Who would have thought that we would find ourselves in Taiwan 2 more times within 12 months of my first visit to the country? Without over-thinking each trip, we found ourselves drawn back to Taiwan repeatedly to discover new experiences and relive good ones from before.
Our second trip to Taiwan was a graduation gift to my youngest brother, Myron. The plans were put together within a week, reservations hastily made through Agoda, and plane tickets cheaply purchased care of Air Asia flying out of Clark, Pampanga.
It was an 8-day trip, and we wanted a good mix of city and provincial experiences.
Day 1, we arrived in Taipei at noon and went straight to Din Tai Fung after checking in for a late lunch. While we were eating (at 4 pm), we were graciously invited by Karen's aunt and uncle to join them for a special dinner (at 6 pm) of river fish with roe.
We were only a few hours old in Taiwan, and we were already stuffed. It was a fore-telling of our food experience for the next 7 days!
Early the next day, we took a train to Hualien, and a van ride to the Taroko National Park, to Silks Place, which was to be our home for the next 3 days.
Silks is a destination hotel, reputed to be the only 5-star institution within the Taroko Gorge. It has a roof-top pool deck with a breath-taking view, part of which was also available from our room's terrace. (Click and drag the embedded Photosynth for a 360 degrees experience)
Our first agenda was a trek to and through the Baiyang Trail. Originally built by a power company in 1984 with plans to develop Hydro power generators, it was left open to the public even after the power plant plans were cancelled. The trail features an easy walk through several tunnels and gravel paths, leading to these spectacular sights.
The 4 km trail ends with the cave of water curtains, only half accessible to trekkers today. Inside the cave, cold spring water pours from fissures on the cave roof, thus giving it its name.
Dinner on night 1 at Silks was at the Wellesley restaurant, serving steak and lamb chops for the evening. Appetizers, salads, and desserts were buffet-style, including the cute mango panacota with crushed Oreo topping in little pots.
Day 2 at the Taroko Gorge, we partook of the customary tour of the various tourist sights around the Gorge, including:
The Eternal Spring Shrine, which commemorates the 226 military veterans who died during the construction of the Central Cross-Island Highway (1956-1960).
The Swallow Grotto - a hole-pocked cliff face where Swallow birds nested above the swift Liwu River. (Click and drag the embedded Photosynth for a 360 degrees experience)
The Cimu Bridge with a rock formation that looks like a frog prince.
The Ching Shui Cliff which provides a spectacular view of where the cliffs meet the Ocean.
The Shakadang Trail, which meanders alongside a benign river where one can peacefully observe rock formations and the surrounding wildlife.
Lunch was at an inconspicuous local restaurant serving bamboo rice and other delicious local fare.
Dinner on day two was at the Mei Yuan (Plum Garden) at Silks, serving Assiette of Appetizers, Deep-fried Prawn, Braised Scallop, Soft Shell Crab, Spareribs in Orange Sauce, Steamed Fish, Stir Fried Vegetables, Soup, and Dessert.
Day 3 was an adventure outside of the typical agenda--a 3 hour road trip up Hehuan Mountain, with a peak of 3,416 meters above sea level. (Baguio is only 1,450 meters above sea level!!) Our guide told us the last time he went up the mountain was almost 6 months before.
We believed a trail sign we saw which said the level of a trek near the peak was "normal." And realized before long that "normal" is not quite as easy as we thought it would be. I was scared that strong winds would pull on our ponchos and tip us over; persistent drizzles and humidity made moss-covered rocks very slippery.
But we made it to the top, rejoiced over our victory for all of two minutes, before we started our difficult trek back down the other side. At some point, our guide Peter got seriously concerned for our safety, and kept on asking if we were able to continue our descent. He must have been relieved when we made it back down to our van safe, though soaked and exhausted.
We had late lunch on our way down from Hehuan at this charming place called Peach Honey. Famous for their coffee sweetened by honey made by bees from peach tree flower pollen.
We also took a quick stop to take pictures beside Taiwanese Cherry Blossoms at a school by the roadside.
Dinner on evening 3 was at the VIP lounge of Silks, where the chef served us a five-course dinner, which we suspected was a rehearsal for an expensive upcoming private event they would be hosting.
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Throughout our 3 nights at the Silks, we also developed a routine that might sound crazy. It was a therapy we picked up from Ace Water Spa, called the hot/cold immersion therapy. On the rooftop pool deck of the hotel, in very cold weather, we would spend 15 minutes in a hot tub (37-40 degrees Celsius), followed by a 10 second dip in ice-cold water--repeated 3 times per night. Advocates claim that the quick change in temperature shocked pores and blood vessels to quickly open and close, cleansing toxins and encouraging blood flow. True or not, it was fun and gave us good reason to make the most of the hotel's exceptional amenities.
On the fourth day (day 5 of the trip), we left Taroko and went back to Taipei. We spent what remained of the day to visit London Tea House in Takashimaya, and to walk around the Shilin Night Market.
