Today's itnerary: 太鲁阁国家公园 (Taroko National Park)
清水断崖 -> 砂卡礑步道 -> 长春祠 -> 燕子口 -> 九曲洞 -> 慈母桥

Today is another cab tour day, but in Hualien, with Mr Looi. B4 we took the super early train at 7.05am (which means we had to start waking up from 4am, i.e. less than 3 hrs' slp), I woke up to find...


厉害! 竟然吃铜锣烧吃到突然睡着!
[But she was really at the point of falling sick then.]

After Mr Looi sent us to the min su to deposit our luggages, we set off for Taroko.

1st up: 清水断崖.

There's actually 大清水 & 小清水, but I really forgot which is which hahaha. That's the problem with sceneries. They are all very awesome but at the same time they look quite the same to us.


"I DID IT!!!" - Mr Looi's fav phrase which he inquired from us ^^

Our 便当 lunch that Mr Looi brought us to buy b4 we headed to Taroko =)

Time for after-lunch walk at Shakadang Trail.


On our way to the next destination, we passed by the entrance to this 锥麓断崖 [sounds so 不吉利 yet apt].
[Click here to find out more about this awesome place.]
Of coz' we can't go in w/o permit and a licensed guide. Could only see the suspension bridges from outside and afar.


Eternal Spring Shrine (长春祠).

In case anyone is wondering who that 下凡的仙女 in the last pic is, it is PW =p

燕子口 (Swallow Grotto).

The bottom right pic is one of the famous sights at Taroko. The rock mass on the right side, just next to the water stream, looks like the sideview of an Indian Chieftain's head. The bottom left pic was just some rocks that I thought looked like a dog (poodle?) haha (the holes as eyes).

Wild imagination? Well, as Mr Looi said, 七分像，三分靠想象. Though most of us believed more in 三分像，七分靠想象，or in some instances, it's 十分都靠想象 =p


Spokesperson for prohibition of climbing in Taroko.

We decided to inject some drama into the otherwise peaceful nature park.


The all-time fav again.


As Taroko is a gorge area, it is prone to falling rocks.
Like these =\


九曲洞 (Tunnel of nine turns).

We had to wear helmets for safety reasons, so I guess this is one of the high risk falling rocks areas.
The bottom left pic: Can you spot King Kong? It's the mountain in the centre, but the head is half-hidden by the fog.
The bottom right pic: 鱼跃龙门. The fish is on the right, just beside the stream, and it looks like it's swimming upwards. It's hard to picture, I know. I couldn't see where the irritating fish was until someone pointed out on the camera screen to me. I must say the illustration board there shows a clearer pic though.

慈母桥.

One of the stupid things I'll do in a trip. Kissing a 'frog'. Will the 青蛙变王子? Not from a rocky frog definitely.

4got where this was, probably somewhere nearby. But this is one scary suspension bridge!


Can you believe it. YH and my heads actually touched the ceiling of the entrance arch O.o So yeah, all of us had to bend to get over. It's just a matter of extent (of bending).


Speedy journey home.


After collecting this 炸弹葱油饼 which we subsequently fell in love with, from Mr Looi's house (he had ordered for us and had them sent to his house), we went for THE HIGHLIGHT of the day night.

FIREWORKS!!


Believe it or not, this is a wedding banquet. Next to the train station.


Finally, it was home sweet home after another arduous attempt at buying train tickets. The process of buying tickets really made me very exasperated. Luckily we had Mr Looi who helped us get tickets through the station chief, otherwise I dunno how else we're going to travel to Yunlin. Such a nightmare =(

At least our accommodation place made me forget all those and all of us were soon rolling about on the beds. We stayed at 浪淘沙看海民宿. which is a very nice and cozy place with friendly hosts. The boss is a very funny man, but I think he mistook us as Malaysians =p Pics of the house tmr =)

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Accommodation: 浪淘沙看海民宿
Rating: 4.5/5.
Pros: Affordable cost for budget backpackers who want to indulge in a better stay. Nice interior deco (dun be fooled by the outside), homey, helpful and friendly hosts.
Cons: A 20-min walk to the city area, but that also means you will enjoy a tranquil peace by the seaside.

Cab driver guide: 吕来福 (Mr Looi)
Rating: 4.5/5. May not be the cheapest you can get in Hualien (since I dunno the other drivers' charges), but definitely worth your every cent. Jovial, helpful (goes the extra mile for you), funny, fun despite his age. What else can we ask for?