Day One;

Famous Taroko Gorge. You could spend days travelling within this gorge, and with accommodation available and transport accessable, it isn’t such a bad idea. But if you are on a tight schedule, the best can be seen in one day. Scooter is a low budget choice and allows for the most freedom giving you the opportunity to see what you want, at the pace you like. This may not be an option for some, so hiring a local taxi for a negotiated price (around $1700NT), is an excellent way to get around the expansive gorge. The bonus with having your own driver for the day, besides local knowledge of the area and history, is being dropped off at one point and meandering your way through a scenic section, only to be greeted by your awaiting driver at the end. Of course there is no rushing, which allows you to sit back in your seat and watch the grand marble cliff faces pass you by in air conditioned comfort.

The other option is tour buses that run through til mid afternoon. An in and out option showing only the touristic spots while providing loads of information, given you speak Chinese.

No matter how you get about, Taroko Gorge is a must see for the East Coast of Taiwan, and staying around is a definite, as the area encompasses more than mere sightseeing. Just south of Taroko Gorge, M and I signed up for river tracing. Good information can be found at: http://rivertracing.com/rivertracing.htm. Michael, our smiling tracing leader, escorted us up the fast flowing river and towards jump rocks from 2m to 10m. I was a little school boy all over again, not nearly jumping off the cliffs as often as I would have liked. M was more pensive on the higher jumps. She was nonnegotiable on my suggestion of a back flip, but with little coercion by myself, (supportively holding her hand but implying the only way down was jumping) M hauled herself off the highest point. It should be added, and can be viewed by watching the video, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf-pf6HniUo; she actually lands on her butt! Kudos M for a brave achievement.

What is the best thing after exhausting yourself jumping off rocks and fighting the currents? A massive pot of noodles cooked by our new friend Michael.

Bellies full, the only way back to the car was down river. Sometimes sideways, sometimes bumping along, we floated (somewhat) gracefully back the way we came.

Day Two;

We reversed our previous day and decided to enjoy the water sports first, before a beautiful nature hike through the Yushan National Park, followed by a refreshing and well deserved swim at the Nanan waterfall.

The well anticipated river rafting couldn’t get underway soon enough in my mind! This activity set aside language barriers and shyness. In no time at all were we drenched, and trying to splash other rafters. Apologies to my co-rafter to my right, as I threw a whole bucket of water directly down his back, accidentally. But, it was a scorching day and he looked like he needed it…

There were four other boats, similar to ours, with eight people on board. I took a personal liking to the boat of four people. It seemed they were getting deliberately attacked by every other boat, which was true. I rarely saw their boat facing the right way, and constantly beaching on shallow rocks. I felt sorry for the poor people; that was until we came up close enough to surprise attack them for the umpteenth time! Haha!

To make it easy, there were two dinghy’s that provided support to stragglers and rafts imminently heading for large rocks.

Although much footage was lost, check out our video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93Aw-P09Wrc&feature=channel and for more information: http://eng.taiwan.net.tw/m1.aspx?sNo=0002124&id=393.

Our video shows just a snippet of rafting, but as you probably know, you have to try it to fully enjoy it! And believe me, it’s worth doing.

That was an adventurous and fun start to our day. After floating by such awesome scenery, we decided that it would be good day for a hike and somewhere to swim after. Yushan National Park catered for what we were after. Walami trail is a significant trail for local aboriginal tribes. The actual trail is 14kms long and hugs the waistline of an enormous mountain, projecting views out to the valley and crossing numerous waterfalls. A couple of kilometres in, we noted how well the path was maintained and easy to walk, coupled with well designed signs for directions and providing information about the local flora and fauna.  Newly installed bridges and handrails made us feel comfortable and safe while walking alongside a relatively steep and lengthy cliff face.

Time precluded us from walking the entire length, as M and I would have loved to have done. We curtailed our hike about the same time we came across the snake as seen in our video, and proceeded to find a swimming hole.

Nanan waterfall. As it happens, we stopped at this picturesque waterfall a few times during our stay in Hualien. But on this occasion, as M and I sat in the cool water enjoying our day and reminiscing, I felt tiny pecks on my toes. Startled, I mentioned this to M. Apparently, fish of a particular species can be found in such waterfalls, and their purpose (well, not entirely, but just imagine!) was to literally clean your feet! Not that my feet needed any cleaning. It was such an odd yet therapeutic sensation, that was until a slightly larger one found my little toe! Cleansed, I hopped out.

