A Gorgeous Gorge

After taking my photos of the misty mountains, I went to the gym and worked out for a half hour. It felt good to excercise after sitting (and eating) for so many hours.Then we ate a decent breakfast - well, at least we actually recognized most of the food that was served at the buffet!
After breakfast, we all boarded onto the Magic Bus and headed for Taroko Gorge National Park. To quote my Taipei Living Guidebook, "This exceptionally beautiful narrow ravine was created by a river that has cut through mountains of solid marble and granite. Here and there pavillions, pagodas and temples cling to mist-clad mountain sides;elsewhere, waterfalls gush from crevices in the steep hills...The colors of the rocks, jagged, striped and soaring are reminiscent of a mini Grand Canyon."And, as Chevy Chase did with his family in National Lampoon's Vacation when THEY visited the Grand Canyon, we also pretty much peeked over the "scenic view" spot and split!
No, not really. We weren't THAT lazy...at least we walked around for a bit...we hope to return when the weather is nicer and actually go hiking here.

A scenic view:




We walked across a VERY COOL suspension bridge. I loved walking across it. What a rush. Good place to meditate! :) [The photo above was taken from the middle of the suspension bridge].



Thomas the Train and Lyn




Chris and Thomas have NO FEAR!!




Thomas and Alice



I think this is a lion, but it could be a dog...Anjoli had fun climbing on it!




A view of the Central Cross Highway from inside the Magic Bus. This highway runs parallel to the Old Hohuan Trail, which was used by the aboriginal Atayal tribe to cross the island. In 1914, the Japanese entered the gorge area to gain access to the forestry and natural resources. The aboriginal tribe tried to resist the invasion, but were brutally defeated. The Japanese started, but never finished building the entire Central Cross Highway. The KMT completed building it after the Japanese left Taiwan after their defeat in WWII.
Sadly, according to my Lonely Planet guide, "450 workers, mostly retired servicemen from mainland China, lost their lives [building this highway]. The project took four years, with some parts of the highway hacked out of solid rock by HAND." Can you believe it??? It really was incredible.



The caves were cool: