Taroko Gorge and Hitchhiking

Taroko Gorge
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What an amazing weekend away and out of the city. I've learned that I can live in a big city but that I need to be able to get out of it and enjoy the peacefulness that comes with a place that is out of the city. We could see the ocean from the train and it was so bright and beautiful, clear and clean. California beaches have nothing on Taiwan.

After we arrived in Hualien and settled into our hotel we walked around in the rain on the beach. It was wonderful! Then, we went to dinner as a group and went to bed. Our beds were not as hard as they are at the youth center (which is like sleeping on a really hard floor but you get used to it), which was nice. We woke up early and took a bus to the last stop in Taroko Gorge and then began walking down. It was absolutely breathtaking and made me feel very small. It was a wake up call to see how artistic our God can be. It's magnificent that this structure was made by tectonic plates and erosion - it all just seems so magnified when you see a structure like this. We took a couple scenic hikes away from the main road and we were in a field of butterflies. It was breathtaking.

butterfly
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Disclaimer: Family - the following was completely safe; I promise, trust me.

As we continued hiking, we were unable to find our next bus stop. A vehicle that looks very similar to a landscapers for tools was going down the hill so we waved him down and three of us hopped in the back and he took us down the hill. It was an exhilarating feeling for sure and we felt very safe. I would have never done that in the states but the Taiwanese are very helpful and it was safer than walking at that point because we were on the main road. To give you an idea; if you've seen Chasing Liberty it's like the vehichle that she gets in to get away from the guy. We were leaned against the back of it so that we were safe. It was so much fun and we made it in time to be on the bus.

Hualien City oceanside
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That night we went to dinner as a partial group to an Italian restaurant so that a couple of girls and myself could actually eat a normal meal (it's been hard with all of my random food allergies). And then went and heard a live band called New Hong Kong City Hair played and they were alright but the acoustics were not very good for the kind of music they were playing but it was fun nonetheless.

We had a four hour train ride back to Taipei today and I spent most of it finishing the third harry potter, journaling, and listening to music. It was a wonderful, relaxing weekend before our busy last four days. It will be interesting to see how I get used to being in the states again.

beauty
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Know that you are thought of across the universe and loved very much.