Travel – Page 16

Road Trip – Devisadero Peak Trail, Lunch at Manzanita Market, and Strolling Around Taos

April 5, 2024 mmm-yoso Markets & Grocers, New Mexico, Road Trip, Sandwiches, Santa Fe/Taos, New Mexico, Travel

After our meal at Doc Martin's we took a typical after dinner stroll. Downtown Taos was indeed quite charming.

While most of the shops were already closed, the relaxed, tranquil vibe gave us time to appreciate the town. We loved the public art.

And as the sun headed down, the adobe buildings just came alive. It was indeed the "golden hour"!

With nary a person in sight, it was a wonderful stroll.

We slept well, woke early, and headed off to the do some hiking. I gave the Missus a couple of choices and She picked the Devasidero Peak loop trail. It was a quick 5 minute drive to the trailhead. The trail started off a bit steep, but the views were lovely on this morning in early May.

And while we didn't run into any other folks on the trail, there were indications of folks who had come before us.

And the signage on the trail was pretty good.

The Missus is all business when hiking; She wants to get it done ASAP.

I on the other hand, like to enjoy the views and on this hike, the little splashes of color provided by the wild flowers.

We enjoyed the hike and finished in a shade over two hours.

We headed back to the hotel, parked, and decided to grab an early lunch. We had walked past a little sandwich/juice bar/health food shop the previous evening called Manzanita Market and decided to pop in.

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It was a cute little shop with a hipster-hippy-ish vibe. The staff was very friendly.

We placed our order and the Missus had a seat, while I took a look at some of the local items available for sale.

I loved the name of this hot sauce brand, Taos Hum.

In case you hadn't heard of the Taos Hum, it's a low frequency humming/buzzing noise that certain residents of Taos have heard since the 1990's. There have been studies into the hum over the years, but it still remains a mystery, and has been reported in other places around the world. And this Taos Hum Hot Sauce would remain a mystery to me as well as I ended up not getting a bottle. I can and may order it online; or perhaps wait until we next visit Taos.

The Missus had ordered the Mediterranean Vegan, which came from Sage Bakehouse (Santa Fe) Sourdough.

The sourdough was quite good. This was bit on the blander side in terms of flavor in spite of the pickled onions and lime-garlic spread. The textures were very nice; the creamy tahini, crisp veggies and bread. The greens had a pleasant bitterness to them as well. So very healthy!

I got the Naples which also came on that good sourdough bread.

This was a pressed sandwich and was served hot. The bread was a nice crisp-crunchy and I loved the milky-gooey carneros cheese and the nicely spiced-salty sopressata. The mildly assertive feta-garlic sauce and the surprisingly good tomato jam really made this sandwich a winner!

Such a nice place for a light lunch!

Manzanita Market
103 N Plaza
Taos, NM 87571

In retrospect, we should have spent at least another day in Taos, but we'd try to make the best of our last evening!

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Road Trip – Dinner at Doc Martin’s (Taos)

March 30, 2024 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, New Mexico, Road Trip, Santa Fe/Taos, New Mexico, Travel

After visiting El Santuario de Chimayo we headed onward to Taos. I had made reservations for two nights at the Historic Taos Inn, which is located right in the center of this charming town of 6,500.

We had arrived a bit early and our room wasn't ready yet. But we were instructed to park in the rear parking lot and take a walk around.

It was May and things weren't too busy in town. We were immediately charmed by the quaint, artsy-funky-outdoorsy friendliness of the town.

The air was crisp and clean, the sky so bright. Charming adobe structures lined the streets.

No wonder folks like Georgia O'Keefe, DH Lawrence, and Kit Carson were drawn here.

We were only spending two nights in Taos and the Missus wanted to go hiking during our one full day, so we weren't able to visit places I had on my "list" like the Taos Pueblo.

We were sent a text when our room was ready; which was in one of the buildings in back of the Inn, it was comfortable and quieter than the rooms up front.

We had reservations for the restaurant in the Taos Inn; Doc Martin's. The Taos Inn was originally the home and businesses of Thomas "Doc" Martin and his namesake restaurant is where the his offices were located. Upon Doc Martin's death, his widow turned the building into a hotel.