As much as these places being the hot topic of conversation, the journey is half the experience. Travelling by scooter, generously lent by one Vicky Lee who we were staying with, allowed us to take in the rice patties and Aboriginal villages that most would pass too quickly in a train or bus. Often, we would stop and watch as farmers would hoe, or pick flowers and take in just a part of the life of the local Taiwanese.

Day Three;

After such an activity filled first couple of days, some chilling out was pencilled in. This included a bit of time around our home stay, a walk amongst the flowers, and a night time bathe at the local hot springs. You wouldn’t say no, would you?

A traditional breakfast both grown and cooked at the home stay was more then enough to get us started on day three. In fact, it was so nice, we decided to hang around and chat with the lovely family and wander around their property. Imagine, nestled in a tiny valley facing 4000 to 5000m mountains covered in lush forest with no neighbours or unsightly power lines to be seen or heard. A casual stream of water flowing from high up in the mountain tops, cascading over a small waterfall and winding along through the front yard before making its way further down the mountain. Colourful flowers stretching for the sun all around you as you slip off your thongs and feel lush grass between your toes. The delicious home made Taiwanese breakfast settling in your stomach as you stretch out on your chair soaking up the rays.

Sixty Stone Mountain is a densely touristic spot, but alas, we still had access to Vicky’s scooter, allowing us to get off the touristic hotspots and search for our own private flower patch where we could do our videos. Covered in daylilies, the mountainside is just a flurry of colour and once again provides magnificent sweeping views of the surrounding area.
So flowers can be eaten. No, don’t go into your backyard and begin munching on the roses! Daylilies are used in local cuisine as seen in our day three video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faGehkaM5Fk&feature=channel
Without much flavour, the Taiwanese have managed to add ingredients and established heaps of recipes to make this golden flower delectable.

After such a tough day, it was mutually agreed that hot springs were in order. The Antong hot springs are five minutes down the road from Wisdom Garden B&B, and one of the best ways to witness the sun go down. You have a choice of private rooms, social rooms and the large, outdoor pool that overlooks the valley which is helped by slow melodic music in the background.
You get two hours at a fair price, add in a beer, and you have a selfish moment of complete relaxation and not a care in the world. Imagining it aren’t you!

All good things must come to an end, but fear not. Taiwan is peppered with hot springs. So where ever you go, steal a couple of hours out of the hustle and bustle of being a tourist, and sink into the warm, natural, soothing waters only a hot spring can provide.

Day Four;

We took the final day up a notch by riding the scooter up highway 11 which incorporated Sansiantai Island, the beach, and where we had organised a seafood dinner in the town of Chengkung.

After recent typhoons, the beach was littered with wood that had been washed down the valleys and into the sea. The locals were doing their bit by collecting the debris for firewood. Enjoying the beach a little too much, I proceeded to turn a shade of red, which embarrassingly can be viewed on our fourth video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msMokBb_OoU&feature=channel
From the beach, we made our way along the highway, stopping at view points dotted along the way, until we came to Sansiantai Island. This volcanic island houses a variety of birds and animals as well as unique plantation. More can be found at the website, http://tourguide.sinotour.com/scenery107.html

You can spend a fair chunk of time on this island, and with nothing special in mind, we watched the sun go down and couple of fishermen throwing in a line.

Time for dinner. Told before we left, the seafood along the coast is extensive, cheap and damn good! So we headed for the fishing town of Chengkung where finding a fish restaurant was easier than finding tofu in a night market. M did the ordering and once again, proved she can pick a winning meal.

So that’s a quick sum up of our four days spent in Taiwan for the Taiwan Best Trip Competition. It’s an easy itinerary that will help you see a snipit of what this side of Taiwan has to offer.

Though the basic rules of the road are the same as in most other countries, Taiwan has a widely practiced, alternative highway code. This alternative code is built around getting to your destination as quickly as possible with little or no regard to the safety of yourself and others. Some of the main points:

1. Driving on the Right
In Taiwan people drive on the right, but under certain special circumstances, especially if riding a motorbike or moped, driving on the left is accepted,
i) You’re only traveling a short distance.
ii) Your destination is on the left and it’s inconvenient to drive on the right.
iii) You’re on the left, the traffic is busy, and it’s just too difficult to get across the road onto the right hand side.
iv) You’re having a good day and simply don’t feel that anything bad is going to happen to you.
These rules particularly apply to the elderly.

2. Red Lights
i) You don’t always need to stop for them. If you think you can get through ok, then go for it.
ii) If you do stop, then don’t stop completely. Keep edging forward. You’ll shave valuable milliseconds off your destination time and you make sure that guy next to you cant get in front and cut you off. In the competition to be first off the blocks, think nothing of edging out so far that you start to obstruct legally moving cars.
iii) Don’t wait for your light to change to green before putting your foot down. Keep an eye on the other light, wait for that one to change from green to red or even to orange, then go. You’ve got places to get to and waiting for a green light will add 7 or even 8 seconds on to your journey time. It’s not worth it.

3. Turning Right
When turning right, even onto a busy road, it’s not necessary to wait for a gap in the traffic. In fact, you don’t even need to look and check if there any cars coming your way. Feel free to put people’s lives in danger.
Even if there’s a red light, ignore it. Red lights only apply to people turning left or going straight on.

4. Overtaking
i) Overtake on both the inside and outside.
ii) Overtake on blind corners.
iii) Do it like Schumacher.

5. The Fast and The Furious
Great movie, right? You can do it too!

6. Speed Limits
These are more of a guideline than an actual rule. They’re meant for new drivers, women, not for the likes of you. You’re a good driver, people have told you so, and you’re driving an SUV that has an engine big enough to power an airplane. You go as fast as you like.

7. Big Cars
Buy one. Not only will spend a lot of money running them, waste the Earth’s dwindling resources in a bid to make yourself look cool, add to the Nation’s chronically bad air pollution problem, but you can also intimidate people in smaller cars. Why bother with the hassle of overtaking? Instead just drive right up to puny car’s bumper, they’ll move for you. If they don’t, drive even closer, possibly honk your horn, you’ll get ’em.

8. Parking
Double parking, blocking someone else in, parking on a corner, these things might be considered lazy, selfish, and inconsiderate. But hey, what do you care?

9. Motorbikes and Mopeds
i) Never look in your mirrors.
ii) Weave in and out through cars and slower bikes, cut them off if you want.
iii) Mopeds can be specially adapted with a small wicker chair on the foot plate. What better or safer way to transport a baby?
iv) Child passengers don’t need a helmet. Hasn’t a scientific report shown that in the event of a 40 kmph bike crash, a child’s head will simply bounce off the tarmac?
v) A 125cc moped can easily seat a family of four.
vi) Carrying very large, and very long objects on a bike is totally safe.

Taiwan’s roads are extremely dangerous and to survive them you need to do more than just prepare for the worst. Expect to be amazed by some new act of lunacy every time you get on your bike or in your car. Even then, even if you’re a careful driver, and many are, there’s no guarantee of safety when the roads are filled with so many complete idiots.

There are numerous causes for this terrible state of affairs: the teaching and testing systems are laughably inadequate; police routinely turn a blind eye to indiscretions; drink-driving is not socially unacceptable; even the laws governing liability for a crash are hazy. I am told that things are changing in this last regard, but in many cases compensation must be paid to whichever party was most seriously injured, even if the accident was their fault.

Written by Andrew Crosthwaite

http://www.culture.tw/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1327&Itemid=156

Yep, think we might take the train!

-S

Check out the world’s first solar powered stadium located in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. It was home to the 2009 World Championships this past July.

http://www.greenpacks.org/2009/05/19/solar-powered-dragon-stadium-in-taiwan

http://www.stadiatech.com/2663

You might take for granted the universality of the action of nodding the head to communicate confirmation, and the shaking of the head to communicate negation. Charles Darwin himself pondered this topic. In The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872), Charles Darwin provided a famous account of the nod’s origin:

“We give a vertical nod of approval with a smile to our children, when we approve of their conduct; and shake our heads laterally with a frown, when we disapprove. With infants, the first act of denial consists in refusing food; and I repeatedly noticed with my own infants, that they did so by withdrawing their heads laterally from the breast, or from anything offered them in a spoon. In accepting food and taking it into their mouths,they incline their heads forwards.”

In Bulgaria the opposite holds true. It is a shake of the head for “yes” and a nod of the head for “no.” This was very confusing when we first arrived in Bulgaria. We had refused the services of an eager taxi driver upon disembarking at the Varna train station. We just thought that he was particularly persistent fellow as he followed us after we had shaken our heads at him! Luckily, our hostel guide showed up right then and cleared up the confusion for us.

