After reading about so many escapades from so many of you all, I think it's about time I made some contributions... and gladly I'll, considering I haven't travelled for years... and to celebrate this newfound freedom. Lol.

And serving up the entrée: it's the teeny island hotly coveted by its gigantic neighbour, standing at the border of clashing ideologies.... Taiwan!

It's a 7-day trip, with my family, main destinations being Taipei and Hualian. My sis managed to get a 1 for 1 promotion on Jetstar so it was like S$260/pax (incld. all misc. charges)... shiok.

Touchdown! As I stepped out of the airport (ard 7pm, they have same GMT as us) I was momentarily stunned. It isn't as modern as it's famous in computer technology... roads are old, buildings look worn and traffic kind of chaotic. It was ard 13-15˚C, so was kinda chilly.

After settling down in our hotel, first destination: Shilin Night Market!!! Food. YaY.

士林夜市

甜不辣 and 蚝煎
I gathered some guts and tried their 臭豆腐... bleah.

Gettin ard is pretty convenient in Taipei... they've have a MRT system very similiar to ours, even uses EZ-Link cards. And it's fast, cheap and clean. People there are very 'auto'. They dun rush into trains, they give way on escalators, and they queue very obediently. Otherwise, there's the bus system, which is even cheaper (NT15 for intracity= 75cents), but less comfy...

Air in Taipei isn't too good; due to heavy traffic, pollution is bad, and vegetation along roads aren't common.

To look for fresher air, head upwards: Yangminshan National Park! It's a nature reserve of a cluster of a few mountains at the outskirts of Taipei. Cool chilly weather gives the air a slight fogginess, plus fresh air, great view and blossoming flowers...

Need to take 1 hour MRT ride then change bus tho... but it's worth it.

Public hotspring bath-houses, at one of the peaks (冷水坑）. Full of naked people (both genders. Separate ones, duh). I prefer to stay outside at the footbaths. Heh.

Blossoming flowers... dunno what they are... 梅花, 樱花 or 桃花?

A nature trail... and a school in the hills!

Random pics I took while walking along some of the paths.
One of the areas with a lot of plantations growing these flowers. Hai3 Yu4? Dunno what they're called in english.

The same night we made our way to Hualian 花莲 via train.3-hour ride. Very comfy... even more comfy than Jetstar... haha...




We stayed in a 民宿 instead of a hotel this time; besides being cheaper, it's also a very different experience. The family just stays one floor below... and breakfast home-cooked by the mum. She's a good cook　I must say. They've got a beautiful house, and 3 real cute kids... we talked to the dad and he brought his whole family here from Taipei. His dream is to settle down in Hualian, and run the 民宿 till the kids grow up. Wow.

Pics of the 民宿. No I am not acting cool. I just woke up. ：）

The next morning - Taroke Gorge. It's also a national park, and one of the main attractions in Hualian... another heaven on earth... and also an evidence that humans are insignificant to the beauty and power of nature.

The river is the one that runs through the gorge. Crystal clear! Sadly this season water levels are lower; in summer waterfalls are abundant, and sunlight fills the valleys.

The pic to the left is of a bridge improved on an ancient pathway used by the 原住民 to navigate through the mountains. There are some even more impressive ones, higher up but covered up by the fog, and pathways circling around mountain tops.

A bridge (慈母桥）with a story...



These are pics of a temple in the mountains...note the pagoda?

Me on top of the pagoda, with a pic of the temple.



That's it for now... more coming up, so please stay tuned to part two!