Travel Diary

It always feels so much later; however, it was about 8:15 am when I arose. Terry had left to work and Lesly was getting ready. She left instructions about where to meet later, and headed out. I would be watching the kids for a while, which is quite easy. They keep themselves well entertained.

At 12 pm, it was time to go. No problem, I thought. Be stern and let the girls know we were heading out the door at 12 pm sharp. They seemed okay with that. Should have been smooth. But wait. Both girls had the wrong shoes on. They disappeared for a few minutes. Yet, their shoes were by the door. Socks? It took minutes to get socks? Hmm. Well, Brianna had no problem. Elaine sat patiently, while I got to untie the knots, place them on her feet, and then lace then up. Something tells me she's not in any hurry to do these kinds of things herself.

My only job was getting the girls to the right station to meet Terry. Surprised as you might be, it went very smoothly. We met Terry and then went to meet Lesly. Together, we all took the MRT to the end of the line. At which point, I figured we'd be walking over to the river, city, etc. But nope. Seems it was a little too far to walk. We thought about a bus, but a cab driver offered a good deal to get us there.

The cab took us up through winding mountains. The scenery changed vastly. All of the sudden, it was like being removed into a land of sheer cliffs covered in dense foliage. The mountains jutted straight up into the clouds.

We sped along the road, perhaps a little too fast for my taste, considering we had no seatbelts. Apparently, safety hasn't reached this part of the world yet. Odds are we would survive, so I bet on the odds.

Arriving at a mountain base town, we toured the streets a bit. I had a fresh piece of corn, which was fantastic. I suppose it wasn't much different than regular corn back home--I guess I just love corn.

The others had some sausage on a stick. I tried a bit; it tasted great, but I didn't want to fill up too much by ordering one. I find that food always tastes better when you're starving. The kids had a potato on a stick. Well, it's like one long potato chip slice skewered. It's very good. Lesly ordered some coffee that involved a neat boiling/suction brewing method. The making of the coffee was great; the coffee itself was average.

Finally, we bought some train tickets and took a mini train along a mountain path. It was similar to a Disneyland ride, only the views weren't fake. After a few minutes, you were exposed to a magnificent waterfall cascading down a mountainside. We took many shots there. That alone was worth the trip out there, but wait, there was more...

A large cable car line stretched up into the sky. It connected a mountain resort area way up high. For anyone afraid of heights, I can't think of anything better to push your limits. Personally, I've no problem with it. I feel that with 50" or 500", any fall at that distance is going to do you in. No need to fret over the details.

The question was whether or not it was worth it to go up. The price wasn't too bad, but Terry wasn't sure there was much to see or do up above. In the end, I pretty much figured that this was it. On the next trip, I would want to visit new places, so this place was a one-time thing--perhaps for life. Might as well make the most of it. We elected to take the cable car.

Once we purchased the tickets, we waited in the gondola for a while as others came aboard. Finally, it was filled and we went up. If you remember Moonraker, you'll remember a similar scene. We traveled high above the canyon. The drop was jaw-dropping. Luckily, Jaws wasn't there to cause a scene. In a few moments, we were on the other side--the thing travels fast!

Departing, we were now on top of the mountain. You couldn't see it from below, but the topside offers a whole new little village of things to see and do. We journeyed on.

Being several hundred feet higher, we were now amongst the clouds. The weather was misty to drizzly. I had to keep the camera dry. We also had to ensure we maintained proper footing as the steps were steep and slippery.

The views were amazing. We saw the vast cliffs enveloped in the clouds. The foliage was aggressively ambushing the village wherever possible. I found it all to be the greenest, most scenic place I had ever seen. We could have been hundreds of miles deep into the Amazon from the looks of some angles.

Even though it was winter and off-season, the grounds were fairly well maintained. One pond was filled with fish that had a very good memory of what human visitors meant: food! As we drew near, so did they. Brightly colored fish swarmed up to us ready for a handout. Next to us was a fish food machine and we purchased a few rounds for them. They ate well. Many aspects reminded me of those computer adventure games where you're at an old abandoned amusement park, where no one else is around, yet everything still works.

