Taiwan Insider 2.0: 2008

Hualien-The Wonderland

The place I want to introduce in Taiwan is Hualien. Because it’s my mother’s hometown, I have much more chances than others to connect with this beautiful place and to know it deeply. I can go there every summer vacation and my aunt lives there as a local guide, who can always looks after my family when we visit.
There are some characters which make Hualien so unusual. The features include the spectacular Cingshui Cliff ( 清水斷崖 ) and Taroko Gorge ( 太魯閣峽谷 ) in Taroko National Park ( 太魯閣國家公園 ) , Aboriginal Truku Culture ( 太魯閣族 ) , the delicious seafood which is fresh and cheap, and the sincere people who always make me feel so nice and warm.

Cingshui Cliff
The Cingshui Cliff is the first scene on my trip to Hualien. It’s on the way to the wonderland and it’s so beautiful that I always stop for a while to enjoy the view . It showed an unbelievable perpendicular .It seems impossible that the cliff can be formed naturally, but it is. The Cliff was caused by Eurasian Plate ( 歐亞大陸板塊 ) extruding with Philippine Plate ( 菲律賓海板塊 ) . And then, the wind eroded the top of the ground and let the marble appear. The marble is too solid to be eroded. So it can keep its shape as such an unbelievable perpendicular. Thank to the works of the God.

Taroko Gorge

Taroko Gorge is the place where you can not only enjoy the sight but also having the exciting game. Along the river, the magnificent and nearly vertical marble canyon is all around you. The most famous way to enjoy the scene is rowing the boat( 泛舟 ) in the Siouguluan River ( 秀姑巒溪 ). I did it once and I’ll never forget the experience. I got tanned, but I also got lots of fun.
Taroko Gorge was caused by the cooperation of the plate extruding and the wind eroding just similar as the Cingshui Cliff. But the Liwu Stream (立霧溪) did help cut the marble in the shape of the amazing right angle. The amazing cooperation makes the amazing scene.

Aboriginal Truku Culture

The Truku is the latest found aboriginal culture so far, because it’s so similar with the Atayal Culture ( 泰雅族 ) that people mistook them as the same thing for a long time. Both of the two tribes live in the mountain, hunt and plow for provisions, and take rainbow as the divinities bridge. However, they have totally different languages so they can’t communicate or cooperate at all even though they live nearby.
Truku’s dancing is so attractive to tourists because it’s not only a dancing but a heritage of its culture. Its handicrafts are so colorful, delicate, and lots kinds of patterns. That’s why I always linger in the souvenir department for a long time.

Seafood
Because of the great Geographical position, behind the route of the Kuroshio ( 黑潮 ), the fishermen can easily catch the seasonal fish. The Kuroshio bring the warm water from the tropical area to the frigid zone to warm its water, and make it more suitable for creatures to live in.
The seafood in Hualien is not only fresh but also in a really low price.I always eat as much seafood as I can in Hualien.

How to get there
Taipei → (Hsueh-shan Tunnel) → Ilan → Hualien
I suggest to drive there because Hualien is so big and the public transportation there isn’t as convenient as in Taipei. Also, the route sign is clear to understand and it’s easy to park cars in Hualien.

The people, the harmony atmosphere and the above-mentioned things comprise the sparkling Hualien. I think it will always be my favorite place in Taiwan. I wish that no matter what it was, what it is and what it will be, Hualien can always be a wonderland for everyone.

Danshui

If my American friend comes to Taiwan on vacation, I would strongly recommend him to spend one day strolling around Dansui, the waterfront town.

Located on the northern bank of the Danshui River, the old port town of Danshui is very popular with foreigners for its history and historical sites, and the harbor view at night.

Most of the activities in Danshui take place along the old wharf riverside. On weekends and at nights, there are many street musicians and entertainers playing light music and dancing to offer a carnival atmosphere.

Walk westward from the MRT station along the waterfront, and

you will see a small lane, named Gong-ming lane, which is a typical Taiwanese night-market street, and there you can enjoy grilled seafood, hot fishball soup, fried stinky to-fu, and iron eggs.

Every time my friends and I go to Danshui, we would stay in several different little shops to taste some of these snacks. Of course, if you have much energy, you can go up to Fort San Domingo to admire sunset or learn about a brief history about English colonial period in Danshui.

Around dinner time, I know a restaurant called “Waterfront”, which I think is the best spot to view the sunset, and the great river spectacle. This fancy restaurant offers great dishes of Mediterranean style.

When you sit in the cozy sofa in the restaurant, you can feel the sea breeze blows across the riverside, and sunset descends in front of you, and the water flows along the wide river mouth.
The atmosphere there is as romantic and exotic as you might imagine. If you guys are lucky enough, you can also enjoy some excellent live band shows.

For example, one day last summer vacation, when I went there with some friends, we saw two singers playing the keyboard and the guitar and singing many soft, romantic love songs, which are just my most favorite songs. It was really an unforgettable night. The restaurant can be easily reached, just walk west along the waterfront for about 15 minutes, and you will see a huge old tree and a dolphin signpost, next to them is the Waterfornt restaurant.
The address is no.229-9,Zhong Zheng Road, right next to the Dansui police office.

