Taiwan: Round Island Tour, Part II

Published on by rtwkellyadam

Kelly and I had a fantastic start to our Round Island Tour, and the last two days didn’t disappoint.

Day 4 – Taitung to Taroko Gorge

This day started out with a few quick stops to various landmarks in the area. One was a beach with many large and bizarre rock formations where the ocean had created odd boulders and shapes in the rock. We then went to a eight-arch bridge to the island of Sanxiantai (the island of the three immortals). It was rainy and crazy windy, but a cool stop nonetheless. Next we made a stop at a short hike with several sea caves; these caves were very shallow but quite tall, and when standing at the mouth, you could hear the ocean waves very loudly, even though they were quite far away.

Kelly enjoying the bizarre rock formations.
shelves of sea rock, fun for climbing 🙂
“Noah’s Arc”
Stopped at a bun shop for lunch.
Enjoying my pork bun.
Our next stop was a very cool seven arch bridge.
Had to break the ponchos back out for this one.
The bridge is shaped like a dragon.
Only made it up the first arch because…
The rain and wind was intense!
Kelly trying to keep her poncho on.
The sea caves a little later in the day.
Large, but shallow.
We continued hiking up and found more and more caves.
Hiking up the side of the cliff allowed us to get some great ocean views.
Also stairs, so not a hard hike haha.
The beautiful pacific.
Stopped at the Tropic of Cancer marker.
Runs right through the middle of Taiwan.
Kelly’s artsy version of the marker.
Rice fields on rice fields on rice fields.
Kelly was fascinated by the “squatty potties” as she called them.
She thought you’d like to see an example 🙂
Demonstrating proper use.

We then continued north into Hoalin where we stopped at a large marble and jewelry warehouse and store. After a brief tour and lesson about the various precious stones that are found in Taiwan (jade of various shades, seven-color stone, marble, etc), we had some time to browse the jewelry store. Even though we didn’t buy anything (and sorry – we weren’t allowed to take pictures), it was fun to look! We then made our way into the main destination of the day: Taroko Gorge. This large gorge is one of the main natural attractions of the entire island, and it’s easy to see why. The towering walls of the gorge are made out of marble, and the beauty of the stone makes it a beautiful drive/hike. We stopped at a few of the named rock formations before making our way to our hotel for the night deep in the gorge.

Entering the famed Taroko Gorge.
We were given helmets for our walk around the first part of the gorge in case of falling rocks.
Looking stylish.
The gorge was quite deep.
This shows you perhaps why the helmets might be necessary.
The beautiful marble walls of the gorge.
People in the distance for scale.
The river that has carved the gorge.
Now Kelly’s turn to be fashionable.
You can see the Indian Chieftan rock formation in the middle of the shot (profile, looking left).
A statue tribute to one of the chief engineers of the highway that was built through the gorge. He died during the construction. The rain made it look as though the statue was crying.
An explanation of his story.
A statue depicting a swallow, which are known to nest in holes carved out in the walls of the gorge.
The “Frog Prince”. If you look closely you can see a sitting frog with a crown (gazebo) on its head.
A lovely marbled bridge.
An example of the beautiful marble that the water has carved out.
Kelly’s lion obsession continues.
She also found these eggs which she liked.
On top of the frog prince at the gazebo.
The red bridge.
Looking out to our bus on the road through the gorge.

This hotel (Silks Place Taroko) had a stunning rooftop pool with several hot tubs that overlooked the gorge, so of course we had to make use of them.

Dinner at a small restaurant near the hotel.
An extra large beer for Kelly.
The amazing rooftop pool and hot tubs. Unfortunately we forgot to take pics of our room or any of the rest of the hotel here.

 

Day 5 – Taroko Gorge to Taipei

On our last day on the tour, we woke up early and did a quick walk up to a nearby temple and pagoda.

A pretty lotus flower sculpture at the bridge to the pagoda.
This bridge was just next to the hotel, leading to a hike up to the pagoda.
In case you’d like more info about it.
View of the hotel from the pagoda.
Don’t feed the monkeys!
The pagoda itself.
A small shrine inside the pagoda.
A great spot for a morning walk.
Looking down on the bridge and gorge from above.
A large sculpture undergoing renovation.

When we loaded on to the bus, our tour guide Lenny said that he had a special announcement to make; he then proceeded to inform everyone that it was my birthday, and led everyone in singing Happy Birthday to me. He even had a gift of cookies that he gave to me on behalf of the tour company. Apparently Kelly is not one to let a birthday go unnoticed, even when traveling around the world with only backpacks to our name.

The tour then made its way back out of the gorge, stopping for a look at another temple and waterfall, as well as a 1.5h optional hike.

A view across the gorge of a small temple and waterfalls.
This temple has been closed for renovations for a while but is still beautifully set into the mountain.
Another red bridge to get across to the temple.
The river coursing through the gorge.
Our hiking trail for the morning.
Do not linger! Except these signs were all along the trail. Where am I supposed to go???
It was a fun, easy path that led along the river and under overhanging rock formations.
The water was a beautiful turquoise color.
Looking back along the trail.
Making our way back to the bus.
Selfie time!
This fence has been doing it’s job well…
Our tour guide for the week, Lenny!
And our majestic carriage.

Kelly even found a treasure trove of lions. The bridge at the hiking trail was lined with small lion statues, each one unique. She didn’t get super excited about it at all…

Weirdo.

After our final tour stops at the entrance gate to the highway in the gorge and then some seaside cliffs, we continued along the seaside highway for a while longer before cutting back across the country to Taipei. We said our goodbyes to our driver, guide, and new tour friends, then headed to the nearest subway station to catch our late night flight to Hong Kong. What a packed birthday this was!

At the entrance gate to the cross country highway that goes through Taroko Gorge.
We have no idea what this says.
Some pretty seaside cliffs.
Our last view of the Pacific Ocean before cutting back across the country.
Moooooore rice fields.
And we did it! On the train to the airport to head to Hong Kong!

With regards to the tour itself, Kelly and I couldn’t have been happier with the setup. We averaged about 3-4 hours of driving per day on the tour, never for more than 1.5h at a time; we covered ~1500km by the time all was said and done. The roads were good and the bus driver was excellent. Our guide Lenny was phenomenal. He was funny, upbeat, knowledgeable, and very accommodating. He is Taiwanese but lived in the US for several years and Germany for over 3 decades, so his tours are bilingual English/German (and his mastery of both languages is impressive!). The tour is offered every week, but Lenny only does one tour each month; he says he just does it because he likes meeting new people and helping people fall in love with Taiwan rather than for the money. The hotels we stayed at were all top notch. Overall, we were incredibly pleased and would recommend this tour to anyone who visits Taiwan.

In the end, I think we were both slightly surprised at how much we enjoyed this country, which is likely just a result of our ignorance going into it. We didn’t know too much about Taiwan before we got here, but it is a wonderful mix of Asian cultures with abundant Chinese and Japanese influences. It was a fantastic first stop in Asia. For city lovers, Taipei is a bustling metropolis with plenty going on to keep you entertained. But the country also boasts hundreds of mountains and other natural attractions as well. In short, if you’re coming to Asia anytime soon, consider making a stop in Taiwan (and doing this tour with Edison Tours if you’ve got the time)!

-Adam

 

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