We were given the choice of a table in the dining room or one on the back patio area.

It was such a lovely day that we decided dining al fresco would be nice.

The Missus really enjoyed the Gruet Brut and also the Gruet Chardonnay with dinner. Gruet is a winery based in New Mexico. We'd end up getting a bottle for the Missus from one of the shops in Taos the next day.

As to what we ordered; well, we wanted to try New Mexican Chile sauces again; so we went with the Pork Tamale Plate "Christmas style" ($24), that is with both green and red sauce. And I noticed "El Pastor" (Al Pastor) tacos ($20) as a special, which our Server also recommended.

This time around, the Tamale was much better than what we'd had at the Shed, good moist hints of hominy, though the pork was on the dry side and kind of bland. The red and green chile was much better as well.

The green chile had an acidic-pungent heat, not very strong. The red chile was smoky and had more heft and richness to it. The sofrito rice was bland and very mushy and the beans were on the harder side of the scale with regards to texture, also a bit on the blander side as well.

The "El" Pastor Tacos looked pretty good.

The pork was nicely charred. In terms of flavor; it had some sweetness and a bit of spice…..the nice crispy bits were pretty good. The tortillas were almost crisp and brittle without much flavor. The sofrito rice and beans I covered above.

This was an okay meal, much better than what we'd had earlier in Santa Fe. Service was wonderful and the Missus enjoyed the local wine.

Doc Martin's
125 Paseo Del Pueblo Norte
Taos, NM 87571

After dinner, we decided to take another walk around Taos. We really loved the vibe of this town.

Road Trip – Railyard Artisan Market (Santa Fe) and El Santuario de Chimayo (Chimayo)

March 24, 2024 mmm-yoso Breakfast/Brunch, Festivals & Events, New Mexico, Road Trip, Santa Fe/Taos, New Mexico, Travel

**** Not much food in this one; but if you're interested in one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the United States, read on.

On our last morning in Santa Fe, we woke and partook of the breakfast in the hotel's restaurant. I really enjoyed the red sauce, smoky, slightly spicy, that smothered my eggs.

We then checked out and since this was a Sunday made one stop on the way out of Santa Fe. We had always wanted to check out the Railyard Artisan Market, so we headed on over to the artsy Railyard District.

The crafts portion of the market is contained in a large hangar like building. Santa Fe has a reputation as an artistic haven. We got a taste of it while walking along Canyon Road on our way to dinner at Geronimo.

The artisans were very welcoming and seemed to really enjoy chatting and talking about their products.

We ended up making a few purchases and had a fun time.

We'll be sure to return when we're back in Santa Fe.

Railyard Artisan Market
1607 Paseo De Peralta
Santa Fe, NM 87501
Sunday 10am – 3pm

Our next destination was Taos. But there was one stop I wanted to make on the way. There are two basic routes to Taos, the shorter "Low Road" or the scenic "High Road". On the way to Taos we decided on the taking the High Road for one simple reason. I wanted to visit El Santuario de Chimayo. Now, I don't know of many folks who have heard of Santuario de Chimayo, which is kind of strange since it is considered one of the largest pilgrimage sites in the United States. Each year, on Good Friday, up to 300,000 Pilgrims make their way to the church. Where it is said that the "Holy Dirt" of the church can perform miracles.

It is said that this area has been sacred ground since the times of the Pueblo Indians in the 12th Century. After the Spanish gained control of the area; there was an influx of Spanish and Mexican settlers in the Potrero area. According to one of the stories, in 1810, a member of the Penitentes, Don Bernardo Abeyta, saw a light emanating from a hillside. Upon finding the source of the light he began digging with his bare hands and found a crucifix, which was dubbed the crucifix of Our Lord of Esquipulas. According to the legend, the cross was moved to Santa Cruz, but the icon would then disappear, then reappear where it was unearthed. After the third instance of this happening, the cross was left at the site and a church was built there. It is said that the earth from that original pit performs miracles.

In fact, one of the rooms of the chapels is filled with crutches, canes, braces with photos and letters testifying to the miracles.

