Tearing around Taiwan

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If you wish you can make your selection of seafood and take it to one of the many stalls who will cook and serve it for you. That is what we did. I only had a tiny taste but apparently it was all very nice - except for the sea urchin which some did not like.

The food was served outside on the waterfront. A number of ferries leave here for the offshore islands.

 

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Then we headed further down the coast to the National Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium near Checheng. This has the most amazing Aquarium setup that I have ever seen.

National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium

On the way there we passed many fish farms that seem to be a feature of the south and east coastal areas of Taiwan





The beaches were nice but seemed very gritty. You can also see the railway line above the road.



This is a resort hotel. Apparently the round glass structure on the end can be rented out via Airbnb.



The hills were getting closer to the sea





These roads often had a speed limit of only 50 or 60 KPH.



A rather superior paddling pond is just inside the gates





The main public building



Note the prohibition on betel nuts

 

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Fishies!

 

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There was also a penguin display in another building but I got a bit side-tracked and didn't have time to see it as it was closing time.

They had set up one tank as a 'shipwreck'.







A now comes one of those moral conundrums that we all have to deal with. The Beluga Whale tank. Claimed to be there for scientific research but I hated seeing them in a tank - even though it was very big. I went to the Albany Whaling station once when it was operating to process a tanker that had come to pick up some whale oil. Luckily it was the off-season but the whole area stank. Even over 40 years later the smell still lingers.

Anyway, despite my qualms the belugas looked amazing.

 

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those belugas are reacting much as they do in the wild. very inquisitive. we were doing a zodiac cruise in the Churchill river in Canada. They would swim up to the zodiacs. If you put your hand in the water they would come up and rub against it. If you rubbed your hand up and down they would turn over so you could rub their stomachs. Was just amazing. Sadly didn't have an underwater camera.


This is one in the process of turning over.

 

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We then had to backtrack a bit until we headed up the east coast towards our hotel for the night in Taitung. This where our crowded itinerary did become a problem. The bit of road we were travelling on runs right alongside the Pacific Ocean and looks like it would be a great drive. Unfortunately we drove most of it in the evening when it was pitch black.

This little spot had a predilection for strange statuary.





Two giant cats hugging/dancing with a puppy at their feet



This was what the road looked like before it became completely dark



Taitung looked to be a very nice little town with a population of a little over 100,000 people.

We had a late meal at this restaurant. It is apparently famous in the region but it was about to close so we had to rush for a quick meal







Before we went to bed we had a quick walk around and luckily for us a bakery was open. I assume it was named after the former U.S President



We stayed at the rather amusingly nnamed Fish Hotel. It was actually a very nice hotel. But it was extremely busy in the morning with a number of busloads of tour groups all leaving at the same time. It was a bit like the 'last helicopter out of Saigon' in the foyer. There was only one lift which couldn't cope with the crowd and the tour groups had to use the stairs and they were banked up for two or so stories.

The hotel



'Fish' were all over the foyer

 

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The room



The view

 

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I had said that the hotel in Kaohsiung had the best breakfast but on looking at these photos the Fish Hotel might be in a tie. All except one of our hotels had breakfast included and that seems to be the norm. This breakfast had a better quantity and quality than most of them but the basic menu items were the same at most of them.

 

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The next morning we continued to head north again driving alongside the ocean.

Our first stop was at "Water Running Upward". This is one of those places like those where cars seem to 'roll uphill" due to the slightly odd topography causing the optical illusion of water running uphill. It may be because I have proper sight in one eye but I couldn't really see the illusion. But it was a pretty park with good views so a 20 minute stop was fine.

Water Running Upward－East Coast National Scenic Area

"Assoonasyouarrivehere,youwillheartouristsexclaimandmarvelaboutthisgeographicalwonder-WaterRunningUpward.Weoftensay:""Peoplegoupward,an

www.eastcoast-nsa.gov.tw

This sort of coastline view was common for much of the day



The clouds kept away in the morningbut were always hovering over the mountains.

 

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After a few days break back to the TR.

These are a couple of maps covering the last few days travel covered by this TR - stolen from my wife.





Our next stop was at the Amis Folk Center near Chenggong to see a performance. There were a couple of tour buses there. The show is free but they ask for donations at the end.

