The first half of the day was spent exploring around Wufongci waterfall. As usual, we met a lot of really fun groups of Taiwanese tourists. I was able to get several excellent jump shots. The waterfall itself is very peaceful and serene. It is a perfect place to spend a day hiking around and taking in the natural beauty. On the way back down the hill we stopped at a popular swimming spot in the river. This is where we met the most professional group of jumpers I have met thus far. They all just recently graduated college in Taipei and were enjoying their freedom from school. They were all standing around when I approached them and they were instantly enthused to join me.

The problem we faced was getting back to the city. The bus wasn’t going to come for a few hours so I proposed finding a resort. The nice thing about resorts is that they usually have shuttle buses to train/bus stations every half hour. I confidently walked up to the front desk (looking worse for wear and a bit dingy) and inquired about the next shuttle to the train station. The woman asked for my room number and I said 26. Don’t worry, I made sure that the shuttle was free and that I wasn’t sticking someone with the bill. We boarded the shuttle along with several nicely dressed guests and the driver whisked us all down to town. Once we got off, Tim looked at me and asked, “You gave them a room number didn’t you?” Ha! Yep.

We decided to hunt for lunch before heading to the National Center for Traditional Arts (NCTA). Our options were fish, pork, pork, beef, and some more pork. As a vegetarian these options really made me miss the ease of eating in Taipei (aka vegetarian heaven). Then a small Buddha statue caught my eye. YESSSS, I had found a glorious Buddhist restaurant. Come to find out the restaurant is actually ran by the same organization that led the retreat I attended. The waitress handed us Chinese menus and we all just stared at her. Luckily, a very outgoing Buddhist venerable was sitting behind us. She came over and offered us help. She actually spent 5 years in the US completing her doctorate in philosophy and religious studies and her sister lives in Portland, Oregon. What a small world. She was so funny and excited to hear that I was from Portland. Apparently, she thinks it is one of the most beautiful places in the world (I can’t comment, since I am biased).

Once on the train heading towards the NCTA, I met two mainland Chinese tourists who were also heading there. We teamed up to figure out transit. The taxi drivers wanted way too much money, so we went in search of a bus. After getting a taste of hitchhiking I really wanted us to find someone to drive us instead of waiting 30 minutes for the bus. I met several drivers who were very friendly, but were heading towards Taipei and not the NCTA. I won’t bore you with too many details about the NCTA. Check out their website for more information.

http://www.ncfta.gov.tw/ncfta_eh/main/index.aspx

I will say it is worth the visit. Currently, they have a display of traditional Taiwanese handicrafts and an entire floor of silver sculptures. Tim’s hosts picked us up and provided us a lovely dinner. The conversation was very enjoyable and made us wish we had another day to spend with them.

Recommendations for Yilan:

-         The National Center for Traditional Arts gives an excellent introduction to traditional Taiwanese culture. It costs 150 for adult entry and 100 for students. They provide free English audio guides and have a replica of an old street in Taiwan. The building styles range from traditional Southern Fujian to Baroque and give a clear snapshot of what life would have been like in Taiwan long ago. Make sure to check out the show times and catch a traditional aboriginal dance troupe.

-         Eat seafood by the beach in the evening.

-         Hike around the Wufongci Waterfall. Continue to walk up the hill past the water fall and check out the Notre Dame Villa hike. I was told it takes about 4 hours.

-         Lanyang Museum has a very unique architectural design, but isn’t that convenient to get to. Inside you can learn about several of the aboriginal tribes of Taiwan.  

-         There are also hot springs and lakes in the area worth exploring. If only coming for a day trip, stick to the top three suggestions. 

We had a bit of a late night last night greatly due to socializing with our fellow hostel dwellers.  We met one man from just outside of Taipei. He just finished his military service and is doing a 10 day trip around Taiwan with the goal of visiting each county. He was enthusiastic to inquire about our time in Taiwan and how we liked living here. All the other guests were a bit confused how we as English speakers had booked this hostel, since it isn’t on Hostel World or any English websites. My host from Tainan, Anne, booked it for us and did most of the communicating with the hostel owner. Another great perk of couchsurfing is that many times locals are willing to assist you with your next destination.  We all spoke for a while and then hit the hay. This morning was spent at the Wang Ji Tea House in Hualien, which I highly recommend. Try the passion fruit green tea and sweet potato fries... Yum! We took a late train to Yilan and met up with our separate couchsurfing hosts.