Next, we followed the small overgrown paths. As we headed upward, the rain continued to fall. We observed what could best be described as a huge obstacle course. Honestly, I couldn't tell if it was for adults or kids, but either way, it was too cold and wet to try anything. The amount of rope bridges was tempting, but as there weren't many safety nets, I decided to pass on them all. No one looked particularly ready to carry me out on a stretcher.

I did spend some time in the kids' plastic ball pit though. I regret nothing.

(Ball pits seemed deeper when I was young; this time, it took forever to become hidden.)

We headed back down and were then definitely inside the clouds. You could see them wisping by quickly. We took in one final view from above. In a word, it was majestic. Places like that are worth the visit, no matter what the weather.

The cable car descended as quickly as we had ascended. We were soon back at the base, ready to take the train across the mountainside. However, a nearby cab driver convinced us to let him drive us the full way back. We hesitated since we wanted one last walk through the main street, but the driver said he'd drop us off down there and wait for us at that point.

Along the street, we bought some candy, whereas I noticed a lady selling what appeared to be a nut. I had Terry inquire and yes, she sold betel nuts. Ah! My only connection with these was from South Pacific ("Bloody Mary's chewing betel nuts"). I figured I'd see what they were like. I asked about buying just one (hoping she'd just offer a free sample). Nope. $10 TWD ($.32 USD). Fine, though I must admit she wouldn't do well introducing kids to crack back home. Always lead with the free samples, people!

The nut came wrapped in its leaf and I was given odd instructions about chewing a little, then spitting, then being able to swallow the nut juice. Terry and the family watched giddily as I tried this new event, cameras at the go.

I chewed a bit and spit out the juice. I chewed some more and spit out more juice. I noticed how dark it was. I didn't expect that. More chewing, but never any swallowing. I guess I just didn't want to get sick or something. After a little bit, I spit out the chewed nut. I felt a little buzz a while later, but it didn't last long. It was a different experience, but probably not one I'd try again. The taste wasn't that bad, but the idea of red and brown teeth and gums seemed odd, especially considering my daily usage of Crest Whitestrips.

We found our cab and he drove us back into town (well, "a" town, no idea which one). This driver went much slower and I was glad about that. It was dark; the roads were wet. Slow driving was the way to go. Terry also pointed out that he was chewing betel nuts, as many cab drivers do. I guess I had never actually noticed that before. ("All the cabbies chew their betel nuts.")

As we went along, Terry and he chatted. Not speaking the language, I was able to follow none of it. Terry relayed some of the information. I guess the driver noticed we were different since most of the Americans who came to Taiwan were usually heavyset. Probably not a good sign for our country.

When we reached town (Somewhere, Taiwan), he dropped us off at the MRT station. We took the train downtown and got off around the city center--at least it looked like a city center. There are so many of them that it's hard to differentiate. We stopped at a noodle place and had some cooked goose and noodles. I needed a drink with dinner so I wandered around looking for a beer, but no luck. I returned to dinner--beerless and perhaps somewhat sadder because of it. The noodle place seemed to have plenty of business and had been around for over 60 years. Despite the differences in menu and clientele, it did sort of have a 1950's feeling to it. I've noticed that in several places around Taiwan.

After dinner, we walked around a bit and then found a shaved ice place. I guess this is a special treat for the kids on occasion. We ordered and then were seated downstairs which is hard to describe in words. The walls are literally covered in graffiti. I hear people add to it when they're there. But instead of vandalism, it serves as art and décor. The tables and seats resemble a classroom setting. It's complete anarchy down there.

Our food was a type of ice cream. Perhaps they even have it back in the states, but I've never tried it. It was very tasty though--very sweet. We had shaved ice and strawberries along with a passion fruit one.  Dessert being completed, we took the train home. I stopped at 7/11 for some beer and snacks. Always good to be prepared. I was no longer beerless.

Par for the course, I fell asleep fast.

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