After the delicious dinner, the Danshui’s giant ice-cream cone is a dessert you must taste; you can take the ice-cream cone with you and stroll around. They come in several flavors, ranging from sweet chocolate, vanilla, green tea to sour lemon.

In the night, the last important thing you can do to finish one day’s trip is to set off a few fireworks to light up the night sky.

Are you eager to follow my advice to pay a visit to this old waterfront town? Don’t hesitate! Just take MRT Dausui line, the cheapest transportation fare.
Have a great day there! Bon voyage!

Nicole----------:)

Those pictures are from Me/My friend/ and websites: http://www.waterfronttw.com/index.php / http://en.tamsui.gov.tw

Take a break in 228 Peace Memorial Park

Take a break in 228 Peace Memorial Park

Are you tired of the hustle and bustle in city? However, you always say that you don’t have any free time to relax yourself. You think you are too busy to spare time for outdoor activities. Even you might complain that it takes much time to arrive the destination. Then I strongly suggest you to visit 228 Peace Memorial Park, which is easy to go and full of harmonious scenes, such as children running around, squirrels jumping up and down in the trees or families playing badminton. You will find it indeed a retreat in the busy Taipei city.

Where

The 228 Peace Memorial Park is on No.3 KETAGALAN Boulevard Taipei, near by Zong Tong Fu, National Taiwan Hospital, and Taipei Railway Station. It’s located right in downtown; therefore, almost every road leads to there. It’s easy to go and visit.

What’s so special?

There are numerous valuable cultural relics, from under the rule of Chin Emperor to present days. You can appreciate all of these in one time. For instance, the National Taiwan Museum built by Japanese, the 1st steam locomotive “Teng-Yung”, gifts from Manchukuo---two copper buffaloes in front of the National Taiwan Museum, and of course, the 228 Memorial Monument!

Why do I choose the spot?

1.Located in downtown, therefore, almost every road leads to there. It’s easy to go and visit.

2.There are many valuable cultural relics. Such as governors from Chin Emperor, colony under Japanese, and the present government R.O.C. which “once ruled” or “rules” Taiwan left numerous famous period pieces. It can tell foreigners what country once ruled the island, which leads to cultural variety in the island. In addition, it can also narrate the history of Taiwan to them in a short time.

3.For my personal reason, the 228 Memorial Peace Park is brimful of my childhood memories. It is like a part of my home. On weekend, my parents always took my sisters and me to there to relax. Because the park is located in downtown, it’s easy for us to reach. Consequently, every time we are free, we choose to go there and take many pictures. Thus, my families have regarded the park as a part of our home since I was young. In addition, it has recorded my life in Taipei. If I have the chance to be a tour guide of Taipei, I’ll definitely opt for it.

The must-visiting spots

There are three spots visitors should take a look. The first place is National Taiwan Museum built by Japanese in 1908. It’s the first museum in Taiwan and even honored as "the place where modern knowledge started in Taiwan”. Before it became a museum, it used to be a temple of Mazu, a goodness protecting people sailing on sea. During the Japanese colonial period, the government devastated the temple despite protests from the residents, and then built the museum to commemorate two viceroys, Kodama Gentaro and Godo Shinhei. Thus, the museum is quite gorgeous in Baroque style. Moreover, there are two copper buffaloes beside the gate. Rumor has it that it was a gift from Manchukuo. (It seemed that my sisters and I were destroying the valuable relics in the picture.→)

The second place is Taipei 228 Monument. The reason why the government constructed it was that the governmental officers wanted to soothe the family in the incident, and apologize to the community that they had overreacted to confiscate illegal cigarettes, which result in the tragedy of 228. The monument was built in 1997. There are many profound meanings in its outlook. For instance, the unit of the monument is cube, meaning the mistakes of 228 incident are caused by man----unnatural. The two palms on the monument suggest the deep agony from the family about the incident. The deafening waterfall inside symbolizes people of the incident warning posterities not to make the same mistakes again. The 228 incident is truly a sad story in this island. Also, if visitors want to know more about cause and effect of the incident, they can visit Taipei 228 Memorial Museum. There are many historical documents about the incident in it.

You would never visit 228 Peace Memorial Park without going to

its

playground, where I spent much

time with my family and took the most pictures! On the way, there

are plenty of trees on the sidewalk. Sometimes you will find squirrels

jumping between trees and climb down wondering if you bring some

special snacks for them. You will see how lovely they are! On holidays, the

playground is full of children’s laughter. The slides and swings are the hottest

entertainment facilities. Old as it looks, many children like it very much. When

I was little, I liked the swing the most. Feeling the warm wind passing by my

hair, and laughing joyfully, I felt my vexation going with the wind. Nowadays,

every time I walk by the slides and the swings, I think of my lightheartedness in my childhood. Their cute and

innocent actions really delight me, for the joy and smiles are contagious!

Besides the mentioned above, there are still many places you can visit, such as the open-air music hall, pavilion on a small lake, a temple of Groundskeeper God and so on. The 228 Peace Memorial Park is indeed a retreat in Taipei. I recommend you to take a one-day trip with your friends or your family! Enjoy not only the cultural relics, but also the delightful atmosphere which is rare in busy Taipei city!