Taiwan- Ilha Formosa (the Beautiful Island)

Taiwan

So it has literally been ONE YEAR since I arrived in Taiwan (thanks Facebook for reminding me). I traveled to Taiwan exclusively to visit a very good friend of mine and since I basically had to fly over the country from Thailand to the U.S. I figured, why not? I had no real hopes or aspirations of seeing anything that astounding. I guess I figured Taipei and Taiwan were all one in the same. But by the end of my trip, my opinion had completely changed of this island nation. 

See why.........

Upon arriving in Hsinchu (southwest of Taipei) after a few long trip, I was delighted with this sign at the train station. Can you read the second to last line? (Kiss and Ride) I loved it! It made the long journey all worth it. 

 

Another thing that always makes a trip worthwhile is the food. On the left were these enormous dumplings served in a soup. For those of you who have been to Asia, you know, dumplings come in many sizes and forms, but they are ALWAYS good! And the cook was sweet enough to pose for me.

A short (one hour) walk to the docks rewarded me with this plate of super fresh sashimi, including washabi and soy sauce (for about a dollar). Doesn't get any better than when you can see the fish coming off the boats and into the markets. 

I luckily arrived for a long weekend and so we set off for a short trip to Kaohsiung, a massive port city located along the bottom coast of Taiwan. We took one of the high speed trains, but not quite so high speed as the one that passed us in the station, so that even if you are behind the line on the platform, you step back further. I morbidly always image what would happen if I were on the track....... 

 

One of our first stops in Kaohsiung was to Monkey Mountain as tourists call it, although it's actually  called ShouShan. But I have to admit, Monkey Mountain is a much better name because of the Taiwan Macaques that run amok. They have definitely adapted to their environment and are able to open the seats of the motorbikes and if they see a plastic bag or a drink box, they will attempt to steal it from you. These creatures go from cute to slightly intimidating as they approach you with one purpose in mind. 

Kaohsiung boasts not just one but TWO of the most beautiful metro stations in the world (according to popular polls). On the left is Formosa Boulevard which has some amazing stain-glass pillars and ceiling art. The "Dome of Light" tells the story of the human life. There is also a piano you can play if and only IF you are actually able to play, aka NOT for beginners (per the sign).

Central Park Station is named for the park just outside the station and I'm guessing an extension of the park. The levels of green span the height of the escalator and those huge flowers are mini windmills. We only went to ride the escalator down and then up once. 

My reason for visiting! Several years in Korea together, came to visit me in CT once and now (or really 'then') in Taiwan. Just relaxing together with some other new friends at Pier 2 which is a large art center and outdoorsy area where many families come to spend free time. As you might be able to see below, blowing HUGE bubbles and flying kites are two of the most popular activities there. 

  

When my friend and those who worked had to leave Kaohsiung after the long weekend, I was left in the very capable hands of a local friend. What happened was one of the best guided tours I've ever received. I saw shown several historical sites like the East Minor Gate (seen above) which is the only remaining gate from 200 years ago. Then we went to an old historical school that had taught some of young boys who would become government officials (where the cartoon drawings on the walls describing what it took to past this rigorous tests were very comical). We stopped at a brick factor, rode out to the largest docks outside the city to try sea urchin (delicious but $$$) and made it back in time to see the Wade Martial Arts Center which used to be a Japanese police training facility (while under Japanese rule) and now teaches all sorts of martial arts to young people. We topped off the night by visiting my new friend's tattoo studio as well as meeting some of his friends who are artists and own a wonderful little coffee shop. 

I wish I had a few more details but I left all my notes at home (literally-that's why I keep a journal).

But it was absolutely the best tour I've ever received, so thank you!

     

Then I was sent on to some popular hot baths up the east coast a bit in Taitung. The baths were a bit strange. Each hotel had there own source or pool of water which was communal, but most people seemed to prefer to go into the private shower/bath stalls to enjoy the hot water. It was a nice, quick break after being in the city for a few days, but in the end what I loved most was the sign you see on the left-promoting the hard boiled eggs that they actually boiled in the hot springs, and the bagged breakfast, left outside my door. Both were adorable. 

