Author: melmalinowski

Train transportation in Taiwan is excellent and inexpensive. Today I took a two hour train ride from Taipei Central Station to Xincheng station, closest to Taroko (Gorge) National Park, for $14.

Train reservations are easy in Taiwan. I went online, and in an English version of the website, was able to fairly easily book and pay for a series of train tickets around Taiwan. High Speed Rail was an exception, as their site does not have an English version. I had to go over to the central train station to book those. You also must go there to pick up the tickets, which is quite easy.

Comfortable seats that recline. Nice train. Quite a lot of very long tunnels along this rocky coast. I wouldn’t call the ride especially scenic.

I rented a very nice motorcycle (‘scooter’) for $14 a day. Overall, a higher quality scooter than I was getting in Vietnam for $7. I like it! But the gas tank only holds 2 liters, have to be careful to not run out. I’ve decided that the advantages of a scooter outweigh the obvious risks. Car rental here costs perhaps 4x that in New Zealand, and several time that in the USA. Rates over $100 USD per day do not appeal to me.

(picture soon)

Tomorrow, I go to the park, apply for a permit required for one hike, and begin exploring Taroko.

It is tomorrow. Beautiful sunny day. Time to head up into Taroko Gorge.

Spectacular narrow high gorge cut in the marble by the Li Wu river.

Marble is very interesting. It is formed when limestone (which are deposits of calcium marine shells formed at the bottom of oceans) are subject to great heat and pressure under the earth. The calcium carbonate crystallizes, and if the limestone is very pure, forms white marble. If there are impurities, other colors are created.

Crushed white marble is one of the best antacids, and is used in Tums and Alka-Selzer. Marble is rather soft, and easily carved, as the river has done here at Taroko.

How to view photo collages as a slide show

 

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Taiwan is at the juncture of the Euroasian and Philippine tectonic plates, and this gives rise to a lot of earthquakes and also hot springs. In 1957, while a section of road was being built, including a bridge over the Ludan River where it enters the LiWu River, a major earthquake struck overnight. The chief engineer went out to inspect the damage at 6am, and was killed by a landslide. The bridge was subsequently named Jinheng Bridge in his memory. But the fates have not been kind to this bridge. In 1997, a typhoon destroyed it. It was replaced. In 2000, another typhoon destroyed the replacement! Tough weather. The current bridge has now survived for 17 years.

A Buddhist temple is in the higher area of the canyon:

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On the way back, I stopped to explore a suspension footbridge. It turned out to be to Wénshān Hot Springs. Officially, the trail was marked ‘closed’ but I noticed that the gates were not locked. Apparently someone was injured and sued, so they ‘officially’ made the hot springs ‘closed’ so anyone who goes there does so at their own risk. My guess. And locals go.

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Onw of the loveliest outdoor hot springs I have been at, and free. Just two locals were there when I arrived. The water is very hot, Japanese-onsen hot, about 44°C (110°F). My favorite temperature. The natural hot water just gushes out of the back wall into this natural canyon cave.

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A Taiwanese and a Polish woman at Wénshān. Ah, I’d love to go back there if I have time. Tomorrow, I will hike up the ‘old road’ built by the Japanese with lots of local slave labor during their occupation of the island of Formosa (Taiwan). Isla Formosa it was called: “Beautiful island”

The Old Road over Juilu Cliff trail requires a police permit (as do a number of the high country trails here). A cheerful Taiwanese policeman promptly issued one for me the day before (a list goes out each day of who is permitted to hike these trails). He is pictured in the collage.

You start by walking over a dramatic suspension bridge above the Liwu River.

I was looking forward to seeing some of these, but alas, none showed up. Perhaps this is intended to discourage people from wandering off the trail, as if that were an option in these rugged mountains!

As I walked up the steep trail, there were butterflies of at least a dozen types and colors along the path. I managed to get a few pictures, but they flit about so much, it is not easy.

Along the path, I saw this big  ‘grasshopper’ munching away on a leaf:

grasshopper from Mel Malinowski on Vimeo.

Big lizard, about 10″ long!

After toiling up several thousand feet in altitude, I arrived at the exciting part, where the ‘road’ (I’m not sure how you can call a path that varies from 2′ wide to a maximum of 4′, averaging 3 feet, a road) cuts across Juilu Cliff. This path was carved into the cliff face 100 years ago by local tribespeople under the kind supervision of the Japanese occupying forces.

