Day 2: Taroko Adventure

We woke up early today with the intention of visiting Taroko National Park, known for it's spectacular gorges and beautiful waterfalls. After the 3 hr train ride, we tried to inquire about transportation up to the falls, but not a soul in sight spoke a word of English. We then noticed a bike rental shop across the street from the train station and saw a golden opportunity. The bikes were only 1.50 USD/hr, so we saddled up and rode off. With plenty of scenic stops along the way, it took us 3 hrs to climb the 16 miles up the canyon, ascending a total of 1500 feet to the town of Tiensieng. The road was rather treaturous, often becoming a narrow one-lane tunnel with absolutely no lighting, except for the headlights of the giant tourbuses coming toward us. At the end of the climb, we turned on to a trail head leading to the famed falls, and got to experience 2 miles of mountain biking.

After a little rest and a few Kodak moments, we descended through the canyon at break neck speeds, making it down in about 45 minutes. We've never been so happy about the effects of gravity. Returning to the rental shop completely soaked with sweat, the owner commented "You are very... good" (we think, or at least hope, he was searching for "athletic"). It was perfect timing as we walked right onto the train home, without a moment to spare.

We showered and headed to the Liaoning Night market, which was disappointingly deserted. As we perused the stalls, a local woman commented that the soup she was eating was delicious, so we pointed to her meal and put up 2 fingers. The gelatonous, completely unidentifiable food that we were given left much to be desired. We asked what the chewy, 1/2" thick, meat-like objects were, and the woman said "seafood". Then we asked what the strange white meaty ball things were and she told us it was the same thing. Hmmm. We should mention that the woman's 10 year old daughter (who weighed 70 lbs, max) scarfed down 2 full bowls while we picked through ours. Despite the mystery, it was an interesting experience nonetheless.