One of the other rooms contains the pit with the miracle producing soil. It was Sunday and quite busy, so I decided to not take any photos inside the chapels out of respect for those visiting.

But for us, one of the most fascinating things we saw was this……

Our Lady of Lavang? This was something new to me. I had never heard of this. I quickly sent texts to some of my "FOYs"; which led me to this – site. Apparently, when those of Catholic faith were prosecuted and outlawed in Vietnam, some escaped and sought refuge in the forests around Lavang. Whereupon, on one night, the vision of Mary came upon them. Whoa, like you can't make this stuff up!

It's quite a story. The woman who cuts my hair these days is Vietnamese-Catholic and I mentioned this to her, she went ahead and told me the story. When I told her about visiting El Santuario de Chimayo, I was told that it is an "important place" that she has visited several times!

It was an interesting bit of history that I never knew about.

Look, for a good part of my childhood I was raised in what I consider a "cult". It is neither here nor there, but I find belief, faith, and how it drives history fascinating. And coming from Hawai'i I think here's something innate that has us respect different beliefs and cultures.

Our last stop was this shop.

Where we picked up some beans and ground chili that I use to "liven up" dishes.

Taipei – Chia Te and the Taipei 101 Food Court

March 22, 2024 mmm-yoso Chinese BBQ, Chinese Restaurants, Desserts, Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel

So, now that we were back in Taipei, it as time to resume our hunt for Pineapple Cake for my MIL. We had a specific target on our schedule; but first….well, the Missus needed Her tea and I wanted a cup of coffee. Que in Wilbeck, a shop right around the block from where we were staying.

A decent Americano for $50NT – $1.25/US and the Missus got some tea as well.

Interesting place…..

And then we were off…..we had started collecting Pineapple Cake in Taichung at Dawncake and a couple of other places in the city, then at another place in Chiayi. But the one place the Missus was looking forward to getting pineapple cake from was this one.

Google best Pineapple Cake in Taiwan and Chia Te will just about always be on the list. Established in 1975, Chia Te has won best Pineapple Cake at the first Taipei Pineapple Cake Festival in 2006 and from what I gathered four more times after that. Add to things that Chia Te has only one shop, located in Taipei (though I understand you can order delivery and get boxes at the airport), you can understand this:

Yes, a line of course. We had arrived at around 815, Chia Te opens at 830, but the line already stretched all the way down the block and around the corner. Unlike typical lines in Taiwan; this one didn't move quickly. It took us nearly two hours to get into the shop.

They kept posting signs listing items they were out of.

The actual shop is tiny, we got our act together and ended up getting all of this.

I will say, that I really enjoyed this. I wish I got more than one small box.

You can get Chia Te in the states; but it is $$$. Though I'm not sure I'll want to stand in that line again when we return to Taipei.

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Chia Te Bakery
No. 88, Section 5, Nanjing E Rd.
Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan

By the time we finished it was time for lunch. Being on this side of the city, Taipei 101 was a 30 minute walk away. I thought it would be fun to check to grab lunch at the food court there. Yes, I said food court. I know most folks would head to Din Tai Fung here, but we'd already been to the original location of DTF in Xinyi and as tempting as that was; I'd read about a Chinese BBQ Hawker with a Michelin Star having an stand in the food court. So, we headed to the basement of Taipei 101.

It was just past 11am when we arrived, so the place wasn't overly busy, though that changed quickly. And we quickly found the shop I was looking for.

And the Missus ordered some Roast Duck and Char Siu.

We saw this stand.

And we'd been wanting to try an oyster omelet, so we walked over and ordered that; along with another item….

We had no problem finding a table. We were lucky because in what seemed like a few minutes later, the place was packed.

First up; the Oyster Omelet and of course a pork chop.

We enjoyed the oyster omelet, even the sweet-sourish gooey sauce which added a nice acidity. The eggs were nicely tender, the small oysters meaty-briney; there were some nice greens mixed in. Overall, really savory and good.

And of course, the pork chop.

Nicely pounded, salty-peppery-porky; some mild garlic tones, mild crispness. Yes, I know, "I didn't meet a pork chop I hated in Taiwan".