I have been a rock and mountain climber my whole life, and still, the sheer exposure was breathtaking. There is a cable along the cliffside that you can hang onto for security, but it is impossible to forget that if you stumble or faint, you would simply roll off the edge and fall nearly 2,000 feet to the river below. It is sobering and spectacular. I have seen few trails with this kind of exposure ever. This could be why they limit access.

You can look down the sheer cliff and see the river and road below. Later, I tried looking up to pick out the trail on the massive cliff, and could not make it out.

I could hear and see monkeys in the treetops in the distance, but never up close. They must be Formosan Maquaques. There was a picture posted on the trail of one of the giant Formosan hornets, but I did not see any. I met fellow hikers on the trail from Germany and San Francisco.

After this strenuous hike, I went back and spent a couple of hours soaking in the hot pools of Wénshān hot spring for my second time. Ah! I will miss it, but there apparently are more ahead.

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I picked a challenging all day hike for my last day in Taroko NP. The Shakadang Trail was carved out of the canyon wall by the Japanese in order to facilitate building of a hydro dam upstream. It is now a park trail. My goal was to hike up it, and on up to the very high village of Datong, then to the village of Dali, and back.

This tributary of the main Li Wu river still has massive boulders. You see boulders the size of small cars, then ones the size of large cars. As well, ones the size of small houses, and then ones the size of large houses!

The water is a marvelous teal color, and the boulders of marble have amazing folds, bends and twists.

On the way up the river, I looked over and saw a Formosan Maquaque looking at me (my first up close). As soon as he realized I was watching him, he disappeared.

As I climbed up the mountainside, at times I (thought) I could hear distant monkeys. I later found out that this was the warning ‘bark’ of a small ‘deer’, the Reeve’s Muntjac. I never saw one, so this is not my picture.

The trail soon left the river, and began a two hour steep climb up the mountainside, on an old tribal trail about a foot wide. Spectacular subtropical jungle garden on the hillside, ferns, banana, mosses. Quite primeval. I was all alone out there on that mountainside, the way I like it. Good thing I carry a PLD (personal locator device), as if I sprained a knee out there, no one would find me for weeks.

 

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I have found some secrets to hiking far: take good care of your feet with proper socks and boots. They are my weakest point for long hiking. I have been wearing thin inner socks that have five toes (available at REI) and help prevent toe to toe blistering. Pay attention to how your feet feel, and adjust how your foot strikes the ground. If the ball of your foot begins to get sore, strike with your heel more. And just keep walking! A one hour rest in the middle of the day does wonders. On steep climbs, if necessary, take one breath per step as mountain climbers do.

Now, time to take a train south to Yuli, my base for 3 days.

Taiwan is a mountainous island located about 120 miles east of southeastern China. It is where the nationalist “Republic of China” forces who were losing the war to Mao fled. It is currently an independent nation, though it may eventually merge with the mainland. It is my next destination.

Taiwan is a bit smaller than Switzerland, and the 4th most mountainous island in the world, with more than 100 mountains over 10,000 feet high, and one peak reaching nearly 13,000 feet. This is a lot for Taiwan’s size!

 

Arriving at the airport in Taipei could hardly have been easier. In 15 minutes, I had gotten cash from an ATM, bought a one month data SIM providing unlimited 4G data for $32 (about ¼ of the price in the USA), and a stored-value subway card. I walked within the terminal to the subway, and for $2.68 USD got a 40 minute ride to Taipei (Main) Station. What a visitor-friendly country!

I then walked underground over to my AirBnB apartment on the 18th floor of a nearby high rise.

This should be a fun 5 days in Taipei before I take a train from Taipei Station to begin my journey around Taiwan Island.

I walked the streets of Taipei on a grey day with some drizzle at times, then rode the subway over to Taipei 101, not long ago the tallest building in the world.

There is a famous restaurant there specializing in xiaolongbao, a type of small bites of various meat and vegetable fillings steamed inside a wrapper. These were first made in the Shanghai area. The closest thing we see in American usually we would call ‘dim sum’, but that really is a southern Chinese specialty.

 

xiaolongbao from Mel Malinowski on Vimeo.

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My second day dawned sunny, so I strapped on my mountain boots and headed for the park, starting with Taipei’s excellent, modern, clean fast subway out to near the park.

