Old Friend + Natural Wonder + New Friends = Good Weekend!

Hey all.
We got a chance to spend yet another fabulous weekend with Sandy, and loved every minute! We’ve been helping her in Taipei for the last few weekends, finding foreigners to fill out a survey for her master’s study, and Taroko Gorge was her last stop. Of COURSE we had no problem coming with her again! We’d heard only breathtaking accounts about the scenery there, and despite other plans to come before, had never made the long, 5-hour trip down from Taipei. Plus we’ll take any chance we get to spend time with such a wonderful woman. Wish you could all meet her

Highlights:
~Driving down the East Coast of Taiwan: there’s only one road from Taipei…seriously, just one…so added to the danger of driving on the narrow, curvy, seaside cliff is having to pass all the slow trucks. wee! Also lots of tunnels.
~Sandy’s frequent stops to get surveys (another survey, for a classmate) from Taiwanese on bikes. We made a few friends on the road, and kept bumping into them later, which was fun
~Stopping at a wharf to eat that day’s fresh sashimi and fish ball soup. Oh, and watching Michael almost lose his head due to consuming an unusually large amount of wasabi!
~An hour at the Seven Star beach, which was long and covered in beautifully smooth rocks.
~Perusing Hualien City at night, and eating all the special things they have there. YUM.
~Meeting our host for the next few nights, a friend of Sandy’s. He taught me a few jokes in Chinese. A crack-up!
~Entering Taroko gorge the next day…I was blown away at first, but then it kept getting more and more incredible!
~Walking down the Tunnel of Nine Turns. I now know why that’s the picture they put on every postcard. Unbelievable.
~Enlisting the help of a stranger, because Sandy left her headlights on and needed a jump! ha!
~Spending the evening with the Aboriginal family of our host. We “shucked” freshly cut bamboo tips for the soup, caught a chicken, bathed in a natural hot spring, ate a really yummy aboriginal-style dinner with all local ingredients, learned how to pour tea properly, and generally had a marvelous time. I feel like I know Taiwan a little better now.
~Sleeping like a rock Saturday night.
~Breakfast with our hosts at a local breakfast joint that was CRAZY! They made special dumplings, and when a fresh batch came out of the oven, look out! People crowded around and grabbed what they wanted until they were all gone. Very yummy.
~Bumping into a friend from school and her family, just as we were leaving Taroko at the end of the second day. What are the chances?
~Driving back home…lots of car crashes…sleeping…joking…eating…and saying goodbye to lovely Sandy!

Notice how there were a ton of highlights? It was such a good 3 days. Thank you Sandy for your love and friendship! Thank you God for making such a magnificent place!

Emily