Livin'in Taiwan - Day 8

Remember the expensive hotel? i woke up this morning in order i can makan banyak banyak at breakfast (inclusive). But there is only porriage and bread!

duno why they set up a fish-spa next to the breakfast lounge. (i checked out, it is just kissing fish that is massly produced in China. Tipu one~ =_='')


So, at 10.50am this morning, i took this train (deem to be the fastest available) to Hua Lian.

It took my 2.15 hours to reach there.

when i reach there, i stood hopeless for the first time. (not joking k?)

WHY? look at this map below, i explain to you.

Hua Lian is the largest province in Taiwan! from the north to the south can cost you 240KM.

It is not some place that i can travel by my "11 bus" or there is any efficient public transport at all!

why? because East Taiwan is low in population and density. Public transport don't bother to develop becasue the overhead cost is too high.

Imagine it is like in Langkawi, if you don't rent a car or a moving vehicle, you go no where. seriously!

All nice spot are all tabulating in different places which has at least 25km in distance to each other...... omg....

as a result of this, i stood inside the tourism centre and a TAxi uncle approached me. I had a detailed Q&A session with him to find out how can i make my trip here, in this Hua Lian.

At the end, since i had came here, i decided to stay inside Hua Lian City for a night first. Then, the uncle fetched me to the famous sea spot. (i decided to spend my day here.)



Okay, this is Hua Lian - QI XING TAN.

It is famous of many wonderful sea-view.. i will show u one by one. :)


This gave me a "Beach Boy" feels..




Left: nice thick cloud with sunset effect. Saw the uncle who is holding the camera?

Top: haha, they are shooting wedding pictures.. (i tell you it was hot like hell there...and they are trying to squeeze their smiles. haih..)



OMG what a lo000000000000000ng pathway!!! guess what? i am not walking la... i rented a bicycle. This is bicycle pathway... not bound for walking purpose one. :P

A shot taken from the beach to the top. not much of tall building in Hua lian... as it is not largely developed by scope. All are single entity.

Some plants shot which grow next to the beach.

Sea + Sky view from different spot



after 15Km that i had cycled. i reach to a spot where i suddenly see alot of strong wave.. when i look down...wow! people are doing surfing leh!!!



Taken from the Harbour. Many people do evening exercises here.. and so happen I met another two American who is doing religious service again.

They are very happy to talk to me.. first in chinese, then we have a good chat in his language after he asked me whether i speak english.

Meeting friendly mates here, do help a bit of cheering up my mood. (cause i relly duno where to go after i settle this spot, Hua Lian is not easy to play with.....)

HAha, Again i am helping Ms Joyce to spy on her oversea counterpart factory, want to put a boom inside it? :P

This is my dinner for tonight.. it is the cheapest japanese food i had ever ate. Maybe it is Hua Lian not Tai Pei? haha~

So, nothing fancy abuot today unless if you really love the beach view that i had snapped. It was very hot and i forgot to apply sunblock... (you gonna see me tainted when i am back :P)

Suddenly feel like talking to Chee wai... why you didn't tell me it is very difficult to travel in Hua lian! Hai....and it needs a lot of coverage to ride bicycle in this city.

(i caught lost just now, and a police who was patrolling helped me to find the way, and said i am "Li Hai" after i revealed that i am not local.)

I've deciced now.. tomorrow will go to a place with flowers, then will go back to Tai Pei in Saturday. The transportation cost here is killing me..








Sigining off,
Hua Lian City, 10.21pm

Livin'in Taiwan - Day 7

I set my alarm at 3am, and slept at 9pm (the tour depart at 3.45am). Ironically, i over-slept!

I had switched off my hp alarm sub-conciously and went back to sleep~ luckily the receptionist called my intercom to wake me up! (my god, it was 3.45am when he called me!)

I quickly changed and rush out, and saw all people are sitting quietly inside the tour van waiting for me. So paiseh haha!

The first spot stopped in a hill side. When i reach there, many peoples are gathering there (in 3.55am!) and looking up to the sky...

So, I also looked up....OMG!! There are millions of stars on top of my head! then i turned my head +body 360' degree like a sial man, to see this wonderful view~ (many people were indeed reacting the same way ya~ :P)

at that 20 minutes time, I couldn't read any faces there (it is too dark and people don't bother to look straight but to look up), i managed to see 2 shooting-star. Not bad~

but too bad, i had tried to take some pictures... but i think i had failed to capture any cause my camera skills is very bad.

So, I only show photo begining from the sunrise hehe! (the above is a before-sunrise-shot)

Okay... the sun is coming out! slowly lights up the sky~

HOHO! this is it! (today sunrise taken in YU SHAN, marked at 2745m - a bit higher than yesterday)

This really good because the light came with heats that warmed me up. (i think it was 11' degree up there, freaking cold!)

The sun light is very powerful at its first rise! you can see the two girls (came together with me) were holding the special glasses to watch it.

After taking the sunrise, we moved on and reached a place where this two big tree is situated.

They called it "Husband and Wife". In those days before it got striked so many times by thunder, they were sticked un-separately together for >1000 years.

All left is memories and imagination. (it is really amazed cause they are the only two big tree that grew next to the road side facing the alishan mountain)

Okay this is my first time using LARGE image. Cause i really love this scene of Alishan, taken in Yu Shan. I hope you like it~

Duno why it reminds me of Final Fantasy!

