(Friday / 02:36)
4th
Actually it was only an hour of sleep, not two. Woke up at 3am to prepare to watch the sun rise! It was really nice of our dorm mates to ask us along hehe
Took a taxi to 七星潭, a park by the beach. It was still dark when we arrived and the sky was fully decorated by stars! Have not sat down to appreciate the night sky for a long time! Slowly, as the sun rises, more people joined in to watch the beautiful scene. Many local elderly also came to the park to exercise. Some even greeted us while they were on their bike ^^ It is really hard not to like the people here!
Panorama shot taken with iphone. So pretty!
Took such a nice shot for her then see what she did to mine /judging
Went back to the hostel after that to catch some sleep before heading out to the sea at about 9am. We went to watch whales!
But all we saw were only two species of dolphins haha Nonetheless it was a good experience. The first group of dolphins came really close to the ship and were as if showing off their talent to us. They kept jumping out of the water, swirling around so we could have quick glance of their stomachs. Even the little one did it! Absolute adorable! ^^ But the second group of dolphins were more wary of us, I suppose? Could only watch them from far.
An additional bonus was seeing a rainbow circling the sun!
After the 2 hours boat ride we return to the hostel again and we actually fell asleep despite having no air con or fan! Another 2 hours of sleep before we shared a cup noodle and then went for cycling.
It was so scary because in order to get to the park with our bikes, we had to cycle through the road with the cars and motorcycles! FUCKING SCARY!! I have problem crossing the road with my legs and then we cycled alongside with them! But I am really thankful that the drivers were really patient with us and are not reckless. While on the road some cars also drove away from us haha And a couple of times I stopped on the road when I see the vehicle approaching. Thank god they were driving slowly if not...
When we thought we finally made it to the park we realized the part of the park was not fully done yet. We took the slope down but it was not connected to the path! We had to carry our bikes down the place again and then find another way to it.
The ride was said to be 13km but it did not really felt like it. We also went the longer route I think? Went through the factories and there was a dog that came after her when she cycled past the factory. OMG imagine me watching the dog chasing when I was just so close behind. But the dog just touched the wheels and then walked to the side... but it was scary enough for me D:
But we made it to the end which is 七星潭 again haha But the atmosphere was more lively then. Many groups of people were sitting on the beach throwing rocks at the sea and talking while others jog and cycle on the pathway. Yet at the same time I felt so peaceful and quiet there ^^ Yes I really needed that to calm my nerve ha
Initially we wanted to take a taxi back to the hostel but when we called and asked if they provide the service they said no 0.0 Which means that we had to cycle through the industrial park and the roads again but what's worst was that the sun was setting. Her bike does not have any lights on it and mine was not operating. After putting down the phone we quickly ride back, hoping we would not get lost.
We took the chance to change our route and thank god it was shorter than the one we came from. It was still a scary ride though. The sun had already set and I saw a dead baby snake on our way hahaha And when we finally reaches the road, we decided we will just walk our bike and not take our chances to ride on the road without headlights.
Beat tired, we returned to the hostel prepared to bathe and sleep but our dorm mate asked if we would like to go to the night market haha Went together with her since she was alone and this time I managed to try the long queued coffin bread~ But nothing really fascinating about it, to be honest. =/
5th
Took the train to 瑞穗. This part of Hualien is even more quieter because I think tourists do not really visit the place? The plan was to actually go to a cow farm and a mountain that is filled with day lilies. When we arrive and got into the homestay, we were really excited because we booked for a room and it seemed like we got the whole house for ourselves at only NT850. Later the owner called us and then realized there was a mistake. Someone else booked the room and had paid the deposit! In the end we stayed at a bigger room in the house at NT1000 =/ Well I did email the owner and told her that I had no way to transfer her the deposit because I do not own a local bank card and she said it was alright to just pay on the spot.
A little heart ache to give that money actually haha but the other tenant was so nice I had no complain! They were a couple from Taipei and was actually going around the island with their bikes. The moment we met there were no awkwardness at all. She just kept the conversation going smoothly and comfortably ^^
Later when our rooms were all settled we left for 瑞穗牧场. It was quite a small but popular place. We ate all their products and loved it! Milk, steamed milk bun, fried milk bun, yogurt, cheese cake and ice cream~ We also saw cows and ostriches on the big piece of land overlooked by mountains and the sky. It is crazy how beautiful the nature is.
The only turn off about the trip to the farm was that these young cows were eating and were basically standing in their pee and dung and their ankle level. Whenever they move they made squishy sounds D:
Because it was a quiet town there was nothing much to see. Asked the driver to recommend us something for dinner and he took us to a little food place that sells green tea meatball:
It taste nothing like your ordinary meatball. The green skin actually taste like ang ku kueh and in between there were meat and garlic. The pink sauce were like flour and water; just imagine 汤圆 in liquid form. There were also a kind of black sauce in it that taste salty and familiar but I just could not remember what it was. This dish is surely one of the most special thing I had eaten!
After that we went back to the hostel and realized we did not receive our room key! 0.0 Sat in the living room and then the other tenants came to accompany us. We talked about traveling and the girl was actually going to Singapore at the end of the year.
I don't know if its just us or that their enthusiasm influenced us, we wrote down a list of places she could visit when she come! You know how hard it was to think of places for her to go? The list was so short I am a little bit embarrassed haha We exchanged contact and hopefully if she contacts me, I have more awesome place in mind for her to visit ^^
6th
Left the minsu and traveled towards Kaohsiung by train. Cost NT564 each D: The only available train for the journey was the most expensive train and changing from train to bus will cost more so.. Maybe the amount of money we spent made us lose our appetite for dinner because we had none even though we visited two night market. haha
After checking in to the hostel we visited the artsy place just across the road. The first shop we went into was so cool! A lot of cute notebooks and stuff and I got a postcard to send back home ^^
The interior of the shop. Other than just selling stationery, they sell food too! And the wooden tables and bench on the left are for sale too!
They have a couple of pens, stamps and color pencils which you can use after you purchase their postcards. They also have a mailbox in their shop! Talk about convenience!
Art pieces along the artsy street.
Took the MRT towards Formosa Boulevard to visit night markets and because we finished walking the small markets so quickly, we walked to another train station to visit a shopping district. Bought another pair of designed stockings =| I have absolutely no idea if I will ever wear them or not.
Came back to the hostel and what's cool is that there is actually a bar on the top floor heh Had yet to visit it and mingle with the rest of the people but hopefully there would be a chance to in the next three nights! & owner of the hostel is handsome. yay
Labels: Taiwan, thcrashedlyrics, travel