We went to Yehliu Geopark on the first day and it was really cold, but we got to see some rocks that have been naturally formed by erosion and weathering into unique shapes. There was one called the ''Queen head'' and apparently you can't say you've been to Taiwan without snapping a pic of it. I didn't really think it was that impressive, but what got my attention was a rock that looked a lot like Sid's head from the Fire King scene in the movie Ice Age 2.
Keelung village got famous because I think it was featured in a drama. The village was really crowded, full of tourists and locals trying to get their scooters through the narrow alleys. I disliked the noise and rush of people, but their Taiwanese food was the best I had encountered the whole trip. Got to have my favourite beef noodles with its very aromatic soup and of course extra chilli! We also gotta to try other speciality dishes such as drunken chiken, skin of a pigs head and seafood bowls in soup. I liked the seafood balls in soup the most as the soup was really clear, but flavoursome at the same time. Also think I prefer pig ears over head skin, haha.
Awesome onsen to myself at the resort town of . I could only bear the 43 degree water for about 20 minutes, then I had to get out because I was starting to sweat too much. However, it was still very relaxing and warmed me right up because I was sick of the bloody cold weather. In Taiwan I thought it was fine in the sun, but once dusk sets in the cold was really irritating...
Taiwan's nature is also one to behold. We visited Tarako national park, where I thought the water looked really nice and refreshing. Here we got to visit a temple, walk in caves and spot ''little swallows'' in the cracks on cliffs. There was a lot of tourist here too, mainly from the mainland and buses got caught in a massive jam... Wished there was more english information there, as I was interested in learning about the indigenous people who called this land home. Got to eat famous bamboo tube rice at a cafe nearby. It was basically sticky rice stuffed in a bamboo stick and one had to smash the bamboo to get to the rice roll. It was fun to break and I enjoyed the novelty of it, but the rice tasted to ''plant'' for me.
I find the scooter bike culture in Taiwan really interesting, the guide of our tour said it was very easy to get a license and pretty much every family owns at least one. In Taiwan the busy highways and roads have their own lanes for these scooters and you can find scooters parked all over the street and in front of shops like this restaurant below. However it was quite shocking to see a family of five on one scooter in Taipei, many accidents happen on these each year. I would like to own one when I get my motorbike license. Too bad Australia doesn't sell these models of scooters, I like how easy and convenient they seem.
Taiwan made me want to live in a quiet village in the future. I felt on this trip that the most beautiful of sights were always in the places away from the noise, where we feel calm and have time to look around and take in the world and it's glory. For example I got bored of following the tour and went off to take my own photos when I came upon this area on Alishan (Ali mountain), the place famous for tea. It wasn't on the map for tourists as a ''hot spot'', but I felt that this was one of the most loveliest sights I've seen on the trip. No tourists, no waiting, quiet.
Despite this being my second trip to Taiwan, I wasn't bored at all, the tour guide Simky was great at telling us about Taiwan's culture, history, social issues and trends within the demographic. Whilst I was worn out from the bus rides, tourist and sore feet, I learned a lot on this tour and wouldn't mind returning one day.
