We left Guam on Dec 23, just in time for Christmas. Although the visitation was short but it brings much memories. We covered quite a few places. We were chauffered upon arrival by a black car to our hotel at Si Ting Men. Although the hotel was small but it was very new and clean. It has all the antique furnitures surrounding the room and gives you a very home feeling. We specially love the bathroom. There was a spa shower and a jacuzzi tub for us to relax after a long day. Besides it is so accessible and convieneant, for example Carrefour was just around the corner and it opens 24hours, 5 minutes walk to the underground train, a few minutes walk to the famous Xi Men Ting a hip hop place for shopping and entertainment.
First day - atfer checking in, we took the public bus and hit off to see the Taiwan tallest building "Taipei 101". We were a little unlucky as when we get to the top on the fast speed lif, it start to rain and there were much clouds surrounding the area. We decided to ride the underground train back to the hotel since the weather was not attractive.
Second day - City tour starts to a visit to Keelung Harbor and the temple on the hill top. The weather was still not good but we proceed with the tour since we have already paid in full. It was windy and lots of water. We kept praying for the rain to stop or slow down and it did at one point. The visit to Yehliu to see the natural rock formation was great. As it is by the seaside, the waves were crashing on the rocks and beaches. When the rain slow down, I took Kevin with the umbrella to the beach. I am glad I did so as it was fascinating to see the rocks formations resembling a Queen's head & Fairy Shoe. Too bad we decided not to bring along the camera as we were afraid the strong wind and waves maybe hard to handle. The weather was nice after lunch in Taipei, after lunch, we were brought to visit CKS Memorial Hall, the Martyrs' Shrine and the National Palace Musuem. There were many ancient collections of historical crafting. We were really impressed. No pictures allowed!
Third day - We were picked up at 5.30am for our domestic flight to Hualien. We arrived really early there. The weather was perfect today, no rain or wind. Besides it wasn't so crowded in Hualien too. We were brought to visit the Marble factory and then proceed to see the famous Toroko Gorge. The scenic route was breathtaking! Although there were lots of curve and turns, it was worth while. The tour stops to view Evergreen Shrine, Swallow Grotto, Nine turns of tunnel, Marble Bridge and the national flower of Taiwan. After lunch, the tour stop us at the seven star beach. The waves were roaring facing the Pacific Ocean. The color was so blue and there were clean peddle rocks everywhere. Later we were send to the train station to catch the 4pm train ride back to Taipei. The journey takes up to 3 hours on the train. Eventhough it was long but it was worth while seeing the nature. It was a nice day to spend for Christmas.
Four day - early morning pick up to the Tao Yuan Airport for our flight to Kuala Lumpur.
Labels: 2007, Hualien, Taipei, Taiwan
