Taroko Gorge
Wow. Taroko is absolutely breathtaking. Even though the weather hasn't been that great here, the scenery is still stunning!
Yesterday was our last full day in the gorge. We decided to drive up a ways to see some bits we hadn't made it to yet. We drove out of the park and just followed the mountains for a while. We came across a tiny little village (we were told only about 2-3 families live there year-round). There was a temple gate and some mysterious-looking stairs, so we pulled over and walked up. The village was on the hillside, and were all traditional houses with small courtyards. There was even a tiny little post office! We kept climbing and came to the temple. It was a small daoist temple and a young woman came out to speak with us. She invited us to tea and we sat in the temple yard, underneath red lanterns looking out over the mountains. Patty told us that tehre were monkeys living in the trees and later we were even lucky enough to see one swinging on the trees. I'd never seen monkeys in the wild before! We ate cow's tongue cookies (they are long dry cookies that are shaped like cow's tongues) and drank freshly brewed tea. It was nice to warm up a little since the day had been so chilly and damp.
Later, Susan and Brian decided to hike a harder trail that involved steep hills and cliffs, so I passed and went on to another area of the park I'd been curious about. I scootered over through the caves and curves on the cliffs and came to Ho-Huan Mountain Old Trail. It was a short trail that was the last of an old trail that the aboriginal folks used to use to get from camp to camp. It was a beautiful little hike and I got cross a little suspension bridge and see some birds.
More to follow...
Yesterday was our last full day in the gorge. We decided to drive up a ways to see some bits we hadn't made it to yet. We drove out of the park and just followed the mountains for a while. We came across a tiny little village (we were told only about 2-3 families live there year-round). There was a temple gate and some mysterious-looking stairs, so we pulled over and walked up. The village was on the hillside, and were all traditional houses with small courtyards. There was even a tiny little post office! We kept climbing and came to the temple. It was a small daoist temple and a young woman came out to speak with us. She invited us to tea and we sat in the temple yard, underneath red lanterns looking out over the mountains. Patty told us that tehre were monkeys living in the trees and later we were even lucky enough to see one swinging on the trees. I'd never seen monkeys in the wild before! We ate cow's tongue cookies (they are long dry cookies that are shaped like cow's tongues) and drank freshly brewed tea. It was nice to warm up a little since the day had been so chilly and damp.
Later, Susan and Brian decided to hike a harder trail that involved steep hills and cliffs, so I passed and went on to another area of the park I'd been curious about. I scootered over through the caves and curves on the cliffs and came to Ho-Huan Mountain Old Trail. It was a short trail that was the last of an old trail that the aboriginal folks used to use to get from camp to camp. It was a beautiful little hike and I got cross a little suspension bridge and see some birds.
More to follow...
posted by CJ at 9:17 PM
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