TOUCH YOUR HEART - TAIWAN

I made a trip to Taiwan from 9-16 Mar. My sojourn took me from Taipei to Hualien, Taidong, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taichung and back. Here at the Yaward Golf Hotel in Tao Yuan, sakura or cherry blossom was still in bloom. Taiwan has three varieties of it and this is one of them.

The alleyway leading to the quaint shops in Jiufen, our first stop on the drive to Hualien. The town used to be engaged in mining and has a romantic aura about it. The movie, "Sad City", was shot on location here. It's interesting to explore the shops here and look for snacks like mua-chi, sweet potato and sotong balls.

A misty Jiufen awaited our arrival. In view of this, we could not behold nice views of the Pacific Ocean as Jiufen is perched atop the Syueshan, one of five mountain ranges which effectively dissect the island of Taiwan into two distinct parts.

Bright and beautiful home decorators in a Jiufen shop.

This shop in Jiufen sells only calligraphy brushes.

A popular snack sold in Jiufen - sotong balls. Three go for $NT35. Tasted great because it's piping hot and it was raining when we got there.

This gold statue of Matsu, whom seafarers of Chinese origin hold as the Goddess of the Sea, is found in the Nantien Temple of Su-ao Port. The temple overlooks the opening of the port to the Pacific Ocean.

Su-ao Port on the Eastern Seaboard.

This snack (poh pia or bau-bing) is very unique to the Su-ao region of Taiwan. Peanut candy is scraped and then wrapped with ice cream and Chinese parsley. Tastes nice too.

Heroes' monument in Taroko Gorge. After the Kuomintang troops retreated to Taiwan, General Chiang Kai-shek, to keep them occupied and out of trouble with the locals, made them carve out a road linking this part of Taiwan with the Western Seaboard using very simple implements like chisels and rods. In the process, 222 of them lost their lives. Their memorial tablets are enshrined in this monument.

A view of Taroko Gorge from Taroko Bridge. The gorge was formed by rushing river waters which cut through the granite and marble of the river bed.

A dance with bamboo poles which closely resembles that which is also popular in various other parts of S E Asia.

"Ah-mei" tribal minority men performing in a concert at their cultural village in Hualien.

The centre for white-water rafting and other riverine activities in Taiwan.

Taiwanese custard apple, which is also called "Sigamoni" because its skin texture looks like the Buddha's head. The fruit is extremely sweet.

En route to the Western Seaboard of Taiwan, we drove along the Eastern Coastal Highway. From time to time, one will get glimpses of the Pacific Ocean, like this one.

During our visit, Taiwan was perennially misty. This pic, taken from Tower 85 in Kaohsiung, shows it to be so.

Tower 85 in Kaohsiung used to be one of the tallest buildings. It is now dwarfed by Tower 101 in Taipei which presently is the tallest building in the World. Not for long though because petrol dollars will see the tallest sprouting out of the mid-East soon.

A profound effect of Japanese colonisation is seen in the design of this Taiwanese fishing boat.

The common mode of transportation between Kaohsiung and Cijin Island. The ride costing $NT10, scooters included, takes about 5-8 minutes.