‘Well, this is another interesting turn of events,’ I thought to myself as I clung to the back of a scooter as it zoomed along the road between two steep cliffs and beside a rushing river. Just a few minutes before I had been hiking down Taroko gorge at the end of my strength after 20 kilometers of paved stone with another 8 to go. Then, for some inexplicable reason a scooter had pulled over and offered me a ride. Or rather I should say it had passed me then swung back a few minutes later to present a much better option then walking. It took almost a solid minute of thinking to comprehend what exactly was happening and I almost missed my chance but in the nick of time the right words came out of my mouth and we were off.
It had all started that morning, wait, actually the previous night. I had arrived in Hualien with a nasty storm and rain that almost flooded the streets. My hostel, Amigos, was like many hostels populated with other travelers in search of friends, and come dinner time, food. That was how I made the acquaintance of Julien and Jeremie. Through dinner and a relaxing conversation back at Amigos they convinced me that heading to Taroko the next day was a good idea. I was slightly hesitant because of the weather but they would hear nothing of my protests. In the end it was agreed to meet the next morning at 7am to take the free shuttle bus (about 1 hour) together.
The next morning I was up bright and early for the hike, and so where the two French guys I had met the night before. As the time to depart neared (7:30am) I decided to head out a bit early to stock up on supplies. Someone had mentioned the fact that the hike from trail head to entrance was around 28 kilometers and I wanted to be sure I had enough food to get me through the challenge. With a smile and a ‘see you in a few minutes’ I was out the door. That was the last I saw of the Frenchmen for quite some time…
As the bus pulled out of the station I remarked with some humor to Kathy and Heather, my new friends who were staying at the same hostel, ‘I wonder where the French guys are…?’ Turns out they had, wait, the answer to that question comes a bit later in the story.
Taroko gorge, how the heck can you describe it? Do you remember the scene in Lord of the Rings when five of the travelers (can you name them?) are traveling down the river and they come upon those giant statues of kings long past? Do you remember how they towered above the small party as the boats passed between them? Well, that was how I felt when I finally got off the bus in Tiansiang. Oh, if you haven’t seen Lord of the Rings yet…get your but in gear and put it on your Netflicks list!
I read somewhere that it took the river in Taroko gorge millions of years to carve its way through the solid rock and create this place but how water was able to do that I can’t even contemplate. It’s one thing to talk about the wearing power of water over time it’s a whole other thing to see it in real life. The Grand Canyon is one good example but the memories of my experience hiking there are nothing compared to what I felt in Taroko.
It was dental pick had been scratched on top of a mountain over and over again until a thin passage had been cut away. Each side of the gorge was shear rock going straight up and down. No soft brown sandstone, just cold hard white marble-like rock.
Why Taroko gorge in Hualien was on the ‘must see’ list in Taiwan was abundantly clear as I walked down the road with Kathy and Heather.
I don’t know if we would be considered lucky or unlucky with the weather we had. The skies were a pretty monotonous gray which made pictures a little more difficult but they also blocked the scorching rays of the sun. Occasionally some blue broke through the thick overcast sky but when it did the sweat spigot opened to the max and my clothes were soon soaked.
About 10 kilometers in my two traveling companions threw in the towel on walking, flagged down a bus, and zoomed off bathed in revitalizing air-conditioning. I, on the other hand, was still on the road. The change in situation wasn’t really a big surprise. I knew they were getting tired and had a schedule to adhere to because of train tickets, but it was still pretty sudden, one minute talking with friends the next all alone. Luckily Heather was a quick thinker and left her email for me at the desk at Amigos.
Another couple of kilometers on I got the answer to my, ‘what happened to the French guys?’
‘Michael, how are you doing?’ Jeremie called out cheerily from in front of me. He was just exiting the trail I was about to enter and seemed to be with a larger group of people, most of them from our hostel. ‘Hey, what happened to you this morning?’ I laughed and shook his hand. ‘Oh, yeah, we met these people and decided to rent scooters instead’ he smiled. ‘Really?’ was my quick rejoinder.
One mystery solved, many of life’s mysteries to go.
I have to admit that for a while, while walking down the road by myself I kind of wished that I had rented a scooter as well. The weather was perfect for it and it would have been a blast to rocket up and down the gorge as free as I pleased. Then, once again, I stopped myself. I had made a decision to take the free bus which of course meant that other things like renting a scooter would not be possible. Besides, the day was far from finished and I had no idea where life would take me.
That was more true then I could ever have imagined.
So there I was, walking down the road by myself, seeing beautiful sight after beautiful sight. Verdant green painted the side of white marble cliffs streaked with dark stone. Roads cut in and out of cold hard stone weaving along the fast flowing river. Occasionally I would run across groups of tourists clustered around major points of interest, but in between, well, I was all alone.
Then I was picked up by a group of three cute young ladies riding scooters on vacation in Hualien. Take about the interesting turns life can take.
My driver, or maybe you could call her my pilot by the way she maneuvered the moped, was named Shila. Her two companions, Alice and Sobrina, perched on their own scooter led the way.
With no set plans for the day I was open for anything and lucky for me these three didn’t mind a fourth in their group. At first they were timid in their, ‘were going to… would it be okay… are you interested…’ but after a few, ‘no worries, I’m up for anything,’ they stopped asking and I found myself being jetted here and there. The whole time a giant grin was splitting my face.
Through another turn of fate I actually ran into A and B again. This time at Nanbin Park next to the ocean. They were near the end of their day with a train ticket dictating their schedule so after a bit of brief conversation we once again parted ways. You would think that running into them twice in two separate place might be crazy, well, we actually met again a few days later in a different city (Taipei) at the famous Building 101. Now that was crazy.
So, with a bit of sightseeing under their belts Shila, Alice, and Sobrina got into a huddle to decide where to go next. Their plan, I have to admit, made me laugh. It was a decision that was too stereotypical of Asian women not to. Where did we end up going? We ended up heading to a small (but famous) place for, if you haven’t guessed it yet, some desert.
It was a really good desert though and well worth having before dinner. Imagine shaved ice covered with caramelized yam sugar (I think) mixed with a bit of condensed milk with a selection of warm jellied sweet potato balls on the side. It only took us about 45 minutes of driving with Alice asking directions every 5 or 6 minutes from locals. I chalked it up to her wanting to show me the city but some might say she was lost. You decide.
From there we went to get actual food. This time we found the place after only a few minutes of walking. That is where I had what could be considered the best Chinese dumpling soup I have ever eaten in my life, ever. The restaurant served only one thing and it served it well. From the time I got there until the time I left it was crowded and empty seats were continually filled by waiting customers.
That restaurant was also the place where my trip almost took a year long detour. It turns out that Shila was a teacher and when the group found out I was interested in staying in Taiwan she let me know there might be an opening at her previous school. That offer made me think long and hard. A year in Taiwan, a chance to learn Chinese and practice Tai-chi, a chance to start a new life… The thoughts that went through my head then and the next couple of days would take pages to write about so let me sum it up with, I decided not to stay.
It was sad when the four of us finally split but we exchanged information and promised to keep in touch. I smiled, knowing in my heart that it was a 50/50 chance of that happening, and kept my hopes up. The few short hours we had spent together had been a blast and I did hope that I would see them again. It is rare to meet such open and friendly people who are so willing to give and accept others.
With my gas tank on empty I limped back to the hostel, my eyes at half mast and unable to form any clear thoughts other then, ‘bed, shower, food?’ Sitting down at one of the tables at Amigos (the place is absolutely fantastic for socializing) I noticed the time, only 8pm, too early for bed. Chi, the owner chimed in to let me know that the theatre in town was having a special deal for the end of July, $100 ($3.50US) tickets, and that the air conditioning at the place could chill a cocktail.
That sounded like music to my ears so with another new friend in tow, John, I headed out to get some tickets. What show did I see? I saw Inception…not exactly the best choice for someone with only half their brain cells firing but somehow I managed to make it through the movie and back to the hostel.
My next clear thoughts were sometime around 9am the next day when I finally dragged myself out of bed.
Related posts:
