Taroko Gorge

The most scenic part of Taiwan, I am surprised how many of my friends who visited Taiwan before me never knew about this place. Living in the Alpes for 5 years already, I think I can say I have a special affection to mountains, especially huge mountains. Taroko Gorge became naturally my main target during my travel in Taiwan, it was my must-go spot. 

If you stay for a longer period of time, there are many nice trails to hike in Taroko National Park. But if you just want to get a glimpse at Taroko, there is a tourist bus line made perfectly for you. With an one-day ticket, you can take this bus to and fro from Hualien to Tian Xiang (天祥) and stop at any stops in between. The bus runs quite frequently but it doesn't seem like it follows the timetable precisely. 

At first, I wanted to rent a scooter to go to Taroko, considering the fact that I could go anywhere at anytime. But it required an international driving license and I didn't have one. A little bit sad and so the tourist bus I went for. One hour bus ride after, my mom and I reached the the "entrance" of Taroko National Park and then I realized how lucky was I to be on a bus and not on a scooter. The treacherous road condition was just terrifying. 

The bus ride itself was thus quite thrilling. Cars passing each other with only inches in between, on the narrow road with rocky wall on one side and sheer drop on the other. With so little margin of error, driving on this road is certainly not for inexperienced drivers. It reminds me so much of the show on the History's channel - The Deadliest Roads.  

When I was there, the road going through the gorge had just been reopened very recently. Before this, the road had been severely damaged due this a typhoon in July. As I passed through, sight of heavy machinery was still everywhere. The road clearance was still on going and some parts were still closed for visitors.

Taroko is a must-go. Photos are unable to convey its greatness. You just have to see it for yourself. It will exceed all your expectations.

Pantani, my hero

Long flight can be really boring if you are travelling alone. After watching Snowpiercer, I watched the documentary of Marco Pantani straight away. Pantani : The Accidental Death of a Cyclist is the name of the documentary. I have known this movie for a long time but couldn't find any free streaming version online. 

The main reason I admire him is his pure climbing skill that is unmatched by any other cyclist of his time. I always dream of becoming a good climber on bike but I know I could never reach his level. The body type needed to be an excellent climber is something you born with, which is normally characterized by thin and slim body, and a high power to weight ratio. But I am stout and short, and my calves and thighs can easily gain huge muscle and weight. my body type just doesn't fit in. 

There is a limit natural talent can carry you. To become a legend, it demands mental toughness. The fact that Pantani was able to going through a fatal accident, came back to the cycling stage after 2 years, and then proceeded by winning the Giro and the Tour in 1998, that requires a level of tenacity that can never be taught. Until this day, he remains the last man to have 2 grand tour victories in the same year.  

His death can only be described as a tragedy. It can never be sure whether he was doping or not. But I choose to believe he was not. He is a supernova : shines bright, dies young. It is a shame that I am not there when he shines the brightest. Pantani is my hero, my favorite cyclist of all time. 

FBO Hualien review

One must be wondering : what FBO stands for? It is actually named FBI Hualien. If FBI stands for Federal Bureau of Investigation, then why the hell name a hostel after it? If not, what FBI stands for then? I personally was curious about its name when I booked my stay. Soon enough I forgot to ask and it doesn't matter, because this hostel is awesome. 

First thing first, it is really close to the railway station. Thus, it means it is quite far away from Hualien centre, if you choose to walk. But this one doesn't bother me at all. Hualien is a taiwanese city just like any other. For me, apart from the seaside, there isn't many attractions there. Hualien normally serves as a pit stop for people visiting Taroko Gorge. And from Hualien railway station, you can get all kind of transportation to Taroko Gorge. It is a big plus for being near to the railway station.

Hualien railway station

Although it is near the station and it is on the main road, it was not that easy to find when I went there in August this year. It was still under renovation and there was no clear sign board indicating its name. It is a five-storey building : the ground floor is a café, 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors are the bedrooms and the top floor is roofless, which offers space to dry your clothes and hangout with other backpackers. 

Beds and rooms they offer don't provide much personal space and privacy. Wifi coverage is good but there isn't enough plugs for everyone. More than 20 beds in a single room with only 2 air-conditioners, lights will normally stay on well after midnight. So if you can't sleep with lights on during summer heat, this is a major problem for you. 

