Yuanshan Beach, a photo by monkeytommo on Flickr.

My friend gave me a cool pinhole camera a while back, he sent it to me from the UK. This is just one of the awesome pictures I have developed from it.

Hello all – Sorry about this taking forever to post… lazy just doesn’t describe it! Anyway, here is the 2nd to last post from my travels to Taiwan back in October 2008 covering the 6th of October to the 11th of October.

6th October 2008
Tzu-Yun and I headed off pretty early to go and catch the Super Fast Train which only takes an hour and a half instead of a slow four hours by normal speed train. This beauty of a train was like sitting in an plane only without the take-off and landing. Speedy isn’t the word for this beast and no images can show you just how quick it is, but I did take some footage of it which I will no doubt edit into a video for the site.
Upon arrival at our destination we had to continue on to Kending (the very South of Taiwan) and we had the choice of a bus that would take four hours or a taxi that would take two hours, pretty easy decision really. Thing with the taxi option was that we had to share it with two other people, this was very lucky for us as the two people with us just happened to own a Water Park business and they offered us a discount if we went to their one… the even offered to drive us there and then drop us off at our hotel later on in the day!!! What a spot of luck.
At the Water Park Tzu-Yun and I did a spot of snorkeling, boat parachute and a ride on a Jet-Ski… Without Tzu-Yun I went on the Banana Boat and a circular boat thingy for 3 people, all pretty hair raising but a lot of fun. Unfortunately, due to the nature of water killing electrical items we could only get photos of the Boat Parachute.
After this we had some Sashimi (cost about 8 pounds for super fresh delicious fish) and then the chaps from the Water Park took us to our Hotel. That night we were staying in a Balinese themed Surf hotel… very nice room and cheap too. Later on in the evening we headed out and checked out the local town, Tzu-Yun rented another scooter to my delight, it was late by now though so we headed back pretty soon as the need for sleep set in.

7th October 2008
Today we hopped back onto our Scooter and headed off around the coast stopping occasionally to view the beautiful surroundings. We arrived at many big cliff-sides that made for some spectacular viewing, I took many more panoramic photos that, once again, I will have to sort out when I get back to the UK.
Whilst heading back towards our Hotel we stopped off at another National Park and walked around what was like a small exhibition of history and culture. Tzu-Yun by this point was getting a bit scared of the dark tunnels and encroaching trees (apparently she was afraid of snakes jumping out) and so we decided to call it a day and head to the beach for a bit of a swim.
The water was lovely, but we left it a bit late to have a good long soak. Still, that didn’t stop Tzu-Yun from renting a body board… was a lot of fun.
Later in the evening we headed back to the local town, this time a bit more awake after catching up on some much needed sleep. There were many shops that sold local produce and some amazing food. I am now officially addicted to Bautzu (pronounced Bout-Zoo kind-of!). We also found  a local seller of Bubble Tea which was quite literally the best we had ever had… at first I hated this strange drink (it has lumps of chewy stuff in it) but now I love it.
After our little jaunt to the town we headed back to the Hotel and dropped off the Scooter… tomorrow we would be heading to Jaa-ee (I will correct these place names later when I can get Tzu-Yun off the telephone!! haha).

8th October 2008
The road to Jaa-ee was once again a taxi share and then onto a train. After the train ride we had to take another taxi that took us into the mountains. The ride up in the taxi was great, winding roads getting higher into the mountains all the while getting closer to the clouds. Along the way the chaos caused by the typhoon I mentioned in earlier posts becomes evident, parts of the road have collapsed and you can clearly see where there have been landslides… it still felt very safe despite this, basically you would have had to be a fool to travel during the typhoon but after it’s passed it’s more than safe.
Upon arriving at our ‘resort’ of sorts we headed out as soon as possible to see another Aboriginal dance performance. This time the dances were of a more aggressive kind, maybe reflecting on how this particular tribe would have been when they were able to hunt the wild animals in the mountains. After the performance we were pretty limited as to what we could do, there were no scooters for rent and walking anywhere would have taken many hours so we decided to relax and get an early night in preperation for the sunrise the next morning.

