March 22 (Day 5)

Alison Chen, Eleanor Schroeder, Miranda Bradner-Young, and Ellie Tiwari

After getting back to the hotel slightly late last night, many of us enjoyed the deep hot spring tubs in our rooms with complimentary robes.

The next morning, we were treated to a buffet breakfast which included taro buns, starfruit, and fresh honey. We boarded the bus shortly afterwards, sang some karaoke (Old Country Roads twice!), and drove an hour and a half to our first destination: Qin Shui Cliff. Here many of us took beautiful pictures of the landscape and enjoyed a lovely view of the ocean. Beside seeing the view, we also saw a dog with two leashes, a huge spider, and Yan Lao Shi’s picture taking skills.

Next, we ate a lunch that is native to the region of HuaLien. Our meal included rice in bamboo shoots, fried yummy treats, spicy peppers, and a whole chicken. (We later found out that the live chickens live next to the bathrooms :( ).

Then, we went to Swallow Grotto, where we had to wear helmets to protect ourselves from potentially falling rocks due an earthquake yesterday. After a short bus ride, we arrived at the Tunnel of Nine Turns and explored the beautiful scenery! We made several laps around the tunnel and even had a few speedwalk races.

In between stops, everyone enjoyed some well-needed rest.

Unfortunately, our next stop, the suspension bridge, was closed because of the earthquake, so instead we walked around the Taroko National Park. There, we learned about the local environment and saw lots of cool insects.

On our way to the hotel, we made a quick stop at the ChangChun Shrine. When we arrived at the hotel, we devoured an all you can eat buffet. (Ellie housed three plates!) Some of our favorite dishes were steamed fish (Miranda), mung bean noodles with tofu (Eleanor), durian ice cream and octopus (Ellie), and braised pork (Alison). Bloated beyond belief, we then explored the hotel and found a giant arcade! Some of our favorite activities here were a laser maze, VR car racing, and go karts.

Overall, it was a jam-packed day full of fun and we can’t believe that we only have one day left in Taiwan!

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