Day 24 - Taroko Gorge

After Alishan, we were prepared for Taroko Gorge to be very crowded - and it was. However, it is lauded as a wonder of Asia, and so we really wanted to see it. And - spoiler alert - it was worth it in the end although we got pretty cranky and frustrated at times with the buses of irritating, pushy tourists. 

Taroko Gorge is famous because it is an extremely narrow and deep gorge, with the two sides only meters apart in some places. It is also the only suitable pass through the mountains that form the backbone of the country. As such, it is where the KMT built the highway used to connect the east coast to the west. It was an extremely treacherous road to built and many men died in its construction. A shrine built over a spring - called the Eternal Spring Shrine - is dedicated in their memory. The original road that they built is still there and actually still used in sections. Other parts are now only used as walking paths, and still others are now closed as falling rocks have made them too dangerous. Unfortunately, some of the coolest parts are the closed ones. The one part I was most excited about - the shrine - was closed as the bridges leading to it were being rebuilt. We decided instead to take the Shakadang River trail, which follows a side gorge formed by a tributary of the main river. 

After we finished that trail, we continued to walk along the side of the road. I decided to stay along the old road which would eventually lead to the Eternal Spring Shrine, and see how close we could get, and whether it was still possible to see the other buildings - the temple, bell tower, and pagoda. We walked up to the temple and discovered a hanging bridge that led a back way to the Shrine! After Sonny took some deep settling breaths, (heights makes him uneasy and the bridge was quite high) we set out on an adventure. There were signs everywhere warning us to beware if rockfalls, and with good reason! While we  were crossing the bridge and several times on the walk we heard and saw rocks falling, and many if the metal railings and posts had large dents in them, and piles of stones next to them. It was not the most relaxing walk but it sure was exciting!

As we walked further and further along the trail, I started to get really excited thinking we might actually make it to the shrine. Unfortunately, it was not to be. We arrived at a small cave in the cliff that had been turned into a shrine to Guanyin, and just beyond that the trail was rather emphatically closed (see below). I could see why as well, there were some huge piles of rocks on the narrow ledge.

To show you how high the bridge was.

After that adventure, we caught a bus farther into the gorge, and went to see Swallow Grotto, which is a section of the gorge where the walls are pitted with holes that the swallows use as nests. It is also the narrowest part of the gorge that is still accessible, as the Tunnel of Nine Turns is now closed. 

Our last stop of the day was a small village all the way in the gorge. The sun was setting and the steep sides blocked it even further so my pictures are dark. We walked up and explore another temple for about 20 minutes before it closed, then we ate some over-priced and under-whelming food while we waited for the bus to take us back to Hualien.

Once we reached Hualien, we walked around and looked for better food while we waited for our train back to Taipei. Suddenly, the sky started filling with fireworks! It was a pretty good show, and everyone sorta stopped and watched it for five minutes, then when it finished, just went back to life. We walked back to the train station and boarded our train for the three hour ride back.