I really tried to adopt local custom during our stay in Bulgaria but muscle memory overcame my efforts. Try shaking your head side to side while saying “yes,” or nodding your head while saying “no.” It’s not as easy as it sounds! I then tried to hold my head still and just rely on words, but I am quite accustomed to  nodding my head in everyday conversation to assure the speaker that I am listening  to and understanding them. I must look like one of those bobble-head dolls that you see in the rear dashboard of some cars!

According to Wikipedia:

“Rumor has it that during the Ottoman Empire rule in Bulgaria, people were trained to reverse the meaning of shaking and nodding heads in an attempt to confuse Turkish occupiers. The habit stuck and nodding means a ‘no’ in Bulgaria.”

Other countries that use the same yes-no system are: India, Pakistan and in a slightly different way, Greece, Turkey, India & Iran.

S in front of the Tsaravets Fortress in Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria

M by the Palace of the Romanian Queen Maria in Balchik, Bulgaria

-M

zed = the last letter of the alphabet

thongs = flip flops

bond  =  deposit

fringe = bangs

jelly and ice cream =  jell-o and ice cream (Who eats jell-o and ice cream together?)

hundreds and thousands  =   sprinkles or jimmies

figjam  =  Acronym for “fuck I’m good, just ask me.”  Slang term for someone who has has a high opinion of themselves.

She’ll be apples = It will be alright

Top Sheila = A female who looks after her man, in style. For example, gets beer from the fridge.

-M

Located in Ximending, Taipei, the restaurant serves up typical Asian fare such as noodle dishes, rice, hot pots, as well as curries, pasta, and fried chicken. The place seems pretty popular so I guess the food must not be too crappy!

Ba dump bump!

-M

S and I are both native English speakers. We live on different continents most of the time, but there are times when we may as well be living on different worlds with the differences in the language we use! I’ve noticed that Aussies have a penchant for using nicknames for a lot of common, everyday objects. On the other hand, some terms are just plain different from the American term for the same object. Here are a few Aussie terms that I’ve noticed, along with their “translations”!

esky = cooler, ice chest

ute = some sort of coupe utility vehicle that looks like a car in the front and a pickup in the back.

sunnies = sunglasses

boardies = board shorts

“How ya goin’?” = ” How are you?” or ” What’s up?”

bogan = white trash

coriander = cilantro

capsicum = bell pepper

aubergine = eggplant

courgette = zuchinni

bikie = biker, person associated with a motorcycle gang/club

arvo = (ah-vo) afternoon

footy = Australian rules football

A few of the expressions are a bit precious sounding for my taste. There are many more to cover so this will prolly be an ongoing series!

-M

, and

There are simple rules to abide by.  If it’s hot, it’s cooked. Chicken – if it’s white, it’s alright. If there isn’t enough flavour, just add Tabasco and mixed herbs. In fact, add mixed herbs at any rate. The more the merrier right? If all else fails, there’s mum. Because seriously, what beats heading home for some of mum’s cooking?

So I have enjoyed culinary delights from many places around the world. From doner kebabs in Germany , to burek in the Balkans, horse burgers in Slovenia, to the unique and debatably tasty snack in the Philippines called balut. Believe me, balut will take your mind off the fact that you’re hurtling down a mountain on barely developed roads in a rusty, ancient Filipino jeepney.

M and I are heading to Taiwan soon for the first time.
So of Taiwanese cusine, what can we expect?

There are eight major categories of cuisine that represent Taiwan’s haute cuisine. The foods most people consume on a daily basis, what might be called Taiwanese xiao-chi, can also be divided into eight main categories according to their primary ingredients:

Poultry: boiled salted duck, roast duck, a-siunn Yilan-style marinated and smoked duck, chicken stewed in Chinese herbs, “drunken” chicken (steamed in wine), rice with shredded chicken meat, steamed chicken, etc.

3 cup chicken

Meat: beef noodles, cow viscera soup, mutton rice noodles, mutton stewed with Chinese angelica, dried meat, crispy meat, preserved or processed meat, meatballs, bah-uan (meatballs in a dumpling), etc.

taiwanese style pork burger

Fish and seafood: milkfish porridge, steamed grouper, fried white hairtail, o-a-tsian (oyster omelet), mangrove crab porridge, Rice and noodle dishes: Hsinchu rice noodles, Nantou slender noodles, Taiwanese rice noodles, “slab” noodles, glutinous rice tamales with meat and other fillings, uann-kue “bowl-pasties” (stuffed flour dumplings), and o-a-mi-suann (slender noodles with oysters), etc.