Amis Folk Center－East Coast National Scenic Area

"TheAmisFolkCenterislocatednexttotheTorikTouristCenteroftheEastCoastNationalScenicAreaHeadquarters.Theareaisabout2hectaresinsize,includinganoutdo

www.eastcoast-nsa.gov.tw

For the children



Our guide said that the wire was added to the roof after a typhoon caused severe damage a few years ago.




The clouds were still hanging around the hills

 

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Some videos of the performance

Firstly they set off a cannon - a surprisingly big bang!

And then the music with lots of flutes and percussion

The tour buses left very quickly and we had an almost private performance.

VID20240523111804

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VID20240523112101

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This band has toured Australia and various Pacific Islands. It was fund raising for a tour to Hawaii and my wife bought a CD. You could see and hear some similarities to Dayak performers we had seen in Sarawak. The tourist buses had all gone by then so we were the only ones to buy the CD. It came with a booklet that included lyrics - in Mandarin and the Amis language. I guess it is fortunate that one of our family can read Mandarin.











And finished off with some expensive but nice ice cream

 

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We then moved further north along the coast towards Hualien and our first stop was at Sanxiantai with its famous Eight Arch Bridge. As seems to be the norm in Taiwan the tourist infrastructure was well set up. There was big (paid) carpark, a Tourist Information Office, some small shops and the obligatory clean and well kept toilet block. The paths were marked and maintained and there were information signs in Mandarin and English. It is hard to complain about how Taiwan caters for tourists.

Sanxiantai－East Coast National Scenic Area

"SanxiantaiislocatedinthenorthofChenggongTownshipinTaitungCounty.itiscompsedofoffshoreislandsandcoralreefs.Odd-shapedrockareeverywhereontheisland

www.eastcoast-nsa.gov.tw

It is a very attractive location and on a sunny day the colours would stand out even more. The island the bridge leads to was formerly off-limits as a military area.





As you can see there was rain in the distance so none of us felt risking a crossing of the bridge - besides there were lots and lots off steps.









Very lush coastal vegetation



A pretty little lizard crossed the path in front of me. There are venomous snakes on Taiwan but happily we saw none.

 

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Some more



The road north continued to border the ocean. In summer it must be a great, if slow, drive.



A nice set. Surfing is popular on this stretch of the coast and there are some surf shops etc scattered about



After seeing so many Buddhist and Taoist Temples earlier in the trip it was a contrast on the east coast to see Christian Churches and graveyards. Apparently the majority of Christians are the indigenous peoples like the Amis. They were converted by the early Dutch and Portuguese traders and have maintained that belief system since.






We had been told that we were going to make a stop at the marker for the Tropic of Cancer. Now I have seen the splendour and magnificence of the W.A marker for the Tropic of Capricorn and could not see how its glorious construction could be equalled. But they made a fair effort.

Western Australia's monumental structure



Taiwan's pale imitation






The cleft in the pillar had a nice echo chamber effect





The usual Taiwanese love of fantastical animal sculptures

 

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A few more photos along the way

A group of schoolkids were out on a bike tour. They were accompanied by a couple of cars and a scooter at their back





These bikeways seemed to be minor roads that ran parallel to the main road rather than actual bike paths



Not a big pineapple but at least a quirky bus stop





These roads were actually pretty straight and wide but had very low limits and plenty of speed cameras. Even out of town the posted limit was often 60km/h



There was a 2 km boardwalk here to look at the beachside rocks. Apparently monkeys like to hang out on it in order to steal anything they can. The weather was bad enough to convince us not to walk very far.







The road was often wedged between sea and hill

 

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That night we stopped at Hualien which was just near the epicentre of a 7.4 earthquake in April of this year. Apparently tourism levels are way down since then. It was noticeable how quiet our hotel was. We drove to the main night market but didn't stop as most of the stalls were shut and it was almost empty.

We 'had' to stop at a KFC store there as both my daughter in law and the guide agreed that KFC produce the best Portuguese egg tarts in Taiwan. I have to admit that they were best we tried while we were there.



We also tried a Matcha Egg Tart but that did not suit my palate.



There used to be a McDonalds next door but the earthquake put paid to it. Apparently this was the last 'large' building to be demolished in the city after the earthquake



The weather was starting to be pretty rainy. There is a narrow gauge railway running through the town.




There were several small earth tremors during the night but I only noticed one. The hotel was an up-scale tourist one but it was very quiet.