The beds design is certainly the only one of its kind as you can see from the pictures. But if you are on the top bunk, and if you want to pee at night, another major problem for you. Climbing up and down the beds is no easy task, even for me. So during my stay, I slept on the floor, which sounds horrible. But trust me, on the floor is the best. 

Communal area in the room, most of the CD players are broken though. 

The forest of beds!

The view from the top bunk, as you can see it is so high thta it is not for the faint-hearted.

The middle and the floor are the best sleeping spots. 

The toilet, the bassins and the bathrooms. 

The bathrooms and washrooms are of course communal. What I like about the bathrooms is they are all so huge. One can basically lie down flat or even dance in it, a huge contrast with many other hostels where the bathrooms are normally small, so small that it is difficult to turn around without banging the walls. 

All and all, it may sound like it is not a good hostel. But why I said it is awesome? It is awesome because the staffs are awesome. They are helpful, friendly, and enthusiastic above all. However, it was during summer when I was there. Most of them were temporary workers, summer job so to speak, and strangely, most of them were girls of my age. Not sure if it is the owner's strategy to hire mostly girls but it certainly works on me. They are so readily to make friend with people, not just me but everyone staying in the hostel. Never before I had such a warm welcome in a hostel. I even met the owner and he is a really nice guy too, down to earth and playful. For a middle-age guy, it is a rarity. The truth is I missed them already the moment I left. I wonder how many of them will still be there after the academic year starts. 

Most of the staffs are girls!

The sisters pair

Another sisters pair

FBO also offers a cycling trip at night to Qi Xing Tan if the weather permits.
In this picture, we are on the rocky beach of Qi Xing Tan.

In conclusion, the facility is just so so but it is the staffs who make the hostel awesome. 

Snowpiercer review

I was on the flight on the way back to Malaysia and it was during daytime. I couldn't sleep and time was all I had. So I decided to watch this film. It does demand a certain level of concentration to watch. I won't be able to watch it during normal time because too many distractions if I watch it on my computer. On a plane, watching movies is the most interesting thing I could do. 

I first knew about this film when it came out of theater in 2013. It was in french and the title was Transperceneige. It had a not bad trailer but it didn't attract me that much to go to cinema to watch it. On one hand, it has some big names starring in it like Chris Evans, John Hurt and Tilda Swinton, on the other, it also includes some koreans which I know nothing about them. Plus It was directed by a korean and it just didn't have much credibility in my mind at that time, no offence to korean film industry. 

But owh my! How I was wrong! The story sets in the post-apocalyptic Earth. A disaster had sent the Earth into a permanent ice age. It is almost two decades after the disaster, the remaining survivors are all on a train which runs endlessly around the globe. Just like the Walking Dead, it is not about the apocalypse but the humanity. Leave aside the logic, the premise is fascinating. But be warned, this movie is not for everybody as some of themes are really grim.  

It starts off with a revolt of the poor leading by Chris Evans' character. The poor lives in the last compartment of the train. To gain control of the train, they must take control of the engine room in the very first compartment. So the first and the second acts are about the challenges and resistances they face as they move on from compartment to compartment. I can't be sure if the third act is the first of its kind, I kinda see it somewhere before. But it certainly will make the audience contemplate.

I really like this movie and I hate it when good stuff doesn't get much recognition. I admit that certain special effects in this movie are still needed to be polished. But who can blame the film maker. By comparing with the budget of some hollywood blockbusters, I would say the crew of Snowpiercer had done a decent job. With a handsome budget and proper advertissement, it could have been a hit in the box office.   

Ye Liu national park

Another wonderful site worth a half-day trip if you are staying in Taipei. From Taipei city center, to Ye Liu takes about an hour of public bus ride. Once you get down at Ye Liu bus stop, you have to walk a little bit before reaching the site. But no worry, the route is very well marked. You will walk through a fishing village, which itself is quite a nice place. 

The entrance fee is much cheaper than I expected. The site is truly spectacular. Stones in various impossible shapes, stones that I previously thought only exist only in the barren lands of US. Probably due to different types of erosion or different composition of rocks, I have no idea, but with darker colour on the top and lighter colour on the rest, most of the eroded rocks look like mushroom to me. Plus all of them are taller than a human being, which makes them something that come out of Alice in Wonderland. In short, it is quite out of this world.