on one of the stalls, however after trying to converse with some of the sellers, we can't seem to understand each other when asking what their items are because we are afraid to try something too exotic. Moving further, my mom got a bit sick of the smell and lost her appetite when she passed by stalls that were cooking and serving stinky tofu, a Taiwan specialty. In the end we just went back to a convenience store outside and got sandwich and pizza bread instead. We went back inside for a brief moment and managed to buy some pastries and small cakes for us to take home.


Then it started to rain. While we were in a pavillion-looking area near the restroom to see a glimpse of the view below, the rain started to pour harder and we were drenched a bit.


It took more than an hour of wait for our cabbie to pick us up. Not his fault but it was due to the narrow roads and hoards of people visiting the place during weekend added with the problems and slowdowns the sudden rain has brought to the area.


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After spending the whole day at Yangmingshan National Park, our cabbie Mr. Yang drove us to Yehliu Geopark located in the town of Wanli, Taipei County. The park is located by a cape between Wanli and Keelung City and is famous for hoodos, rock formations and other geological shapes that formed over time.



Admission to the park is NTD50 and upon entering the premises, you will first have to walk around 5-10 minutes, depending on your pacing, towards the rock formations.


When I first saw the stones, I was simply amazed by the beauty of this natural phenomenon. I saw pictures over the internet but I had few reservations at first that perhaps they just look good as photos but I was awed by its magnificence the very time I saw them right in front of me. Even better, I thought the park may just be a small place and the geological shapes may just limited and of small scale but to my surprise there are lots of them and the area is vast that it will take you at least an hour and a half to explore all.


me


Some things are really unexplainable. The feeling is like I was again in front of Grand Canyon, only closer.


more sprouts!


the shore


on top of the rock!


cliff-looking rock formation


Interesting and bizarre-shaped rock formations like this makes you wonder how such things have formed for a matter of years.


Weird as it may seem, somewhere in the park is a garden area where shrubs and flowers, and a few short trees are growing.


me, at the garden area


The area may not be accessible for visiting guests without the aid of artificial infrastructure. Aside from building pathways where visitors may walk, they also included a few bridges like this that didn't just help us cross from one place to the other but also added to the overall beauty of the place.


Another rock formation of interest had a hole in the middle and you'll see people trying to pass-through on its opening.


This rock formation, named as "Queen's Head", is the most famous among all that is in the park. It's not very obvious from this picture however because of the angle I took this from. There weren't any literature around to explain what's in front of you in the park so it's a must to bring a guide or read about it first before coming in here.



Near one of the viewing platforms is a giant compass.


a view of the coast and skyline of Wanli from the park


Simply great and amazing! Visiting Yehliu Geopark for me is indeed a never-to-miss activity and it's highly recommended for anyone to get out of way and find time to see the place and be amazed by it right before your eyes.

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Day 2, the sun is shining and we woke up to another day of excitement and fun in Taiwan.


Breakfast, served in Sam's Cafe & Lounge, is included in our room rate so it's another plus factor for me when I chose this hotel in Taipei County over a hotel in Taipei City.


There's an ample and decent spread and selection of breakfast items catering Chinese, Japanese, Korean, some Asian and western items.


breakfast food!


dining area


Other than that, they also serve local fruits and I was delighted to see some items I haven't tasted for a long time like guava and on some other days, melon dew, star fruit and even bell fruit!


Outside the restaurant is an al fresco area where one can stay, relax or get some sun and because the hotel is located outside the city in a county surrounded by mountains and trees, it can be very serene and peaceful sometimes here although it is very neary the highway.


I booked for the services of Mr. Meeky Yang, a cabbie who promised to pick us up from the hotel by 8:30AM and bring us to places around Taipei and nearby cities for 12 hours for a rate of NTD3000. I got his contact details searching for things to do around Taiwan and one forum recommended his services instead because it's much more convenient. For those coming in to Taipei and would need such, Mr. Yang may be contacted by calling or sending an SMS to +886 9 2191 5586 or by email at meeky589@yahoo.com.tw. You may need to book him in advanced as he gets a lot of requests. Good thing about him is that he can speak a bit and explain things in English for someone like me who cannot converse in Mandarin.

Aside from the usual places he brings tourists around, I specifically requested to go to Yangmingshan National Park because it looks very nice from pictures and reviews. Shown here is me and my at the flower clock clock of Yangmingshan Park (also known as Houshan Park). This place and surrounding area is said to be very beautiful during flower festival that happens from February to March yearly.


In the Yangmingshan Park is a small trail. Mr. Yang explained to us that locals love trekking and hiking and trails are found almost everywhere around Taiwan. Locals spends weekend waking up early to convene with nature and follow such trails. Since we are already there and we were told it was just a short walk around the park, we followed the path and enjoyed the place while getting doses of fresh air to breathe.


Here are some photos taken during the course of walking around the park:

statue of Wang Yang-ming, a chinese scholar and philosopher during Ming dynasty


building


benches for resting


man-made fountain and carps


squirrel. yes there are animals lurking around the park!


pathway


me, in front of a dragon-like tree trunk


yet another pathway


and still, another pathway!


a structure bigger than the usual gazebo where one can stay and chill


Mr. Yang also brought us to Zhuzihu, a place where farms grow calla lilies. Nothing much there really at this point but the scene has been very spectacular and amazing with clouds covering the mountain and lush greens everywhere and a few sprouts of flowers.


Driving by, we were amazed by some smoke coming out of the mountain and went further towards Siaoyoukeng, a post-volcanic geology area, still located inside Yangmingshan National Park.


The wind was blowing hard at this time and looking at the grassy areas, we can see the leaves swaying wildly to the gust of the wind.


In Siaoyoukeng, a smell is very evident and was told it was sulfur. It was okay at first but for some visitors it can get very tangy as it prolongs in your breathing.


me


Mr. Yang, dilligently waiting for us from his cab.


The whole morning was spent around Yangmingshan National Park. I thought at first that it only covers the flower clock and the nearby area but I was surprised that there are other places and it is such a huge park of around 28,400 hectares that a lot of things have been pointed to us as we went by, including Cising mountain, and the highest peak of Mt. Chihsing. What's good about this park is that it is very accessible via 30-minute drive from Downtown Taipei City and in fact, some parts of the park are technically in Taipei City while others are spread out on nearby towns of Taipei County namely Danshui, Sanchih, Shihmen, Chinshan and even Wanli.

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