This is another shot snapping on other mountains with their layer of clouds surrounding them.
The morning wind blowing strongly in this place. The air is very cold.

Let's look at other pictures that i took during the tour in different spots :)

Some plants that i think wouldn't be found in M'sia because of its weather? (not sure~ but it is nice!)

I went to see the 2nd biggest tree in Taiwan too. It was aged at 2670 years old. (look at the trunk!)

The largest one is in Xue BA, need 5 hours walking distance to reach there, plus another 5 hours to come back. sial~

Good Bye Alishan (and thank god i were able to make it here for once in my life time)

Not much story after that, but i did a mistake and caught a wrong train back to TAi Pei.

Haiyo..at the end i am late for 1.30 hour to reach Taipei. When i reach there, with a Not-feeling-good 6th sense, i quickly ran to check out some hotels for a room to stay.

Haih... all fully occupied. At the end i got one like this:



Like it? pay me RM185 ya~ HAHA!

Tomorrow, i am going to Hua Lian. A place that every people (friends, net friends, forum) said it is nice. Let's find out tomorrow.

Sigining off...

Livin'in Taiwan - Day 6

@_@..... it is the time i should wake up to catch up the early train to the sunrise spot.

once i woke up, immediately i took a camera to note the time - 4AM!!!!

When i reached the station, suprisingly there are many peoples are in the que! it is funny because everyone is shouting "COLD COLD!!" coz it is 13 degree now.:-

A testing shot, trial and error shot while waiting the sun rise.

Since i am waiting, might as well listen properly to this shouting uncle who is trying to explain the history and his precious story~

TADA!!! waited until my fingers all do not belongs to me....T_T (was freaking cold without wearing a pair of glove..my dear)

Hehe, i stepped in the rail road..and took myself with the very first shine of the sunlight!
(gonna run fast because the train will knock me down soon - see above!)

Then, i chosen not to take train to go back. In fact, i chosen a path which is to - WALK! (the journey had cost me 3.5 hour.... (i had prepared my bread for breakfast with enough water :)

look at the above...I am walking inside this jungle, breathing hard to feel the naturally perserved beauty. I am landing my every steps carefully, listening to the awakening forest.




The natures... hiding inside thousands trees, quietly welcoming every passer-by.





Overtimes, you can seek out from the forest and get to see the opposite moutain and sky. with the cold temperature, it really makes you feel good.







I Stood on the brigde and look at the water that came down from the hill to the bottom. It teaches me how a world is operating, with you or without you. :P








There are a lots of stairs inside, this is one of them.. and the above...it belongs to a Buddism temple build on top of the moutain. the meaning is, turn back and you shall see a pathway leading you back home. (any other interpretation?)

That's not the end of Alishan, because i have booked a tour to watch alishan in a different places! (tml morning i have to wake up at 3am ...my god!)

Overall, today has been very meaningful to me. I finally feel i am recharged from those hardships that i had encountered recently. and now i can really put a smile on my face ^_^

sigining off,

Taipei, 11.33pm

Livin'in Taiwan - Day 5

Ladies and Gentlemens,

Let me warn you, you are going to fall in love with this place! (quoted in day 7, speaking on-behalf of day 4 :P)

okay...back to story first...:P

I have a good rest in Kao Shiong after finish watching Bejing 2008 closing ceremony, l0oked at itu Beckham - simple kick on the ball......that also kicked me to sleep~ :P

then, in the morning, i took the early train to Jia Yi, the town that departs to Ali Shan.

then....there is a lady came to tell me the train has stopped for a few days..asked me whether i wanna ride on her Van to go up. (at first in Day 4 i very scare i kena tipu....but....haha..let's keep the feelings that i may kena tipu first)

of course, i dun have much choices. the train is reallly closed down..so i took her offer. :)

The journey was lasted around 1.45 hour. only that i got to know, ali shan is very HIGH in height! OMG..... :P

you know, i felt hard to tell you how much my heart has been lightening. The higher and higher it goes, where the air is getting co0ler and cooler; my excitement swelled. :P

apparently when i see the above scene at my first step in alishan ground, i started to realise i am very happy...( is that a symtom of GAO SHAN desease? lol~)

I am at 2170m height in the mountain where the accomdation areas belongs to! Even it is summer, the weather kept at 19 degree~ yes, YES!!

Why? because i finally need my JACKET!! I were complaning to myself why i brought it, why, and why~ (so heavy and space-consuming!)

After i checked in to my hotel, i went to the tourist station to take a good look on what is Ali Shan that i duno from the GAO SHAN QING (famous ali shan gu niang's song)

I watched a good 20 minutes clip about how alishan is being discovered and developed on limber basis, and how it eventually evolved to a tourist spot.

Interesting!

Aha, this one is dedicated to our good buddy - Ms Joyce Lim Yue Yun (yes it is you~).

Before i can buy 1 of your company product from taiwan, let you see see the pictures first! :P

(taken in the restaurant that i ate my first dinner)

Oh ya, the highest starbuck in Asia Pacific that they had claimed, is very tempting to me. (somemore i couldn't locate any internet-equiped pc there...so i consumed for the very first time)

I think StarBuck gonna love my shot right? can it exchange with some small travel fares so i can stay better here? :P

So this covers for day 5, and i couldn't be more expecting to wake up earlier to ride on the train and head up to 2451m to watch SunRise in Alishan. What a view that could be?

(at the end i couldn't sleep as i planned to sleep at 9pm...dragged until 12am...haih..)

Signing off...