9th October 2008
After getting many hours of much needed kip Tzu-Yun and I were awoken by our alarm at 3.30am, just enough time to have a quick ‘wake me up’ shower and then meet our driver who would take us to a good spot to see the sunrise. Many people were also taking the trip to see the sunrise, there were about 6 taxis and a bus load of people eager to see something special. Our first stop was to see the stars, very beautiful and made even more so by the knowledge that you are at the top of a mountain. After jumping back in the taxi for a short time we stopped in the road to watch the sun peek over the top of another mountain, it was a shame there were so many other people and to be honest it wasn’t as coulourful as sunrises we get in the UK on a regular basis, we were a little underwhelmed to say the least (luckily that would change the following day). On the way back we made a few stops to look at the scenery, once again the guide spoke only in Mandarin so it was up to Tzu-Yun to translate some of it for me. We passed by some gorgeous waterfalls, ginormous trees and best of all……. some Wild MONKEYS!!! haha, what a surprise that was. There was a small family of them searching for food, I managed to get a few photos and some film of them too, they were not scared of us at all (in fact, Tzu-Yun asked the guide to take a picture close up of one of the Monkeys and it chased him a bit! haha). Highlight of the day for me.
Later on in the day we decided to check out the scenery close to the hotel, the hotel itself was smack bang in the middle of another National Park so finding our way around was easy as there were many maps dotted about with our location. This walk turned out to be one of the best things we had done on the trip, the views were stunning as the tall trees surrounded us and the mountains could be seen through various clearings. Dotted within the trees were also some lovely waterfalls and streams and some old looking villages (even though there were loads of market stalls trying to sell complete tatt to you!).

10th October 2008
For some crazy reason (probably after being let down at the previous sunrise) Tzu-Yun and I decided to travel by train at 4am to go and see another sunrise. The little train was crammed to the seams and reminded me of those little model trains people have, it bumped and squeaked its way to our destination. It wasn’t too long before we got there and we found ourselves at the very top of a mountain awaiting the sunrise again. This time it was a lot more spectacular, red and blue was lining the sky and clouds were settled inside the ravine like gap between our mountain and the opposite one where the sun would pop up from. Many people had awoken at stupid ‘o’ clock in the morning like us just to catch a glimpse of this magnificent sight… and well worth it it was too. 
Today however we had to leave the mountains to head for a big town that was hosting the Fireworks for the 10th of October (10/10) celebrations (Taiwan’s independance celebration). The ride down in the taxi was great as the driver kept stopping off at interesting places and was telling us a lot about the damage that the recent Typhoon had caused… he was having to carefully navigate past holes in the road, thats how severe it had been (and they get roughly 5 of these a year, although the one that hit whilst I was there was said to be the biggest that year!!).
Our jounery in the taxi took us past a tea field where some ladies wearing traditional hats were working in the fields. It looked just how you would imagine with the tiered runs of tea bushes covering the side of the mountain… quite beautiful in it’s order really.
Later on we stopped by a traditional town that has been over-run by tourists! Kinda defeated the point really as it was full of shops and street vendors… the only thing really authentic was probably the archetecutre, but then that even made you wonder! Still, it was very interesting and Tzu-Yun bought me an ice cream thing that was wrapped in something that seemed like a tortilla and then it had some peanut sugar thing grated over it! It was quite odd but very delicious! The sugar peanut gratins were very dry but as soon as some of the ice-cream had melted in your mouth it was awesome… I would certainly have one again. 
That was our final stop in the taxi (I will get the little towns name from Tzu-Yun at some point and update this article) and we then headed for the firework celebrations and to meat Tzu-Yun’s cousin Michael. The company putting on the show are one that Shell Shock Fireworks (the company I work for) buy fireworks from and that we regard as our best supplier: San-Tai Fireworks. The town was busy with hundreds of thousands of people and finding Michael was a pretty hard task. I was hoping to be able to see the site that San-Tai were working on but there was no chance I was even getting close to it as they had about 4 roads closed off to the site… even though I had phoned ahead they were just too busy to see me which was a real shame. Still, the fireworks were amazing if a little long running (the show lasted for 50 minutes!!!!!!!). Tzu-Yun and I had to leave a little before the end as we were due to catch a bus to the Super Fast Train station. This turned into a real nightmare as we got lost and when the fireworks ended it felt like over a million people were trying to get home! It was carnage! I felt pretty useless as all  I could do was candidly film the whole experience whilst Michael and Tzu-Yun talked to police men brandishing rave sticks! lol
We managed to find the correct place to catch the bus just in the nick of time… any later and we would have had to waited for another bus as we were the last two people to fit on it… very lucky as I think we would have missed our scheduled train if we hadn’t gotten on that bus… Still, we made it and the stress was over… after such a long day it was really good to crash out at Tzu-Yun’s place  

11th October 2008
Today was a lazy day as in the afternoon we met up with some more friends of Tzu-Yun in a restaurant of which I forget the name! It was great food as usual, probably a bad thing for me as I need to stop eating so much!!
Later on we went to Tzu-Yun’s Mum’s shop to help her close up and take some photo’s for a website (which still hasn’t started development yet!). After this we went to meet up with some of Tzu-Yun’s and her Mum’s friends in a department store which had an American themed restaurant! All I can say about that was that it was pretty odd to be eating Steak and Chips in this country that has soooo much better cuisine! The mad thing is that they apparently import all the beef from the USA! Now if thats not a complete waste of resources then I don’t know what is! It’s pretty sickening to say the least! After the meal we headed back to Tzu-Yun’s Uncles house for some Tea and snacks and then we headed home….  a lazy day to say the least!

Hello all,
I know I haven’t yet finished the travel blog… that’s because when I got home I had a bit of a rest to get over the Jet lag then went off to see friends and family and now I am in work mode. I will try to get the last big post finished by this weekend… I get back to Norwich on Saturday so I can finish it then.

Sorry for the delay, it will be coming very soon… I promise

So I am half way through writing the exensive update (1500 words so far) of my adventure over the past week and I have unfortunatly run out of time. We will leave in about an hour for the airport destined for the UK. I will try to get the post up before we leave (in which case you will be reading this after you have read the essay) but I don’t think I will manage it.
I just wanted to let you all know that I have uploaded the photos anyway so you can peruse them and get a glimpse of what we have been up to. 40 in total by the way, all in chronological order… enjoy.

Oh, and see you all soon
Tom & Tzu-Yun

Hello all.
So, I have been away for a few days exploring some of the further reaches of Taiwan, hence the lack of new stuff on the site. To keep things simple I will write about our adventures in order… also I have uploaded 40 images to the gallery and increased the amount displayed to 40 too, just so you don’t miss any new ones.

2nd October 2008:
Tzu-Yun and I leave for Hualien by fast train. These trains are sold out very often due to the policy that everyone must have a seat. It was the plushest train I have ever been on with chairs that you could rotate if you were in a group of four.
Upon our speedy arrival in Hualien Tzu-Yun proceeded to rent a scooter for our transport. Her licence could only allow her a 50cc scooter, for the two of us that was pretty small (once again my lack of ability to drive is very annoying!). We did think to rent a car for the trip but I am so glad we went for the scooter as it allowed much better viewing of Taroko Gorge (our destination that day).
I found it amazing how one moment we were whizzing down a busy motorway and the next you see this gate to the Gorge as if from nowhere. The scenery changes drastically at this point as you enter the Gorge via the cliffside roadways and tunnels. Due to the recent typhoon it was advised to be extra careful, indeed you could see where some landslides and rockfalls had recently ocurred but this didn’t stop us, it was the best way to see everything.
Turning each corner was simply amazing, I hadn’t felt so awestruck since visiting Yosemite Park in California USA. I will admit that I was in my element exploring caves, climbing mountain trails to find a shrine cut into the cliff and trying to get to the highest point so I could snap some photos for a few panoramic images.
Later that day we headed to the Hotel that Tzu-Yun had arranged. We didn’t really know what to expect, but seeing as we were surrounded by cloud shrouded mountains it was bound to be good. All I can say is that the hotel was stunning. Not only did we have an amazing vie from our porch but the whole place was just so nice and peaceful. The whole facility is run by the Aboriginal people of Taroko as the government likes to support them, and seeing how it was their land in the first place you can’t fault their logic there.
Later that evening the Taroko Aboriginals had a performance. All the people in the performance worked at the Hotel and all were Aboriginal. They showed us some of their traditional dance and some of their music. We filmed most of this so at some point I will make a video where you will be able to see some of their performance.

3rd October 2008:
After waking up a bit later than we wanted we headed out and said goodbye to our lovely surroundings and checked out. The morning was crisp and the clouds had lifted revealing even more of the splendour of our surroundings. Heading off on the scooter we proceeded to explore more of the Gorges winding roads and cliffs. Heading further in we came across an amzing hill top shrine with one of the biggest golden statues I have ever seen. It was a shame I couldn’t get close for a photo as some people were worshipping at the time, but I did get a snap on the shy.
By this time we really needed to head back due to the time our train was departing, however, on the way back we spotted a ‘rope’ bridge that was hidden from view when we were driving the in the other direction. Stopping here was a big priority and so Tzu-Yun and I ventured out over the river on the shaky bridge. I went out to the middle where the handrail was literally below my waist… it’s a times like these that you realise that maybe you do respect hights a bit more than you previously thought, Tzu-Yun didn’t come too far out though. We were also pretty lucky as we seemed to miss the bus loads of Japanese tourists that seemed to be forever appearing out of nowhere… it’s nice to be able to take some photos whithout tonnes of people in the background.
After the bridge it truly was time to head back. I was sad to finally emerge back onto the motorway amid the chaotic traffic that is Taiwan’s roads, some day though I will go back to Taroko Gorge, it’s such a magnificent place and worthy of the price tag of getting to Taiwan alone.

4th October 2008:
Today we visited some more of Tzu-Yun’s family, this time we went to see her Uncle (a pilot I might add) and his family. The 11 year old son was a pretty good Piano player, way better than I ever was.
After having some yummy food at her Uncle’s House we travelled a little way to another night market. Here I had my fortune read but a lady with a funny stick and circular board! I was scheptical to say the least… and to be honest I still am but apparently a lot of people beleive in them a lot, still, it was worth the experience.

5th October 2008:
I think I will take this opprtunity to apologise for the fact that I have no idea of what some of the places I have been to are called. I have been lucky enough to be staying with a family that obviously know their country very well and thus these trips have been organised without much involvement from me, hence I don’t often know what the place was called that we visited! Anyway, we visited an old Railway station that has been closed for some time. The small village surrounding it has been preserved as sort of an historic town reflecting the era when the station was in use (well, the buildings at least heven’t ben changed but that hasn’t stopped people putting up florescent lights signposts!).
It was very popular here with many families exploring the train tracks and the tunnel nearby. The whole area was filled with music from a couple of chaps on the tracks playing some traditional Chinese music.
After the Railway station we headed to the Memorial Park of the first President of Taiwan. People obviously have a lot of respect for him as it is a very big park and his tomb has an armed guard. Also the park was filled with this statues and busts, it looked very odd to see so many staues of one person, you can see what I mean in a couple of photos I have uploaded. Also we went to many shops where there was sculpture after sculpture of Gods. I can’t imagine how you can have about 15 of the same type shops next to each other and stay open… in Taiwan shops seem to do this everywhere, for example in Taipei there is a street where every shop sells PC components! I just don’t understand it myself!!

Anyway, I think I have rambled on enough. Just so you know Tzu-Yun and I leave pretty early in the morning this time heading to the West coast. We will be gone for 5 days so expect another hefty update when I am back. Oh and this time we are going on the Extra Fast Train!! Will gets some piccys of this one.

Until then,
See you soon.

Tom & Tzu-Yun.

Today many plans were made and then changed on the fly. Finally the Typhoon has passed (holy crap, the rain lasted for 2 and a half days straight!) and so the weather is returning to blisteringly hot! Still, I prefer the latter to the senior! We first planned to go to the market but that soon changed as a group banded together and decided to go to the Cashbox (this is what they call their Karaoke Parlours!).

I was dreading it a bit, I don’t know about you but the idea of singing in front of a load of people can be a bit daunting but I though ‘what the hey!’. I was immediatly surprised by the size of the place and the fact that it looked like a 4 star hotel. There was about 2 floors each with roughly 15 rooms all of which were kitted out with some impressive karaoke equipment. I was still a little nervous (the plush interior hadn’t calmed me wnough just yet) and so I was surprised when everyone suddenly started to sing away without any care in the world. Then I remembered that Karaoke is sooooo huge over here that it’s just another thing people go out to do and that there was no reason to be worried, no one gave a monkeys if you sung well or not.

We had a lot of fun, was a shame they didn’t have that many good English songs but it was an experience I didn’t want to miss. Oh, and 5 pics to laugh at!! haha

Looking forward the trip to Hualien (probably the wrong spelling…) that we have had to reschedule to Thursday because of the Typhoon… good job we are coming back on the Friday as there is a slight chance of another Typhoon at the weekend! DOH!!!

Hello again.

So I got it a bit wrong the other day. The Typhoon hasn’t hit yet, this mad rain is just the ‘calm’ before the storm. It’s nothing to worry about, just a bit of a bummer as it means we can’t make our trip now as the train lines have to close down. We have re-arranged the trip for Wednesday instead, but the weather looks to continue to be crappy!!

On a plus note we managed to make it to the Museum today. Some of the exhibitions are truly exquisite. The carving and crafting of some of the wood, ivory and stone is amazing. One piece was once a single lump of ivory that was carved into 3 balls that fit inside one another… amazing craftmanship to be able to achieve this. Shame that you can’t take photos inside otherwise I could show you how cool they are…. maybe I can find a link, 1 sec… Ivory Ball… Amazing huh? There were many more delights to see too, and we were lucky enough to visit on National Museum Day for free entry.

Other than that we went and had some traditional Taiwanese food; delicious noodles and other pickings. Not too sure what we will do tomorrow as the Typhoon is supposed to hit I guess we will stay at home! Lets just hope we can get out and about again soon.

Oh, and there are a few more pics available to look at… enjoy