Slow Sorjourn in Beauty

The three musketeers - ali, jas & choops

I think I'm really an old soul at heart. While this is a little long in the making, here is my little trip to Taiwan in the earlier part of May. This was also the highlight of my trip - the six hour drive from Hualien to CingJing.

This time I went with two good friends - Jas and Choops and I also found two forumers on Trip Advisor to share the cab ride.

We departed Hualien early possibly about 8.30am and arrived at the beautiful marble-slate like Taroko Gorge.

I was spellbound. 

The grooves and lines on the rocks are made
by the river

Have you seen boulders of marble or straight mountain faces of marble? Have you stepped onto a narrow wooden-bridge to see the frothing river at the bottom? Have you seen swallows zipping overhead one moment and darting across at your side next?

River at the bottom of
my feet!!

Choops - anything for
a picture!

Beware of falling rocks!!
Goodbye Taroko!

The scenery changes as we moved further inland and up. Rolling greenery gave way to brownish almost stick-like vegetation. Alright, it was bushes. Just loads of bushes lining the side of the roads. There were gigantic Lalangs and supposedly, Sakura trees. These are quite different from the Japanese ones; flowers are smaller and the colour, a little less vibrant. However, I was told by the gregarious Mr Looi that the Sakura had blossomed and faded. If I were to go Taiwan earlier, I would be able to capture the beauty.

We kept stopping to take pictures and dallied at each stop. Mr Looi was patient and when we reached He Huan Shan, he became our cheerleader.

Our cab-mate Louis
making his way to the top

It was cold - like 4 degrees cold. Choops and Jas didn't want to go up but he urged them on. I cannot stress how important it is to be properly garbed for this journey. The rise in altitude and the lack of proper clothing will dampen your enjoyment of this journey!!

Choops, Maggie & Jas slowly going up

Choops and Jas did mange to go up, hurriedly took some pictures and scuttled down. I lingered a little, trying to take in the view as much as possible.

YAY! We made it!

We were at the apex of the mountain. There were clouds slowly rolling in. It made the backdrop of mountains appear ethereal. Occasionally, the sun's rays would break through and just bathe the fields below in spots of gold.

We reached CingJing, Mr Li's Starry Minsu at about six. Mr Li had his piping hot vege hotpot waiting for us. That was a great curtain drop to an invigorating drive through of Taroko Gorge.

Our fantastic guide - Mr Looi

Coffee - It's not only about the name

It is interesting how using the same beans, you can get a different tasting coffee.
Recently, I was at Espressamente, a chic al fresco cafe at the Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur. Let me just say that this is one of the most well made coffee I've ever tasted.
Illy coffee is a blend of Arabica beans from nine different regions, with Brazil-grown beans forming the base of its distinct taste. This taste, Illy promises, is consistent regardless where you buy it, and when you buy it.
When you visit their website, you will find an impressive arsenal of coffee information, from nurturing the coffee plant to getting the right blend and finally the taste, it is clearly and simply explained. I was most impressed with their dedication to the science of coffee making.
When the waiter place the coffee in front of you (and mind you, I was having a latte with NO added sugar), you get a whiff of the wonderful fragrance of coffee, dairy, hint of caramel and dare I even say, cocoa. The crema was wonderfully thick, slightly brownish in colour.
As I put it to my lips, the smell simply flooded the cup and as strange as this sounds, I could FEEL the taste of it.
Suffice to say the barrister had mastered the science of creating this cuppa. It was a luxuriating taste, it was like velvet and with none of that acidic, dry, aftertaste of other poorly roasted beans.
Imagine my excitement when I saw the Illy brand at the Meritus Mandarin just two days ago? Imagine my utter, jaw-dropping disappointment when I put it in my mouth (after praising and shouting about it).
It was thin, almost bland, I couldn't smell anything beyond the coffee - there wasn't a deeper aroma and the crema looked strangely frothy. I was flabbergasted. I was sure I asked earlier if it was Illy coffee beans they used. The enthusiastic waitress gave an emphatic 'Umm!'
I wanted to spit it out and demand an explanation on the injustice they have done to the coffee. I was aghast at the quality of the coffee, and no less, from a hotel. I'm wondering what the brand would say to it if they had tasted the work of this hotel.
I guess, it is a point to note that even if you have the best product in the world, it will be a flop if you don't have the means (in this case, people) to showcase it properly.
I've also learned through this - don't assume on quality. Some companies do amazing branding jobs, creating this 'halo' effect surrounding the products. But, unless you actually try it, never assume that quality will be the same.

Seafood vs Streetfood

So at the last league of our little outing, the rain finally caught up with us.
At Keelung, our hotel overlooks the BiSha harbour and how beautiful it was! The blue sea, the fluffy clouds (slightly ominous in their colour but it was holding for a while) and the colourful kites that dotted the sky.
You could see birds with long streamers, the traditional diamond-shaped kites and lo-and-behold, the Bat-Sign!
It was all very entertaining to see the locals playing, having picnic at the harbour park.
Before the clouds gave way, we managed to go through the seafood area where the stall owners hawk their culinary expertise and their fresh seafood. But, well, we were at the seafront, I'd expect nothing but the freshest seafood regardless!
Think of going though the Boat Quay food stretch. You will be jumped at every stall, so, I'd suggest bringing along a good dose of patience. They are trying to make a living!

The thing to note is that the food there is really expensive. We ended up eating at a nearby restaurant that was recommended by the hotel staff. Since it was seafood, we had sashimi (the salmon was palatable, but the tuna was tasteless), steamed eel （鳗鱼）　(we didn't know what it was at that point in time), fried 'ikan bilis', la-la soup (it's the Malay term for this type of clams), and seafood beehoon. My conclusion - eat at MiaoKou Night market instead.
Really.

Although it can get really crowded and people are thronging around and stuff, the variety, the sheer smells, sights and sounds somehow made eating there more intense!

I confess to eating too much in Taiwan, and yes, after dinner at the restaurant (no offense but it was somewhat forgettable), I could not resist buying the street foods and jumping into some of the stalls to order even more food!
I ended up getting some noodles, barbecued crab-claws, sausages and a very yummy and delicious chinchow milk tea with pearls. MMMM!

Onsen or Food??

I never thought that Taiwan would be good for onsen. Strangely, I've never had that association in my head. So when I saw the posters (especially in Chinatown station) on trying the different onsen, I felt I just had to put that in my itinerary.
Amazingly, Taiwan has a few onsen spots. Most people would go to Yang Ming San or Beitou (for a more 'sulfuric' experience) for the hotsprings. Me, I chose to go JiaoSi.
According to the tourism site, JiaoSi is described as a 'peaceful, backwater county that has a noticeably slower and more traditional way of life'. That appealed to me immensely.
Being the glutton that I am, the best way to feel that tradition and culture, is through their cuisine. And what an eye opener that was for me!
JiaoSi is really a town in the Yilan County. Their cuisine reflects the Yilan resident's penchant for the natural taste of their seasonal vegetables.

We put up at the Shindori Hotel (山多利大饭店），and had three meals at their Four Seasons Restaurant. I would say that we had probably tasted everything (or at least very close to) on their menu. 　
The most UNFORGETTABLE would have to be their pumpkin fried rice.
Do not be deceived by this unremarkable name. I'd hasten to say, this is the most flavourful and healthy (!) fried rice that I've ever tasted!



Two things - the rice grains are different from what we are familiar with. Locally, we take long grains, they are more coarse and if not properly prepared, it could be dry or worse, soaked with oil. With the Taiwanese rice, it's similar to sushi rice, only that it is less sticky and boy, does it have a sweet aftertaste. Second, the pumpkin, finely shredded, was stir-fried into the rice. Add a dash of black pepper and finely diced coriander and you have fried rice that is fragrant and robust - it's the 'wok-hei' (镬气).

There is also the stir-fried seasonal vegetables - asparagus, abalone mushrooms and carrots. It's lightly stewed, with only salt to season. The veges are so fresh and sweet, there is a decidedly firm crunch to the asparagus and carrots. The gravy, full of the essence of mushrooms and carrots created a wonderful balance of sweet and woodiness. Drizzle it over plan rice and I'd bet it's good enough as a meal on its own!