The view from the room was pretty typical of 'small town' Taiwan



Driving to a restaurant for our evening meal we followed this 'gopher' down the main street. It was dark, rainy and pretty busy but the woman happily tootled along at about10km/h

After the meal - which apparently neither my wife or I recorded we split up. Three of us went for a walk to get Tofu Pudding while the others went off to find a Stinky Tofu store.

The town itself seemed pretty pleasant.

A nice pedestrian way with a reference to the old narrow gauge railway that used to be there.





Our pudding - very nice

 

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From now on the photos are a bit disjointed as after that night everything went to merde - literally.

We woke up in the morning to a rash of messages on our group WhatsApp page. During the night my son and his friend had started experiencing vomiting and diarrhoea. My daughter in law and the tour guide were also feeling a bit crook but not as bad. In the end they all headed off to the local hospital. The first two ended up on a saline drip and received injections for the symptoms and a bag full of medicines. It was all done pretty quickly - about 4 hours all up - and cost about A$150 each for the foreigners. The local health people took it all very seriously and various samples were taken and questionnaires filled in. The first thought was it was food poisoning from the stinky tofu and the restaurants we ate at that night were to be visited for health checks. The rest of us were not sick that day but slowly succumbed over the next few days.

After we got home the results of the tests came back and it turns out that the cause was Noro Virus. I can assure you that you it would be a good move not to become infected with it!

Anyway we eventually made a late departure heading towards Yilan with several very miserable people on board.

Because of damage from the earthquake the roads north of Hualien were only open for about an hour three times a day. The late start meant we had missed the morning opening so had to wait for the afternoon one.

This is the route north but the suggested trip time bears no resemblance to the current reality.




To fill in the time we made a trip to Liyu (Carp) Lake. Some of us went for a walk while the others dozed.

Liyu Lake Visitors Guide for 2024 | Island Life Taiwan

The serene Liyu Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Hualien County, and a popular recreation spot. Here we outline some of the many things you can do at the lake!

www.islandlifetaiwan.com

This day had the worst weather we experienced in Taiwan.



It is a very pretty freshwater lake but you can see how the local tourism industry is struggling. None of the hire boats were out.





There were lots of shops alongside the lake but we were pretty much the only people there







As his mother was trying to catch up on some sleep in the van we were able to spoil our grandson with a Dragon fruit and Apple Ice Cream



Our initial plan had been to visit Taroko Gorge but it is still closed due to damage from the earthquake. However we drove up to the visitor centre to wait for our time slot north.

The weather had worsened

 

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We headed up to the Taroko Gorge Information Centre to wait out of the rain for another hour or so - and to use the toilets. The centre is very well setup but was almost deserted. There was one person on duty just to keep and eye on things. Our guide told us that the people in this area were suffering badly after the quakes as their livelihood had almost completely disappeared with the loss of visitors.

Notices about the park closure





Inside the centre







I am far from qualified to offer an opinion but this area looks sort of 'Japanese' to me.



This video shows one of the entrance gates to the park that has been barricaded off.

 

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We eventually joined a long queue to take the road north. Once it eventually started moving it was extremely stop start for a couple of km. The problem was that the heavy rain had caused more landslips and parts of the temporarily opened highway were down to only one lane.

The traffic.



This short video gives an idea of the sort of debris that was falling onto the road

The traffic coming south was banked back for km - as the landslips were on 'their' side of the road.

This is the only north/south road in this area and while extensive rebuilding is taking places with lots of tunnels being bored through the mountains there are still many km of twisty, hilly road.

This is pretty typical of much of the trip. You were lucky to average 40 km/h for much of the journey



When the rain lifted a bit there were some nice views

 

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We eventually made it to Yilan. This is an area famous for hot springs and we stayed at a 'resort 'hotel that had thermal baths just off the reception and hot spring fed baths in each room.

Our hotel the Chuang-Tan Spring Spa Hotel was a great example of 'faded glory'. It had obviously been an up-market resort hotel when it was built but it desperately needed a complete refresh.








Our room was huge and had been expensively, if not tastefully, furnished but again was on a downward spiral



We don't need no stinking electrical safety checks! At least one other of our rooms had a similar problem



But why worry about electrocution when you could have mirrored ceilings like my brothers room.



The baths were huge - but I was the only one of our party who was well enough or silly enough to try them out. It was actually nice and the water very hot. There were cautions about the temperature of the water and recommendation to limit your time in the bath to about 20 minutes.



Gasp - a photo of a naked foot. I had a great water buffalo wallowing time.