Taiwan: Day 2

Today we took a day trip to Taroko National Park and Taroko Gorge (boasted as Taiwan's Number One Tourist Destination). We took a bullet train from Taipei early in the morning, and arrived in a small mountain town 2 hours later. We carb-loaded on a traditional Taiwanese breakfast of noodles with beef, waited for the rain to clear, and headed for the park. It was absolutely breathtaking. It reminded me a lot of some parts of Colorado, except it was much more green and lush. The gorge ran deep, with huge boulders in the river, waterfalls all around, the steep cliffs. We took an hour bus ride to the top, where there was a small village, home to a couple of youth hostels, retreat centers, and a couple of small restaurants. We did a couple of short hikes, ending at a water cave and near a couple of Buddhist temples. The day ended with another great meal. Michelle was able to read the Chinese characters of a local fast food restaurant, so we wandered in, were handed a small wooden box with some rice, and went through a small buffet table, loading our boxes with Taiwanese dishes. After a long day and a couple of Taiwan beers, we were all pretty sleepy on the late train ride back to Taipei.