On that note; the duck and char siu were diappointing.

The duck was dry, lacking in fattiness, the skin hard, not crisp, without enough five-spice flavor. That pork was tough as leather the edges strangely bitter, and also lacking in flavor.

Well, you can't win 'em all. Though about that Michelin Star thing……

No.45 City Hall Rd.
Xinyi District, Taipei City 110, Taiwan

All was not lost though as we saw this on our way out.

And yes, more pineapple cake to carry back with us.

I'm sure we'll be back to the area. We need to check out the observatory at Taipei 101.

From Taipei 101, it was a 30 minute metro ride back to the hotel.

We had time to rest and relax. And wonder….we had reservations at a Michelin starred restaurant for dinner. How would that fare?

Taipei – Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice

March 21, 2024 mmm-yoso Taipei, Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel

After returning to Taipei from the Taroko Gorge we relaxed a bit at our hotel. The location of Sky 19 Hotel might seem a bit odd, occupying only the 19th floor of an large business building, but the location, right out the exit from Taipei Main Station was great. All the stores and shops in the area didn't hurt things either. Of course the subject of dinner came up. The Missus was wanting to get Lu Rou Fan, a classic braised pork on rice dish. I had a couple of places on my "list" and one of them had come up in the Missus's discussions with various drivers; Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice. The shop was located about 2 kilometers from our accommodations and after having my TR Pork Chop Bento on the train back from the Taroko Gorge, I thought a nice walk might help me burn off the pork.

We arrived at the busy corner where Jin Feng stood in about 25 minutes or so.

Good thing the Missus reads Chinese and speaks Mandarin as there are two queues; one for takeout orders and one for dining in.

Like just about everywhere in Taipei, the lines move quickly. There's no dallying, we got a table, which could be easily divided by plexiglass for single diners in less than ten minutes.

The menu has quite a bit of choices.

But we were after one thing; the Lu Rou Fan, braised pork on rice.

My goodness, where have you been all my life. The rice was cooked nicely and fragrant; that sauce was rich, porky-soy sauce deliciousness. A nice collection of tender meaty pieces, along with rich, fattier pieces that basically melted in your mouth. And for a medium bowl at $40 NT; that's about a buck-twenty-five…. you get the picture, right?

We also got the pork belly; which came out looking dark and somewhat foreboding.

This was quite silkenly tender; surprisingly so. It wasn't overly salty, with hints of anise, and a touch of sweetness.

And of course, after punishing our arteries; we needed some veggies. We had enjoyed all variations of Bamboo Shoots during our time in Taiwan and this version was no different.

Crunchy and earthy with a touch of sweetness, the preserved vegetable added a bit of oomph to things.

The Ong Choi was also crisp and fresh.

A touch of soy and garlic, to bring out the chlorophyllic – nutty notes.

This was a nice, comforting meal, and if I recall, came out to around $4.50/US! No wonder we've been grumbling about the prices here in the US recently. In some places five bucks would get you little more than a cup of coffee here!

Jin Feng Braised Pork Rice (金峰魯肉飯)
No. 10, Section 1, Roosevelt Rd.
Zhongzheng District, Taipei City, Taiwan

After dinner we took a different way back to the hotel, exploring the area a bit more.

We had started to learn some interesting things to note about everyday life here. You'd hear some music, it was always the same song emanating from a truck. Well, this was the signal to folks that trash pick-up was occurring. We'd see folks rushing to the curb to deliver their trash for pick-up.

Further up the street we walked past the Judicial Building.

Where this little "soldier" was hard at work doing drills led by his Mom….who seemed to be filming from her phone. Perhaps for Taiwan's version of Tik Tok?

There was a kind of lively, yet orderly sense to things here.

And of course, every time the Missus saw a line She needed to investigate.

We were really enjoying our time in Taipei!

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Thanks for stopping by!

Where on the road were we?

March 13, 2024 mmm-yoso Los Angeles County, Road Trip, Travel, yoso-silly

Well, in case you didn't notice; things were a bit quiet here over the last couple of days. Cathy has been super busy and as for us; well, we had us a little road trip. Where you might inquire? I'm glad you asked.