 From there I went onto Hualien, about halfway up the east coast and very close to the Taroko Gorge. I rent a motorbike for the day and rode up through the gorge. They had managed to cut a road that nearly perfectly dissects the canyon in two, so that at each new curve you always have an amazing view of both up and down the gorge. It did however make for a slightly nerve-racking ride, as I'd often forget to concentrate on the road as I was mesmerized by the scenery. 

Last stop: Taipei, the capital, and like a lot of large cities-big, crowded and loud, but it did have several unique offerings. One night we went shrimp fishing! There was a neighborhood that has several large "restaurants" all in a row and when you walk in you see that 1/2 the restaurant is full of long tables and chairs and the other 1/2 has one or two long but shallow pools where people sit around and attempt to catch their dinner. Every hour or so a new bucket or two of live shrimp are dumped into the pool and then you attempt to stealthily lure the little creatures onto your hook. The workers were very gracious and tried to show us some tricks (see above left). A few people did have some luck, but I think that I caught one or two the whole night. Then, whenever you're finished you can ordered the shrimp cooked as you'd like it (and any additional ones if you weren't so successful). 

Another little gem I stumbled upon was this brightly painted 3-story house which was built completely upside down! Everything inside is fixed above you, including full place settings at the dining room table; plates with spaghetti or steak; shoes; stuffed animals on the couch and a beautifully decorated bathroom. 

Despite all that, I was looking to get out of the city after only a day or so and I managed to stumble upon a hike that lead to the best day in Taiwan- the Sandiaoling Waterfalls walk. Following some directions from another blogger, I set out from Taipei and arrived to this nearly abandoned station about an hour from the city. These walls were the ruins of possibly a larger station but added to the charm of it. I followed the path along for a bit before finding the trail head and heading up into some low hills.      

The first waterfall I came upon was the one below and left. I had read that I could walk across it as you can see on the right. But before I reached that point I came upon an empty shack that had several signs in Chinese, Korean and possible another language. Thanks to my Korean I was able to understand something like, "This is our house." (My friend translated the Chinese later and it said something a bit ruder.) Then I heard some rustling from inside a makeshift tent within the shack and a voice call out. I suddenly got very nervous and thought I might have stumbled upon some less than friendly people who would not appreciate me being there and I attempted to flee. However, a man appeared suddenly, and seeing a foreigner said, "Waterfall?" and then pointed me in the direction of where I could walk across the waterfall! Success! 

 

The second waterfall is the one you see above. It had a huge crack in the rock behind it and made for a lovely, wet walk to reach the very back of it. 

There was a third waterfall (but I'm trying to keep this short), as well as a few shrines, a rope bridge or two, and some rope ladders to ascend the muddy paths. I saw no one else my entire day there and since I'd attempted to memorize the directions, I inevitably got lost and instead of making the one way trip from my start point to Shifen Waterfall (which is much more popular) I ended up running up and down muddy, slippery hills through some pretty thick brush, falling occasionally on the roots that stuck out of the ground, and only saving myself with all of the long, durable vines that hung down.  

But I was really glad to return to the same town and train station where I took a quick walk through and got to see some of the old houses that border the street on one side, and hang off the side of the hill on the other, overlooking the river. 

 

After the wonderfully misleading hike, I went to Jiufen, which is a little coastal town just outside Taipei, It was a gold mining town for a while at the turn of the 20th century and later became a Japanese prison camp for mainly British soldiers during WWII who were forced to work in the gold mines. Now it is an intricate labyrinth of small alleys, filled with shops and restaurants, each with more and more delicious food. Like these ice cream tacos- 2 scoops of ice cream on a bed of roasted, chopped peanuts, in a tortilla. Delicious!

I couldn't resist snapping this last shot-no offense to any one, but just another wonderful thing about being an English speaker in a non-native English world. There are always T-shirts, signs, posters and even names of cafes that either purposefully or accidentally use inappropriate English and give us all something to laugh about. 

I hope you enjoyed and understand why the Portuguese named it ¨Ilha Formosa¨ although I didn't even come close to showing all of the wonderful places I saw, food I ate and people I met.