Tim’s was a family of five who live just outside of Yilan and mine was a man my age that lives about ten minutes from the station.  Yuche Kuo Kuo or James was at first a bit timid speaking English, but he quickly warmed up and was a delightful dinner companion. We walked through the night market, ate hot pot, visited a very hipster coffee shop (where several locals told me about how proud they are of Yilan’s artist community), and drove to a free hot spring. At the end of the evening he took me to check out his coffee shop. Mean while, Tim was given the royal treatment by his lovely hosts and even had his own floor of the house! Oh how I love couchsurfing!

I will allow the photos to give you a glimpse of our experience in the gorge. It is definitely the highlight of Taiwan. The natural beauty is stunning and it is such a nice way to get away from the bigger cities.

Several people made our day unique and fun. First off we met a New Yorker named Jonathan. He had plenty of travel stories about Peru, Columbia, Japan, and Burma. He was a fun travel partner for the day and even appeased my requests for jump shots. He had with him a collapsible bike that was really impressive. We were jealous, because we were limited to waiting for the bus and he could just unfold his bike and take off to the next stop. The other person we met was Amhad (spelling? Sorry!). He is from Turkey originally, but now lives in the United Kingdom. He is a psychologist and it was fascinating discussing the education culture in Taiwan with him. Overall, today did not fit the trend of pseudo failures. All around a perfect day!

Recommendations for Taroko Gorge:

If you are facing the train station, the bus for the gorge is directly to the right. It costs 250 NTD for a jump on and jump off bus. For a one day trip through the gorge I suggest first getting off at Tianxiang. Walk 800 M up the hill. It looks like you are just walking into a tunnel, but along the wall of the tunnel there is a cave opening. This is the beginning of the Baiyang trail. This is my favorite part of the gorge. Make sure you bring a poncho or rain jacket because you will be going through a small waterfall. You should also bring a flashlight for there are several dark tunnels. After you walk back down to Tianxiang, take a half hour to check out the temple across the river.

Next take the bus to Lushui Trail. The trail takes about 30-40 minutes and leads to a cable bridge with excellent views. The next stop could be the Swallow Grotto. This isn’t necessarily a must do if you are on a time crunch. It is a rock face with many natural niches where swallows have set up shop. Stops like this are nice for taking photos, but may not be worth having to wait for the next bus.

Your last stop should be the Eternal Spring Shrine. Don’t stop at the main shrine with all the tourists. Continue to walk up the stairs all the way to the Changguang Temple. You will get some of the best views of the gorge from here. The walk is steep and takes some lung capacity, but is not long.

Many people like to get the iconic photo with the Taroko archway. I did my first time in the gorge, but didn’t feel the need to stop again.  

If you will be in the area for longer than one or two days, plan on requesting a hiking permit for the Zhuilu Old Trail at least 10 days in advance.

NOTE: You need to pack your own food. At the Tianxiang stop there are some stands selling sausage and fruit, but it is overpriced and didn’t look appetizing to me personally.

All six surfers awoke to a large pan of mushroom omelets and Chinese pancakes. We chatted for a bit and then we all headed our separate ways. Nini left for Green Island (famous for its snorkeling and hot springs that are right on the ocean), Theo took a train to Taipei, and Sam hitchhiked north. We decided to try our hand at hitchhiking. Partially to save money and mostly because we won’t be able to in many other countries. The first car took us as far as the train station. The second driver (a University of Wisconsin Madison graduate) drove us to highway 11 with hopes that we would find a car heading to Hualien. The third car took us 3 kilometers to a 7 Eleven with shade. The fourth car drove us to a town just past Dulan. On the way he stopped and bought us lunch. At this point we were out in the middle of nowhere basically. No train station and no bus station. The fifth car took us to Chengong to find a bus station. We are talking small small small town here. The sixth driver was actually Dutch and drove us 3 meters before he got a flat tire. The seventh driver drove us two hours from Chengong to Hualien. He even delivered us directly to our hostel. Amazing! We visited a famous tea house which was actually the original birth place of this trip. In April 2013, I sat there and wrote out a rough itinerary for this adventure. In the tea shop I met a Taiwanese man named Go Go. His best friend lives in Eugene, Oregon and is a cook at Hooters. Small world- because I am from Oregon and not because of Hooters :).