We started fairly locally and did almost a repeat staycation from last month.

And enjoyed another meal at what is now a favorite of the Missus.

We enjoy the vibe here…..

Our next stop was for dinner at a new Chinese restaurant that I understand spent 3 million dollars on renovations before recently opening.

Well, to say the decor was impressive is an understatement.

Our next stop was a city in Northern LA County. A charming and friendly city, with a lovely "main street".

The Missus wanted to go hiking in the area to see if the poppies were in bloom. Which was just starting up, so we didn't see much.

Regardless, we really enjoyed the nice 5 1/2 mile hike, which was quite easy. It was so peaceful, we just loved the sounds of the birds chirping and singing…..

The city itself is famous for Aerospace development.

And there's some pretty over-the-top street art as well.

We had two dinners in town.

Perhaps a bit more "fried centric" than we are for these days. But I got to get my fried cheese curd fix in.

Along with some nice brews.

On the return trip we had lunch at an old favorite, which really delivered.

And then dinner at an Omakase only place we'd been wanting to try for a while.

We just returned and am getting things in order.

Thanks for dropping by and my apologies while I try to climb back to reality!

Road Trip – The Winsor Trail and Dinner at The Shed (Santa Fe, NM)

March 10, 2024 mmm-yoso Mexican Restaurants, New Mexico, Road Trip, Santa Fe/Taos, New Mexico, Travel

On our one full day in Santa Fe, the Missus wanted to get some hiking in. So we got up early and had breakfast provided by our accommodation, the Inn of the Governors at the attached restaurant El Charro. As before, the breakfast was decent, unlike before the staff was very friendly and accommodating.

And just like we'd done on that previous visit we headed off to do some hiking. This time we did the Winsor Trail to Jawbone Trail which was about 15 minutes out of Santa Fe.

Not much elevation, but we had to watch for all the mountain bikers who were hauling down the trail on the way back.

Though we caught up with most of them because it seems the river crossings had been washed out, so you had to be a bit creative when crossing the river.

After our hike we headed back to the hotel and relaxed. Our breakfast held us up until dinner. Knowing this would be the case, I had made early reservations. Like dinner the night before our destination was just a short walk away. We headed out a few minutes early so we could wander and window shop along the way.

It's fun to wander about and check out the little shops.

I really wanted to try New Mexican cuisine and had been lobbying the Missus to finally have some. You see, the Missus is not the biggest fan of Tex-Mex and good lord after having so many wonderful meals in Mexico it had become more difficult then ever to convince Her. What I did manage to communicate was that She should perhaps consider New Mexican cuisine to be "regional", where the current cuisine shows influences of the local product and those who lived here.

The Shed had been recommended to me by several people, a couple of which had either lived or have relatives who live in Santa Fe. It had been described as "classic", "quintessential", an "institution" and other adjectives to me. I was told that "yes tourists go here….but so do we when we visit relatives." The place has even garnered a James Beard Foundation Award as "an American Classic of timeless appeal" in 2003. The Shed opened in 1953 and has been going strong ever since.

We arrived right at the opening time at 5pm, there was already a line outside. Luckily we had reservations as the restaurant filled up quickly. We were seated in the patio area.

Where we heard the line that became the "shot across the bow" for our meal. A gentleman, American mind you, looked up from the menu and asked the super patient Server, "ummmm, what's an enchilada?" Whoa….. I really felt for the Servers here, each one seemed to patient, even though the placed was totally packed! Our Server was amazing!

The Missus wanted some Guacamole and Chips to start.

The guacamole was fine, we prefer our guacamole a bit more coarse, with more heat, and this really in need of salt and more lime. It was almost like this was made in a food processor.

The chips were warm, with a perfect thickness, and crisp.

When the Missus saw Pozole on the menu She had to try it. I was a bit hesitant, because, well, I make pozole from scratch (yes, I know I need to get that post done).

My goodness, this was terrible. The hominy was obviously canned, over cooked and mushy. The menu said that lean pork was used; no kidding! The broth had no taste…..I don't use pig head for my version but do use pig feet…this had no flavor. To us it was pozole in name only.

The Missus got the Tamale appetizer smothered in cheese and green chile.

The Missus didn't care much for this either; saying that the sauce was very bland and the tamale lacked a good corn flavor.

I got the Enchilada Plate, which came with a side of "Pozole", the hominy was again mushy and bland, and beans, which had a decent texture, but lacked flavor as well.

I got this "Christmas style", that is with both red and green chile. The corn tortillas were quite good, nice flavor, the green sauce did seem a bit bland, the red had a mild smokiness and I enjoyed it more. Both sauces weren't spicy at all.

Service was wonderful, but this was not a great introduction to New Mexican cuisine for us. In spite of all the recommendations, based on the location, perhaps this is mainly a tourist restaurant that makes "food not to offend"?

The Shed Restaurant
113 1/2 E Palace Ave.
Santa Fe, NM 87501

Oh well, you can't win 'em all!

We took our usual stroll after dinner. We really enjoy wandering around Santa Fe.

This is a statue of Pedro de Peralta who is credited with formally establishing Santa Fe.

Check out this cool swing.

There's so much public art to see.

We always enjoy Santa Fe!

Thanks for stopping by!

Road Trip – Sazon (Santa Fe, NM)

March 7, 2024 mmm-yoso Fine Dining, Latin American Cuisine, Memorable Meals, Mexican Restaurants, New Mexico, Road Trip, Santa Fe/Taos, New Mexico, Travel

One of the main reasons we headed back to Santa Fe for another road trip was to dine at Sazon. We had really wanted to have dinner at Sazon during our last stay (Sept 2022), but the Chef, Fernando Olea who hails from CDMX had recently won the James Beard Award for Best Chef Southwest and reservations were impossible to come by. So, instead we ended having a nice meal at Geronimo. This time, I managed to get reservations for an early dinner. The restaurant located in one of those classic Santa Fe Adobes one block from our hotel.

The place was already buzzing when we were seated. The dining area is divided in different rooms, each adorned with colorful artwork.

The service was professional, but warm and not stuffy. There is a tasting menu available during two specific seatings, but we just wanted to try items we saw on the regular menu.

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The Missus started with some Champagne, I was looking forward to our upcoming (at that time) trip to Tequila in the upcoming month and had a Tres Generaciones Anejo. We were also provided with a Mole sampler, some of which was too sweet for the Missus, so we were glad to have just gone with ordering off the menu. You'll also soon see why…..

As things started with the Tuetano – Bone Marrow. You know how much I like bone marrow, right?

The salsa rojo on the bone marrow had a nice kick and really blended well with the buttery richness of the marrow. It went so well with the maizey tortillas. This was a nice start.

Next up; the Higado de Ganzo – Foie Gras with a raspberry-coconut sauce on crostini.

The sweetness of the sauces and the resiny flavor of the pine nuts overwhelmed the small slices of foie gras in this dish. It was just a bit too much stuff, which made it a "foie faux" to us.

Next up were these.

The Xochimilco – Huitlacoche, with queso fresco was so delici-yoso.

Oh my, the earthy-mushroomy-sweet huitlacoche paired so well with the slightly milky queso fresco, which added a melty-buttery texture. The corn tortillas added heft and the salsa a bit of heat, with a mild sweetness.

We also enjoyed the Oaxaquenos – Chapulines, which was served over mashed avocado.

Just by themselves, the light and crunchy grasshoppers had a really nice savory-grassy-mild spice that was so nice. Our Server told us that it had been infused with garlic and olive oil and chili de arbol. The corn tortilla was a perfect match as was the avocado.

There was one last dish I really wanted to try; the Cholula, which is the Chef's take on the Chile en Nogada. this was served in a tower format, rather than the usual stuffed chile poblano.

Well, this had a lot going on; the meat here was a combination of ground lamb, pork, and beef; which was seriously overshadowed by a very tasty, not overly sweet and creamy-rich walnut sauce. The balsamic vinegar sauce added another level of sweet-acidity, with a touch of heat from jalapenos. We'd have enjoyed more of the bitter-sweetness provided by the pomegranate seeds. The poblanos added a nice mild green bell pepper flavor to things. That walnut sauce is what made the dish in our opinion.

