Taiwan April Day 10 and 11

Taiwan April Day 10 and 11 (11th and 12th Apr)

It rained, and the temperature drop to below 20 degree C.

We stayed indoor until the afternoon and started to roam the streets of Taipei.

You just need an Easy card and the network of transportation from buses to MRT are easy to bring you to nearly very places in Taipei.

We went shopping near Taipei Underground Mall, Zhongzhen Underground Mall, Guanghua Digital Plaza and areas around Taipei 101. It is a range of streets stuffs versus high end branded stuffs.

We did that for 2 days.

However on the 12th Apr when the morning weather was better, we take Maokong glass bottom gondola up the mountain. It rained and it was windy and cold up the mountain. We sid not stayed long and took a bus back to town. The trip to Maokong is expensive. It cost 65NT to take MRT there and we paid 100NT each for the gondola. On return down, the bus cost 15NT per person.

The lord continued to bless us with good weather. Though it was rainy, but the rain was small and only drizzle. We managed to used these windows to roam the streets.

We met some Christian on the last evening and briefing attended their gathering.

We will be leaving tomorrow so I will stop the blog.

Taiwan April 2017 Day 9

Taiwan April 2017 Day 9 (10th Apr)

Today is the last day we have the car. We have to drive back to Taoyuan International Airport, Departure Terminal 1 to return the car. We have plenty of time. But there was not much to see on the west coast of Taiwan.

We had a lazy morning, do our time alone with God, Mat did his homework and the boys feed fish at the lake. We left around 10am.

It was an easy drive as compared to the drive on the previous day. The highway allows the speed to reach 110km/hr but of course there are toll charges, but not much as compared to Singapore ERP.

We drove to Gaomei, to revisit the wind farm near Taichung port. But because of the tide, the site was close until 1300. We left the place and target to reach 大溪near Taoyuan. It turned out that the boys do not really like old street.

We returned the car, took a bus to Taipei. It was then I realized that there is MRT from the airport to Taipei Main Station. It will take 30 min and cost 160NT per person. Bus will take 1 hr and cost around 130 to 150NT.

The Lord has blessed us with incidents and accidents free during the 9 days of car rental. It is very troublesome and in order to claim insurance in an accident, you have to wait and make a police report. Wait for the police to come and file the report. I bought insurance too that in case of a claim, the first 15000NT you have to pay. This can be claimed by insurance.

We found our accommodation. It was a vast difference from the outside and from the inside. It was a cultural difference for the boys who used to live in clean and tidy environment. We stay in an accommodation behind the blocks and you have to walk into small alleys.

Taiwan April 2017 Day 8

Taiwan April 2017 Day 8 (9th Apr)

It was Sunday. We woke up early to have our breakfast, time alone with God. As usual Mat did his little homework at the breakfast table. The accommodation was near a lake surrounded by mountain. Mat fed some fish.

We drove about an hour to Cingjing. The last time we went there, the children had fun with the sheep.

We ate BBQ wild boar for lunch. As recommended by the locals, we decided to visit the hot spring at 瑪莉溫泉景觀露營區. It was a wrong choice. The road was down to the hot spring was steep, narrow and meant for 1 car. The better hot spring to go is at 廬山溫泉小境家. According to google map, the road are better.

By the time I get down to the hot spring, I prayed and get the car up and back the steep road back to civilization. I have no mood for hot spring bath.

We rested for the night at Puli.

Taiwan April 2017 Day 7

Taiwan April 2017 Day 7 (8th Apr)

I am not sure if I am one of the few Singaporean who drove more than a 100km across Toroko Gorge on Route 8 from Hualien to Nantou.

We passed through Toroko Gorge and beyond 文山溫泉. The route is winding, the roads are good. But beware of narrow passage. generally the road can squeeze 2 vehicles, but the dangerous thing is that the oncoming vehicle speed and cut through your path. There were a few occasions,   but as long as you drive slow and allowed the impatient car behind you to pass, the drive was very scenic. We started at around 0930 and it took us more than 2 hours to reach 文山溫泉.

We passed though Hehuanshan and reached the top of Wuling. It is wow and wow with the beauty of His creation. I enjoyed the stillness and the coolness of the air there.  We stopped frequently to take views and pee breaks.

The Lord has kept us save. We drove pass Cingjing and rested at the little town of Puli. By the time we checked into the accommodation, it was already 1730. A near 9 hours journey. But worth it with the Lord's hand and protection upon us.

We had a steak dinner at the night market which operate only of Friday and Saturday. It happened that tonight was Saturday. The tepanyaki shop that we visited 2 years ago has stopped business.

For those who are interested in the route, here it is: