My Family's First Visit to Formosa: Su-hua Highway and Taroko National Park

Su'hua Highway Blues

No trip to Taiwan is done without a trip to Taroko National Park (太魯閣國家公園) -- its the Grand Canyon of Taiwan. As we were admiring the park, it reminded all of us of Colorado, just different trees (and whole lot more humidity), those rocky canyons seemed all too familiar. They were all homesick.

Having been to Taroko before, I was more excited about the drive there from Yilan down the Su-hua Highway (蘇花公路). It was definitely beautiful, majestic turquoise waters, but I still think the coastal highways around Taitung  (especially around Taimali) are just as beautiful. My folks were more concerned about making the drive alive, they were unprepared for the reckless drivers overtaking each other along cliffs and the sharp mountain switchbacks.

More Su'hua Highway Blues

We stopped for lunch at some hole in the wall, mom and pop roadside diner, a pizza place with free WiFi, that was totally empty. My mom wanted fried rice, having warned her fried rice is pretty much the same everywhere, she still wanted to know what was in it....so she tried it, ate it all, but I think none of them were too impressed. Z and I were stoked to get some semblance of a pizza, corn and all. Food was one area of anxiety for my mom, everything had gluten and too much sugar-and that's all too true, but I it fell on deaf ears to just let it go for just a few weeks. I didn't even tell her, out of pity, that everything was probably loaded with MSG.

We arrived at Taroko too late to really explore it, just a day trip with the usual walks, no real hikes. They weren't up for anything athletic anyways, so at their pace we admired the natural beauty. Things got pretty exciting when a big tourist bus hogged the small mountain road and forced my Dad to reverse into the taxi behind us. There was no harm done, no car damage, so I told him to not worry about it and the taxi driver seemed pretty nonchalant, but it did make a great memory, "Remember the time that Chinese tourist bus..."

Mom and Dad crossing the bridge

My daughter was in heaven pretending to be our tour guide and spending time with her favorite Uncle.I had fun with him on some of the suspensions bridges, making it jump, us giggling like children.

Ed, me and Z at the Eternal Spring Shrine

Six Months in a Nutshell

View from Wisdom Garden

I've been pretty lax with updating my posts. To make a long story short:

Z and I spent Christmas in Tainan. I finally got Christmas Day off! (Usually it fell on a weekend.)




We welcomed the New Year working our way from the Southeast Rift Valley to Hualien with my friends Binh and Kirin. We spent a night and 2 days in Yuli at the serene Wisdom Garden.

Wisdom Garden

Antong hot springs, New Life Resort, Yuli.

 From there Wisdom Garden provided scooters and we tried unsuccessfully to hike the Walami trail in the rain, followed by a long soak in the nearby Antong hot springs. 

Rueisui

Walami Trail

The next day we took a freezing, rainy scooter ride on the mountain highway to soak in Rueishui hot springs. We returned to Wisdom Garden and hopped on a train to Hualien.

 The first night we slept in Hualien city at a backpacker lodge. Everything booked fast for that weekend. I needed my space just with Z and asked to be switched to their other lodging in a residential suburb, which was the total opposite from the loud, social hub of the previous night. After dinner at the night market, we moved our bags to the other location.We were pretty isolated, not to mention after the taxi dropped us of, no one was there and the place was locked. The next morning we took a shared taxi with me, Z, Binh, Kirin and a Korean traveler into Taroko National Park.

Taroko Gorge was stunning, picturesque, but freezing! We were wearing all of our clothes, layers of 4 or more, under coats. We went to all the major sites, did some easy walks and hikes, had lunch there and ended the day chillin' (literally) on the Pacific ocean north of Hualien,

Chinese New Year, Z and I made it home to Colorado, for a long overdue visit with friends and family, it was 2 years since we saw them in Los Angeles for my bro's wedding. It had been 4 years since we last went back to the Mile High City. That trip deserves its own blog, but suffice to say I reconnected with friendships that are 20 years old and older. It was magical to have my folks watch Z and then be given the royal treatment by my friends. Lets just say I ate and drank well, all too well, I returned back to Tainan 5 kg heavier and it was worth it! Unfortunately I haven't lost any of it.



I've been struggling financially since then. My return paycheck was meager from missing 2 weeks of work and its been one step forward to steps back ever since we got back, but looking at the photos of our time, it was also worth it.

Garden of the Gods

In April we managed a weekend in Matsu. I went with my friend Vicky and her family, she planned everything. It was amazing scenery, beaches, very isolated. I will write a separate blog about it. Matsu is definitely off the beaten track.

Matsu day 1, Beigan

In May we took a trip to Taipei. I stayed with my old friend Monica at her sister's place near where I was having an interview and demo in Xindian (they haven't called me back).

Sunrise from my window, Xindian

Sherry, Z and Marion, saying goodbyes.

I may not have got the job, but I got to see my old manager Sherry from my Kid Castle Chu Wei days, my old roommate Marion from Tamsui and of course Monica and her family. We have all been friends since 2000, Sherry and Marion have visited me in Colorado over the years. Monica used to live in Tainan.

Which brings me to last weekend's trip to Taitung, very last minute, quick, full of happy surprises and outstanding individuals.  It was because of last weekend I decided to finally catch up on my blogs.

(To be continued, I hope),