This big park is reachable by city subway and bus, as it forms one border of the city. While having a snack at the park visitor’s center, I met a pair of sturdy, well-equipped Taiwanese hikers. Zhang is 77 years old, and has climbed the 3,675 foot mountain central to the park many times. They shared food with me, and we set off together up the mountain.

That is his friend, rather than his daughter. He’s lucky to have such a sturdy hiking friend.

The park is a lush, temperate rain forest-like habitat, reminding me a bit of South Island New Zealand. Lots of ferns, moss and lichens.

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I expect to sleep well after this steep climb of several thousand feet. A lovely day’s outing. On the way back down, amidst the fog drifting in and out, there was a faint whiff of sulphur to remind me that this is hot springs country. Another day, I will seek them out.

“Silk threads” waterfall

The next day began with grey skies and drizzle. I actually enjoy hiking in the rain at times, so I headed out to a hot springs area in the mountains to the south of Taipei.

 

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I hiked up along a deep canyon just above a lovely teal-green river that has polished its bank smooth. It appears that about ¾ of the former water volume has been diverted downstream to generate electricity. This hike reinforced my impression of Taiwan as an extremely rugged, very vertical island. The lush, fern and tree-covered walls towering above me looked unclimbable.

The hot springs I saw available were all indoor, so I decided to wait. I much prefer outdoor. Otherwise, it’s just like taking a hot bath, although the water is smelly.

Next day, I took a 1 ½ hour bus ride out into the mountains north of Taipei to an outdoor hot springs, reputed to be the best in the area.

Now this is getting better!

Hot Springs in Taiwan from Mel Malinowski on Vimeo.

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IMG_2142 from Mel Malinowski on Vimeo.

I’m spending the month of October this year traveling down the length of Japan. Sitting in this outdoor hot springs, I decided to make a point of visiting as many of the Japanese ‘onsen’ or hot springs as I can during that trip.

Now, time to circle around the island of Taiwan, starting with Taroko (Gorge) National Park.

On March 19th, I departed Hanoi for a two night cruise on Halong Bay. First, a four hour van transfer from Hanoi, not scenic. I listened to 4 hours of “Down the River” by Edward Abbey.

Along the way, we stopped for a break and chance to buy souvenirs. I don’t buy souvenirs these days, but there were a large group of female embroidery artists who were creating some very beautiful art you may enjoy:

This is not Elvis velvet paintings. What they are achieving is dazzling.

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Soon we were out in the nearly 2,000 karst limestone pinnacles in Halong Bay, part of the Gulf of Tonkin.

We were not alone out there. There must be several hundred boats who cruise out here. A bit of a tourist scene!

Vendors row out amongst the big boats selling drinks and snacks.

 

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I went out kayaking several times, which gets you close with the islands. We stopped once for a swim. The water is colder than Hawai’i, and not as pristine.

monkey from Mel Malinowski on Vimeo.

Halong Bay is unique and interesting. It would be nice if there weren’t so many of us flocking to see it at once, but I am still glad I got out amongst these eerie pinnacles. I did Tai Chi on the top deck of our boat two mornings, and it that was a lovely and peaceful setting.

Back overnight to Hanoi, and then it’s time to fly on to Taiwan, after an eventful 21 days in Northern Vietnam.

Judy and I had booked a trip to Vietnam, but when her health declined, we had to cancel. Now, I am returning to make that exploration, this time of Hanoi and northern Vietnam.

Judy and I both strongly opposed the USA war in Vietnam. In 1970, young Americans were being drafted and forced to serve in Vietnam. A lottery was used to determine who had to go, based on birthdays. Before the drawing, I decided that regardless of the outcome, I would refuse to take part in this ill-conceived, unnecessary, and brutal war. As luck would have it, my birthday got such a low priority that I was not drafted.

On March 1st, I made the short (less than two hour flight) from Bangkok to Hanoi.

This morning I am in Hanoi. So different from Thailand, it’s a bit of a (good) culture shock. Time for me to flex and learn a very different cuisine and new customs. The traffic here is actually crazier than Thailand! Thousands of motor bikes in a no holds barred road rally mixed with cars. My Vietnamese host says there are no rules. Crossing the street, she said you must wade out into the traffic boldly, bluffing with clear signals. That’s the way it is in Italy.