Overall, this was a memorable meal, the service was excellent, the dishes interesting with such a range of flavors! I'm glad we were able to finally have dinner here!

Sazón
221 Shelby St.
Santa Fe, NM 87501

After dinner, we took a nice stroll. This is the Bell Tower Bar, where we had drinks earlier in the day.

We passed those places we visited on our last trip here.

The Loretto Chapel.

The San Miguel Chapel.

Santa Fe Plaza.

And all the enjoyable public art.

It made for a very relaxing time!

Thanks for stopping by!

Taiwan – Taroko Gorge Part 2, Buluowan Suspension Bridge, Swallow Grotto, Eternal Spring Shrine, and the TR Bento

March 3, 2024 mmm-yoso Airport/Airline/Cruise/Rail Food, Buffets, Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel

After our lunch and briefly walking along the Buluowan Upper Terrace we were guided to the Liwu River. There stood a impressive suspension bridge crossing over the gorge.

This is the Buluowan Suspension Bridge. A suspension bridge was first built on this site in 1914 during the Truku War. This is the fourth iteration of the bridge which was originally named the Shanyue Suspension Bridge and was opened to the public in August of 2020. It had a stunning view of the gorge and river below.

At the end of the bridge is a short trail to a wonderful viewing spot named Brawan Lookout. You really get a wonderful perspective of the bridge from here.

From here we headed back to the Upper Terrace and the car, taking time to stop at the Visitors Center and check out the Atayal Cultural Center displays.

And then we hit the road again, making a couple of stops along the way.

Until we came to a toll booth. Our driver pulled to the side and instructed the Missus to walk the trail overlooking the gorge and he would meet us at the end. This was the Yanzikou Trail overlooking the Swallow Grotto.

We ambled along thru tunnels cut out of rock with a view of the gorge and river below from ledges. We read that this was how the road used to be like for the entire gorge!

There were many places where you could look out over the river and marvel at the geological beauty.

The formations, river, and plant life made for an interesting walk.

And there was indeed some entertaining formations along the way. Can you make this one out?

While actually named the "Elder Stone" (太魯閣族長老石- 長老側臉) – this is what the sign said:

Our driver met us at the end of the short half kilometer trail and then we headed on back. There was one more stop on the way and it might be the most picturesque of them all. Stopping in the parking lot and walking to the lookout point, your eyes are immediately drawn to this.

This is Eternal Spring Shrine (Changchun Shrine).

The shrine was built in 1958 to commemorate those who died during the construction of the Central Cross-Island Highway. The shrine is built above a spring which empties into the Liwu River below.

There's a short trail to the temple which we decided to take.

As you make your way up the stairs you'll encounter a cave with statues of Guanyin, the Goddess of Compassion, Mercy, and Kindness.

It was great to stop here, because boy do we need more compassion, mercy, and kindness these days!

I think the water rushing out from under the shrine really adds photogenic drama to things.

We were then driven back to our hotel. Our driver was outstanding and so very pleasant, something we'd find is the norm in Taiwan.

The Missus made sure to hit up the hotels afternoon snack buffet.

We then took a short nap, before heading downstairs for a nice evening walk.

And then, yep the evening "snack" (aka dinner at the huge buffet).

Before hitting the hay…..

The next morning, our train back to Taipei was scheduled for 1253 and was right on time. We'd had a great time visiting the Taroko Gorge and highly recommend it.

We were taking the TR Taroko Express back to Taipei. We had stored our bags at the Sky 19 Hotel in Taipei so didn't have much to lug around.

I had noticed that on some routes/times folks are able to order a Train Bento for on board consumption. And on this route it was available. So, like the Missus said, on this trip ""you didn't meet a pork chop you didn't like." Well, guess what?

Of course I ordered some! And the prices were the same as if I'd bought them at a cart at the station; just about $2.50. Delivered to our seats.

