For all yous who dough-no, I am back in the USA. But that doesn't mean the fun's gonna stop. My last few week's in Yilan, Taiwan were a whirlwind, and I didn't get a chance to put down in words how wonderful, exciting, and magical they were. So Im gonna keep on posting til I'm all caught up with pictures and stories. After that, we'll see.
Taroko means "magnificent and beautiful" in one of the indigenous languages of Taiwan, and it lives up to its name. The flagship spot for natural beauty in Taiwan, I just made it there before I had to ship out. I took the train from Yilan to Hualien (about an hour) and I stepped off with just my Lonley Planet guide, a banana in my backpack, and a goofy tourist hat. Most great adventures start that way.
I ran into these really cool people, a guy named Mike from Vancouver and his friend Lin from Taipei. We all wanted to check out Taroko (and maybe some of her hot friends) so we decided to go together. We rented motorcycles and set out.
Lemme tell you that although I have never been to the Grand Canyon, the majesty of Taroko was awe inspiring in the way I might imagine the Canyon to be. There are steep cliffs of marble that rise hundreds of feet in the air, a trail through a beautiful, crystal clear blue and green river, and a path called "swallow grotto" where chirping swallows smoothly swoop surreptitiously over your head.
I was so lucky, also, to have met up with Mike and Lin. It was really cool to see it with them, and it definitely beats going around by myself on an expensive tour bus. and here are pictures, courtesy of Mike
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