I'd also recommend their garlic ribs. MMMmmm! What can I say. I love the pungent taste of garlic, and I love pork even more. When the two combines... I'd say I'm in gastronomic heaven! There is nothing to say about this simple dish. The pork was succulent, the garlic, a simple condiment to the dish. The combination simply satisfies.
I'd add a caveat here that people who are used to Singapore's strong flavours and (I recently realised) liberal use of oyster sauce, soy sauce, or any of those MSG-laden seasoning would probably find the Yilan cuisine too light (I would rather say too refined!) for their taste.

Enough on food.
The main purpose of choosing this hotel was because of their hotspring bath. Brace yourself - it's au naturel. Not very common in Taiwan I think, for most allow you to go in with a bathing suit. However, having experienced the therapeutic dips in Japan, I cannot think how else one goes to an Onsen.
The two times I entered, it was empty. The lady manning the desk seemed decidedly bored and visibly brightened when we walked in. She was very helpful in explaining what we should do and how we should drink something cold before going in, etc, etc.
The place was well kept, clean, and definitely worth a visit. The hotel has decent facilities, but I would bring an umbrella next time. For some strange reason, they do not have shelter to the lobby.... I'd also minus points for the staff on duty for not having the presence of mind to bring umbrellas to fetch their guests in, even after the driver honked for their attention.

Sun, Mountains & Dog

If you think Taiwan is a boring place for the aged, it's time for a 'paradigm shift'.
This is my second trip to Taiwan, and maybe, I was better prepared, the journey, was simply, amazing.
In terms of experience, my stay two-day stop at a minsu in CingJing (清境）was really good for the body and soul. The crisp mountain air - ok, you can smell sheep feces too, but who cares (!), and the soaring mountains that seemed to go on endlessly!
We were really quite blessed that the weather was good - sky was clear and the sun was always shining.
Our host, the affable 李老板 (Mr Li) was helpful, knowledgeable and well, incredibly entertaining! If you do not ask him to show you the night sky, you would have missed his amazing 'laser' show.
At his 观星园 (Starry Minsu), it is famed as a location in 清境 for star gazing. We met two Singaporean couples there and started pointing into the sky, trying to show each other the locations of the constellations. Then along came Mr Li, who said matter-of-factly, "Ah, you mean this one?"
Utterly flabbergasted, this green laser beam shot out right into the night sky, seemingly to hit the stars itself. This was better than Omni-max ANYTIME!



Mr Li is a man of discerning taste. The food he served, his hot pot, his coffee, even their humble home-cooking was a gourmet experience.
Winter is a time where they mainly serve their prized cabbages. It has a much sweeter aftertaste than what we are familiar with in Singapore. And it was so for the onions, capsicum and even ginger!

On the second night, we had the hotpot. His 招牌菜 - salted vegetable soup was unexpected! He revealed that he had prepared the stock by slow-boiling it for about 6 hours. The results was a robust, flavourful soup base that had a hint of sour and saltiness. By adding the other ingredients, like corn, mushrooms, toufu, etc, the soup becomes progressively sweeter. It was great fun to eat on a cold night.
Mr Li is incredibly generous with his food and more often than not, we find ourselves stuffed to our noses and still have food left. He has however, a very 'green' way of not wasting food. It comes in the form of a Siberian Husky called - DuBi (read - DooBee).


I fell in love with her at first sight.
She greeted us - well, anyone for that matter, with a slight woof and a howl. It was really cute and well, she really eats anything. You can get her to do tricks by baiting her with food. But I think as guests, we should also feed her responsibly. I think she doesn't move much and because she is sooooooo cute, guests can't help but feed her (of course, you can't say no when her eyes are on you so hopefully).
Mr and Mrs Li were very kind in letting me play with DuBi. I also managed to take her out for a walk.. more like she took me along for her run. She is a really pretty and affectionate dog. Makes me want to have one like her....
I'm sure to go once more, to enjoy the morning sunrise, the quiet peacefulness of the mountain-side, the amber beauty of the retreating sun and the night jewels in the sky!