crab porridge

• Rice and noodle dishes: Hsinchu rice noodles, Nantou slender noodles , Taiwanese rice noodles, “slab” noodles, glutinous rice tamales with meat and other fillings, uann-kue “bowl-pasties” (stuffed flour dumplings), and o-a-mi-suann (slender noodles with oysters), etc.

fried taiwanese rice noodle with chicken, egg and XO sauce

Bean curd and vegetarian fare: Shenkeng tofu, Daxi dried bean curd, “stinky” tofu, and various kinds of vegetarian dishes.

stinky tofu

Sweet and savory pastries: sweet stuffed dumplings such as mua-tsi, aboriginal millet cake, and Hakka glutinous  rice cake; egg-yolk shortbread, pineapple cake, crispy wedding meat pie, crispy cookie, sun-shaped pastry,  ox-tongue-shaped pastry, salty pie, yokan jelly, white gourd cake, cake made from glutinous rice powder, maltose puff rice balls, etc.

green tea gluntinous rice roll that's stuffed with sweetened nuts & sesame seeds and coated with coconut flakes

Beverages: honey bean ice, papaya milk shake, taro ice, honey, carambola juice, grass jelly, sugarcane juice, bitter tea, Hakka leicha (pounded tea), jelly fig ice, “pearl milk tea,” etc.

Iced Bubble Milk Tea; Iced Passion Fruit Green Tea and Iced Yakult Green Tea

Sauces and seasonings: spicy soybean sauce, fermented bean curd paste, pickled vegetables, pickled mustard tuber, sesame oil sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, soybean sauce, etc.

- S

Green Travel Tips 1

We could all stand to be a bit greener. One drawback of travel is the toll it takes on the environment. While it is a bit daunting to completely overhaul one’s life, (I certainly cannot give up travel anytime soon) change can start from simple steps in the right direction. Here are some easy tips to get you started:

1.  Reusable Bags Before I switched to reusable bags here at home, it was surprising how quickly my tiny apartment could fill with ubiquitous plastic shopping bags. After a big trip to the grocery store my floor would be littered with them. (Of course I did reuse them to line the kitty litter box and the bathroom trash can.) The sheer amount of these bags was not only unnecessary but annoying.

Of interesting note to those from the USA, some countries charge for plastic shopping bags. This was the case when I lived in England and in Scotland. Feeling a bit silly paying for something that I had grown up getting for free, I was dutifully motivated to remember to bring my bookbag with me to the store.

Of course I don’t feel like lugging my hefty bookbag with me everywhere on the off chance that I may stop off at the grocery store on the way home from work. Luckily, there are many companies out there that make lightweight and easily compactible, reuseable shopping bags. These things are designed to carry a fairly big load and are stylish to boot! Just keep a few in your bag or pocket. They take up practically no space and are so light, you won’t even notice them. Here are a few of my faves:

Envirosax

They come in an array of cute designs. You can buy them individually or in sets of 6  coordinating  patterns.

Flip and Tumble

This one packs into a nifty ball. (Think a balled up pair of socks.) Use it for a quick game of catch!  It can fit across the body messenger bag style.

Kiva Keychain Backpack

A keychain and backpack in one!

  2. Water Bottles Business is booming for the bottled water industry. But just think of the piles and piles of plastic bottles that it leaves in its wake. Whether I am at home base here in California or whether I am on the road, I always have a reusable water bottle in my bag. I just re-fill it along the way. Why should I pay for something that is free and readily available out of the tap? Additionally, not all places have efficient recycling programs and disposable plastic bottles just end up on the side of the road.

 My favorite bottles are either the Platypus water bottles or the Nalgene Cantenes because they are collapsible, not rigid, and pack down to nothing when not in use.

The tap water in many countries is perfectly safe to drink. However, if you are in a country where the tap water is not potable, buy the larger water bottles at the store rather than the individual serving size ones. Leave the bottle in your hotel room and re-fill your reusable bottle before heading out for sightseeing. Less plastic is wasted this way.

*Airport Tip* I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to throw out a fresh bottle of iced tea or juice before going through the security gate/x-ray line. Pack your empty water bottle in your carryon and just fill it up at a water fountain on the other side.

3.  Hotel Room Laundry Hotels have pounds and pounds of laundry to get through each day, using up valuable water and electricity resources. Hang up your used towels and reuse them instead of dumping them on the floor so that the maids don’t take away perfectly good towels. Who uses a brand new towel each day at home? Not many. So why would you do so on holiday? Some hotels even have special placards to leave behind for housekeeping or you could just notify the front desk.