Breakfast buffet.
Breakfast toast.
We get picked up by a tour minibus for our visit of nearby Taroko Gorge.
Folding tissues.
On the way to the gorge, driving through Hualien.
Aboriginal totem pole thing.
Our tour guide. He kept making fun of Japanese tourists throughout the day. I wonder if he polled the audience for Japanese people.
Street signs.
Approaching mountainous area.
We stop at the visitors' centre. A mountain view welcomes us.
Waiting at the visitor's centre. I'm not actually looking at anything.
Waiting still.
Me and Bob.
Pretty red suspension bridge on way into the gorge.
Precarious looking pass. I believe the passes were originally dug out of the gorge for military purposes.
We are given chances to stop along the way to stroll and take pictures.
Me enjoying nice view.
Me and Bob enjoying the view.
Holes in rock formed by running water... or something. The explanation is given in Mandarin and Bob is a lazy translator. Swallows nest in the holes.
Rock faces.
“Indian” face, with big headgear.
Hordes of Asian tourists. Run!
Exposed rebar? Tsk tsk, this wall is fake rock, though most of the tunnels are indeed cut out of the rock.
There are many signs warning of falling rocks. Most also have bent corners like this one for dramatic effect.
Strolling along roadway.
More views.
More viewing.
Back on the tour bus, on the way to our next stop. A pretty red cable-stayed bridge along the way.
The bus tour is very scripted. The guide drops us off and meets us at another location. Each time he tells us exactly how long it would take to finish the walk. He's likely done this tour hundreds of times.
We get a 40 minute hike to our pick-up spot. Bob looking dopey.
Bob doing a shaky bridge dance.
Spooky tunnel path.
Scenic road.
Bob explaining something. Yes, dear.
Me, happy, or something.
Bob sipping some water. You're using the bottle the wrong way, dummy.
Eating rocks.
Worm thing we find dangling from somewhere above.
We get dropped off at a mountain cafe and are told to be quick to get a table because a bus load of Japanese and Korean tourists just arrived as well. Here, we sip on expensive drinks made from local mountain spring water.
Sipping some more.
Strolling around the cafe.
Wandering doggy at the theater. They play us a DVD about the history of... something. It was in Mandarin so I fall asleep (I'm on vacation!).
Mountains! Wow!
La dee da. Strolling back to the bus.
An ugly truss bridge.
The Eternal Spring Shrine.
Touring is tiring.
After Taroko Gorge, we are shuttled to a marble museum where we are “gently” prodded into buying things.
Tour bus.
Next stop, a chance to walk along the coast line. Apparently, this area is one of the few spots where people can access the water's edge, as most of the coast is obstructed by cliffs and mountains.
I collect some marble-y stones.
Bob and I play chicken with the waves washing in. The one shown here is bigger than expected and catches us off guard. We shreek and run away like kids.
We get dropped off at the train station to catch our ride to Taipei. We wander around a bit and take photos.
This man has no head!
The Formosa Express arrives.
Hualien train station.
Dinner on the train.
More desserts. We're full but stuff face. They wouldn't pack it up for us and seem to think it strange that we even ask.
Bob discovers there is music coming from the headrest. We fiddle with the controls.
We arrive in Taipei!
Bright lights in Taipei.