HanoiTraffic from Mel Malinowski on Vimeo.

It is quite a bit cooler up north here than in Bangkok. I left temps in the low 90s, and arrived to temps in the 60s. This week will be highs in the mid-70s, lows in the low to mid 60s. Time to pull out different clothing!

I’ve had a request that I always post pictures of the apartments or rooms that I am staying in, so I will do so in the future.

I’m staying in a lovely apartment, 4th floor walkup, near old town and the “Lake of the Restored Sword”. The building is very old, but the owner has done a marvelous job of creating a warm and comfortable space. Quality dual glazed vinyl window units keep out most of the busy street noise.

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(you may need to clip/tap on vimeo sound icon to the left of the ‘HD’ icon in order to hear the sound)

Hanoi Water Puppet Theater Orchestra from Mel Malinowski on Vimeo.

Hanoi Water Puppet Theater from Mel Malinowski on Vimeo.

Last night, I had a large dish of fried cellophane (rice) noodles, chicken and vegetables for $2USD (50,000 in Vietnamese currency) at a little street cafe. Given how little food costs here, I’ve decided to not cook at all, and thereby eat as much variety of local food as possible in three weeks. Eating street food is the tradition here: a Vietnamese proverb advises that you should “learn to eat before you learn to speak”. I shall try.

I’m not going to try to see everything, as Vietnam is a large country. It is about the area of CaIifornia, but much longer, as if you stretched California to reach all the way from Mexico to Seattle! I regard this as a survey tour, and if I like Vietnam, I will return with more time.

As the days go by, I am coming to like the vibrant day and night scene centered around Hô Hoán Kiêm (Lake of the Restored Sword) more and more. People walking, exercising, musicians playing, and at night, colorful lights everywhere. I’ve rarely seen a common area this alive at all hours.

Vietnamese Jazzy street music from Mel Malinowski on Vimeo.

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Today, I went for lunch to Madame Hien, a restaurant specializing in local cuisine. Some of it street food, done very, very well. It was yummy.

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You may think the picture below is of a moped dealership. Nope, it’s just a typical street scene in old town Hanoi.

Makes me want to get a moped. And maybe I shall, at my next stop in rural Vietnam. I would not choose to risk my life joining the Hanoi moped derby. I just don’t know the rules well enough to survive.

Neanderthal man (in Historical Museum). Europeans have typically 2-5% of their genes from this predecessor to Cro-Magnin man. Look like anyone you know?

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I noticed something today: when I took pictures of kids (either with or without asking) everyone was supportive. Why not? The kids are so cute!

It’s not that way in many areas of America today. I have to be careful taking children’s pictures, lest I be suspected of being a pedophile or kidnapper. We have become a very fearful nation. Judy and I grew up as free-range children, and we raised our kids that way.

There are indeed dangers in the world, but there are advantages to being brave and unwilling to live in fear. Most of the bad things we fear never come to pass.

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(I went to VietClimb, a small climbing gym in Hanoi, after coming back from Ninh Binh with an Israeli family I met there. Their six year old son Yuval has quite a talent for climbing:)

Yuval at VietClimb from Mel Malinowski on Vimeo.

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After a week in Hanoi, it’s time to move on. I’m taking the train about 100 km south of Hanoi, to a karst limestone area called Ninh Binh. I did not get lucky on weather. It was rather grey and overcast the whole week, and it drizzled the last few days. But the temperatures were moderate, neither requiring heating or cooling.

I would not call Hanoi a ‘beautiful’ city, like Singapore or Paris. It is very old, and a lot of it is very crowded, dirty and chaotic. But it also has a lot of character, and numerous very pretty parks and lakes. Good street food is available everywhere, and traditional Vietnamese cuisine is tasty. I enjoyed my week there, and look forward to a few more days to explore later in the trip. Hang out in the right places (like Hô Hoán Kiêm) and Hanoi shows you  its vibrant side.

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On March 12, I took the ‘Reunification Express’ train back from Ninh Binh to Hanoi in the evening, and connected with the Fansipan Express overnight train north to Sapa. 
 
Arrived in Hanoi to rain! This is the ‘dry’ season! Yet, in 12 days so far in northern Vietnam, I have not seen the sun or blue sky yet. Overcast and sometimes drizzle.
 