The pork chop had hints of five spice, soy, garlic, ginger…..and was surprisingly, decently tenderized. I'm convinced that most pork outside the US tastes better! There's pickled veggies, and nicely flavored soy sauce eggs, great five spice tones, with a hint of sweetness….a Spam like mystery meat that increased my sodium level ten fold….this was just a fun meal.

Was it haute cuisine? For $2.50???? C'mon, this is food for every man/woman…..pork chop lover. For some history, here's a great post.

I love Taiwan!

Thanks for stopping by!

Taiwan – Taroko Gorge Part 1, Qingshui Cliff, Shakadang Trail, and Lunch at Taroko Village Hotel

March 2, 2024 mmm-yoso Buffets, Taiwan, Taiwanese Food and Restaurants, Travel

We had a nice night of sleep after settling in at the Kindness Hotel. I had gone ahead and hired a driver to take us to and around Taroko National Park. But first came breakfast. And as I mentioned in my previous post on Hualien our hotel provided a breakfast buffet, which was quite varied and good.

Our driver arrived right on time. Though he didn't speak any English, the Missus enjoyed conversing with him in Mandarin. He was very friendly and, as we'd find out later quite thoughtful. The Taroko Gorge area is vast and we were only doing a day trip, just seeing the main sights and taking a couple of walks, so being English speaking wasn't necessary.

Hualien seemed quite spread out; based on where we were staying, which was in the area close to Hualien Station. The city is close to the ocean and we stopped for some photos (our driver really liked taking photos of us!) at Qixingtan Beach which was right past the airport.

There was no one in sight, so perhaps that's why the beach seemed vast and expansive?

I'm thinking that this was a Friday right after a major holiday week Qingming Jie (清明节 – "Tomb Sweeping Day"), so maybe that's why the place was deserted?

From here it was back onto the highway and eventually the the terrain changed dramatically. Rising up the side of mountains, it reminded me of the portion Kalanianaʻole Highway near Makapu'u back home. We made a first stop at a lookout. Man, was the view quite dramatic. This is the Qingshui Cliff area.

Beautiful rugged coast views on one side; imposing mountainside on the other.

From here we drove further up the coastline, the passing thru a tunnel, before parking at the Huide Rest Stop. From here, there an easy walk to the lookout. I actually saw the train tunnels below us as well took our walk.

We then headed off and into Taroko National Park proper. After driving thru a tunnel we arrived at a parking lot and a bridge. After a short conversation with our driver, the Missus told me this is the Shakadang Bridge and we headed down some stairs to the Shakadang Trail (also known as the Mysterious Valley Trail). It's more of a nice nature walk.

Once on the trail you get a nice view of the bridge.

The trail was nicely maintained and not very crowded when we visited. The Shakadang River is known for the crystal clear, emerald water that flows thru it.

I loved the jewel like marble boulders strewn along the riverside. The Missus took Her shoes off, sat, and soaked Her feet in the cool comforting water in front of this striking boulder.

About 1.5 kilometers down the trail there an actual snack shack-coffee stand! Yes indeed, this is Taiwan. It was interesting to see actual motorbikes and other vehicles using the trail!

After the snack stand we decided to head on back. When we got back to the car, we noticed our driver busy on his cell phone. We thought it was some kind of personal call, but would find out shortly what it was about. Our driver chatted with the Missus as we weaved our way to a large flat area with buildings and a hotel. This was Buluowan, the former sight of a village of the Truku people, the Indigenous inhabitants of the area. We found out that the reason our driver was on the phone was that in chatting with the Missus, he discovered we enjoyed food. So, he called the restaurant in the Taroko Village Hotel to make sure and reserve two of the lunches which featured a couple of traditional Truku dishes for us! Did I mention how much we loved Taiwan.

We led us to a table in the restaurant, so I did get many photos, but this is what lunch looked like.

Of course we loved the tender, grassy-mild sweetness of the fern shoot.

The cuts of boar and boar sausage provided interesting contrasts in flavors; porky-mild sweetness, familiar flavors.

But, I really enjoyed the sticky rice cooked in bamboo. The rice attained an almost creamy texture, the slightly floral flavor heightened with a pleasant mild sweetness!