 Recommendations for Hualien City:

Wang Ji Tea House

We woke up to breakfast on the table (Shihlung is such a wonderful host) and headed out by bike. We have decided the motto for this trip is “We tried!” Since Kaohsiung we have attempted to see many things and have epically failed. Thus is travel! Today we tried to go for a hike, only to discover that all the hiking paths are about two hours away by bike. So we decided to go to the hot springs in Chihpen instead. Another host had sent me a message saying she couldn’t host me, but she could give me free tickets to the Royal Hotel’s hot springs. AWESOME. Chihpen is one train stop away from Taitung. At the station we had two options take a really slow and infrequent bus or take an expensive taxi. I decided to make an option three. I approached a young man who was assisting his grandmother out of a car. I inquired about a bus and sure enough he offered to drive us. Taiwanese people ROCK. Jeff is pictured above. The ride to the hotel was surprisingly long, but meandered along a river and was quite breathtaking. I confidently approached the front desk and informed them that my friend named Tabby lived in the hotel and had left tickets for the hot spring with the administrator. The man asked me for her Chinese name and of course I couldn’t give it to him. He asked for her room number… nope. Cell phone number… nope. Email address… nope. So I showed him her picture and told him that she is a teacher. That is all I know! After a while I pulled up my Couchsurfing messages to find a new one from Tabby. Only to discover that she needed me to confirm an exact time of arrival and that she would then leave the tickets at another hotel. With this discovery I felt a bit ridiculous. The Royal Hotel’s staff kindly drove us to Tabby’s hotel just to check if she had left them. Nope. Oh well, we tried.

The Royal Hotel is one of the older and more famous hotels in the region. It is built up on a hill and has sweeping views of the forested hillsides. With the mist rolling off the trees the area felt very tranquil. We paid 350 for the hot springs and had a great time relaxing.

Back at Shihlong’s house we were greeted by three additional couchsurfers! Sam is from Belgium. Theophile is from Switzerland. Nini is from Chicago. All three are traveling independently and had very interesting stories. The house felt more like a hostel than a private residence. Shihlong made us pumpkin noodles with tofu and cut up some fruit. It was a wonderful evening spent discussing our travels.

Recommendations for Taitung:

I personally like the hot spring resorts north of Taipei better. The Beitou hot springs definitely have a stronger sulfur scent, so if that bothers you skip them. The Chihpen hot springs are out of the way and your time would probably be better spent hiking one of the trails near Taitung. Thus, before arriving do some research and select a trail and a form of transit. I think the best way to do the east coast of Taiwan is by scooter or car.

Most of the day was dedicated to transit. Our host was at work, but luckily a week ago he gained a roommate, Mr. Stefano. We rang the bell and a very Italian man approached the door in his underwear. He had been practicing his singing and was quite surprised by our arrival. He was kind and offered us food, as he stated the food didn’t belong to him. He too had been a couchsurfer at Shihlung’s house. For the past several years he has been floating around Asia. He goes to a country and rents a room for a month and then moves on to a new location. Two or three times a year he goes to Japan for opera performances. The rest of the time his income comes from translating documents into Italian or from giving singing lessons. To say the least he is a character. There must be a genetic marker that most Italian men inherit that lead them to be incurable flirts. Apparently, of late he has been set loose on the local female population and has made many “friends”. Regardless, his company was enjoyable and he was very amusing. Speaking with him reminded me of how much I love Italy, even with all its quirks.

Shihlung is a Buddhist, but as he puts it, “I am a normal guy. I eat meat.” So he laughed when he discovered that out of his four guests three were vegetarian. Thus, he redirected us to a vegetarian restaurant instead of the famous beef noodle place he had intended to take us. Shihlung explained to us several different strands of Buddhism and told us about his work. He works at the only Museum of Prehistory in Taiwan. Stefano said that he thinks Shihlung is the most cultured person in Taitung and he is probably right. Shihlung’s home is absolutely beautiful. It is three stories and is filled with Buddhist artwork. He is also an excellent cook! He has taken classes in Japanese, Taiwanese, and Italian cooking. He has traveled to many countries, but most of his trips seem to have been to Japan. Luckily for me my next stop is Japan. He shared a lot of information with me and is thinking about joining me in the spring when I go back for the cherry blossoms.

After dinner we drove to a very unique tea house up in the hills above Taitung. The owner has many displays of aboriginal art and tools. We all enjoyed light conversation and explored the premises. Stefano and I spent some time discussing some differences between American and European cultures. He asked me if Americans think that European men are weak or feminine. I had never heard of that stereotype and commented that we really need more interaction with one another. It seems there are many strange misconceptions between cultures.