There are ‘tourist’ trains to Sapa that have more comfortable cabins. I reserved this one, and it was quite nice.
 

 
We departed at 9:30pm. The rail gauge seems a bit narrower in Vietnam, and the train rocks and rolls, but I find that charming. Off to sleep till 6am.
 
At 6am, we roll into Lai Cai, the northernmost stop on the Vietnam Railway at the border with China. It’s funny that Judy and I had been not that far from here to the north in Yunnan province, China.
 
A 45 minute taxi ride climbing into the mountains brought me to Sapa town at 4900 foot elevation, and the first blue sky and sunshine I have seen! Yahoo! Sapa is the name of the Hmong (hill tribe) settlement that was there before the Vietnamese bothered to come up here. The French referred to it as Chapa.
 
I check into a lovely room for 3 nights that looks out over the Sapa Valley. This should be fun!
 

 

 
Valley fog at Sapa, Vietnam from Mel Malinowski on Vimeo.
  
Sapa lies on one side of the Sapa Valley, so that as you look out, you are viewing the high mountains (up to 10,300 feet high) on the far side. The sides of the valley are quite steep, which makes motorcycling along some of the roads a bit scary. If you ran off the edge, it’s a long ways down. I’ll bet there would be some good soaring possible here.
 

 
The town itself is a bit chaotic. It’s currently a mix of shops and restaurants that look similar to global backpacker destinations such as Siem Reap (Ankor Wat) and Luang Prabang, Laos, side by side with high rise hotel construction.
 

 
I’m told that at times, the whole area is buried in cloud and you cannot see the mountains at all! I’ve had the good fortune to arrive in a patch of sunny weather. It must get very hot here in the summer at times, as I passed a shop that advertised “Only 30°C (86°F) inside!”
 
I rented another Yamaha motorcycle, and headed up to Silver Falls and Tram Ton Pass. Exciting two wheeling on this steep road, with mixed motorcycle, car and truck traffic.
 

 
I climbed beyond the guard railing and up among car size boulders to the base of the falls, and lay there for some time in the light mist enjoying the falling water and clouds zipping by above. Peaceful, happy.
  

  
Silver Falls, Sapa, Vietnam from Mel Malinowski on Vimeo.
 
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Next day, I headed off on motorcycle to Lao Chai, which is a ‘Black Hmong’ village with lots of terraced rice paddy.My plan was to go 24 km.(about 15 miles). Not far out of Sapa, the road became very rough, with patches of 4-6″ rocks to ride through. This was not easy on a small motorcycle. But the views were dramatic.
 

 
As I turned down the steep side road to the village, I lost control. It was steep and very rocky, and I tried to brake hard with my right brake, my most effective one. However, it happened so fast that I also had the throttle twisted a bit with that hand as I squeezed the brake handle, and the motorcycle spun out under me and went down on its side. Fortunately, I was not under it, and neither the motorcycle nor me was injured. That was a new experience! Not one I thought it would be good to repeat, lest I break something on the motorcycle, or perhaps a bone or two.
 
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Despite my attempts at caution, the bike went down two more times later, due to the very rough condition of the road. After about 18 km., I decided it was more prudent to go back to Sapa. I think I’ll stick to the paved roads.
  
The next morning, I awoke in a cloud. Now I understand the name “Cloudy Sapa Cafe”. Some people I’ve met said they went to Sapa for several days, and saw nothing but fog. Visibility can’t be more than 50 meters. As Dad used to joke “The fog was so thick you could slice it with a knife!”

So I curled up with several pillows and studied–meteorology–for my upcoming pilot’s exam.
 
Things lightened up a bit around noon, so I hiked up to Ham Rong park above Sapa. Its limestone pinnacles remind me of the ‘Stone Forest’ near Kunming, China:
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
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There are numerous ‘Black Hmong’ villages in Sapa. They were here, in fact, long before the Vietnamese. Here are a few pictures of local people (I’m not 100% sure of ethnicities)

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Morning, my last day in Sapa,which is starting out as a second day of dense fog. Anyone only here for a few days may never see the unusual terraced rice paddy and dramatic mountains. Time to study and eat local food before heading off for the overnight train back to Hanoi.
 

 
There is still a fair French influence in Vietnam from the colonial days, and many French tourists. I think the above dish is French cuisine with local veggies. It was yummie!