Day 6, we spent visiting the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial (which was partly closed due to renovations), and to go around the HUGE National Palace Museum.
For dinner, Karen's cousins, Wang Li and Mei mei, took us to what has become our favorite Hot Pot restaurant. We don't even know the name, we just know how to get there, which food is good, and to always save room for eat-all-you-can Haagen Dazs ice cream.
We spent the next day to show Myron Lung Shan temple and Tamsui Old Street market and surrounding stores. One of the day's highlights was the discovery of a hidden Japanese restaurant along Old Street which served excellent Sashimi at very reasonable prices! We were served generous portions of Maguro, Shake, Taketori, and Hamachi, plus other fresh catch Sashimi at prices similar to plain Maguro or Shake Sashimi in Manila.
We capped the trip off on the last night with excellent dining at Howards Hotel, thanks to Da Ayi and Uncle Bill, with the most sumptuous Peking Duck I've ever had.
What an adventure-packed trip! And what food-packed tummies we took back to Manila, too!
Our second trip to Taiwan was a graduation gift to my youngest brother, Myron. The plans were put together within a week, reservations hastily made through Agoda, and plane tickets cheaply purchased care of Air Asia flying out of Clark, Pampanga.
 |
| Me, Karen, and Myron at the Cimu Bridge in the Taroko National Park |
It was an 8-day trip, and we wanted a good mix of city and provincial experiences.
Day 1, we arrived in Taipei at noon and went straight to Din Tai Fung after checking in for a late lunch. While we were eating (at 4 pm), we were graciously invited by Karen's aunt and uncle to join them for a special dinner (at 6 pm) of river fish with roe.
 |
| So much food! |
 |
| River fish bursting with roe |
Early the next day, we took a train to Hualien, and a van ride to the Taroko National Park, to Silks Place, which was to be our home for the next 3 days.
Silks is a destination hotel, reputed to be the only 5-star institution within the Taroko Gorge. It has a roof-top pool deck with a breath-taking view, part of which was also available from our room's terrace. (Click and drag the embedded Photosynth for a 360 degrees experience)
 |
| Photo borrowed from taroko.silksplace.com.tw |
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| View from our room |
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| Ever-reliable Gorilla Pod |
The 4 km trail ends with the cave of water curtains, only half accessible to trekkers today. Inside the cave, cold spring water pours from fissures on the cave roof, thus giving it its name.
Dinner on night 1 at Silks was at the Wellesley restaurant, serving steak and lamb chops for the evening. Appetizers, salads, and desserts were buffet-style, including the cute mango panacota with crushed Oreo topping in little pots.
Day 2 at the Taroko Gorge, we partook of the customary tour of the various tourist sights around the Gorge, including:
The Eternal Spring Shrine, which commemorates the 226 military veterans who died during the construction of the Central Cross-Island Highway (1956-1960).
The Swallow Grotto - a hole-pocked cliff face where Swallow birds nested above the swift Liwu River. (Click and drag the embedded Photosynth for a 360 degrees experience)
 |
| Can you see the frog prince with a crown? |
The Shakadang Trail, which meanders alongside a benign river where one can peacefully observe rock formations and the surrounding wildlife.
Lunch was at an inconspicuous local restaurant serving bamboo rice and other delicious local fare.
 |
| Karen holding bamboo rice |
Day 3 was an adventure outside of the typical agenda--a 3 hour road trip up Hehuan Mountain, with a peak of 3,416 meters above sea level. (Baguio is only 1,450 meters above sea level!!) Our guide told us the last time he went up the mountain was almost 6 months before.
 |
| The packaging of our snack got bloated with the high altitude |
We believed a trail sign we saw which said the level of a trek near the peak was "normal." And realized before long that "normal" is not quite as easy as we thought it would be. I was scared that strong winds would pull on our ponchos and tip us over; persistent drizzles and humidity made moss-covered rocks very slippery.
But we made it to the top, rejoiced over our victory for all of two minutes, before we started our difficult trek back down the other side. At some point, our guide Peter got seriously concerned for our safety, and kept on asking if we were able to continue our descent. He must have been relieved when we made it back down to our van safe, though soaked and exhausted.
We had late lunch on our way down from Hehuan at this charming place called Peach Honey. Famous for their coffee sweetened by honey made by bees from peach tree flower pollen.
 |
| White lichen on tree branches outside make it look like winter |
Dinner on evening 3 was at the VIP lounge of Silks, where the chef served us a five-course dinner, which we suspected was a rehearsal for an expensive upcoming private event they would be hosting.
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
Throughout our 3 nights at the Silks, we also developed a routine that might sound crazy. It was a therapy we picked up from Ace Water Spa, called the hot/cold immersion therapy. On the rooftop pool deck of the hotel, in very cold weather, we would spend 15 minutes in a hot tub (37-40 degrees Celsius), followed by a 10 second dip in ice-cold water--repeated 3 times per night. Advocates claim that the quick change in temperature shocked pores and blood vessels to quickly open and close, cleansing toxins and encouraging blood flow. True or not, it was fun and gave us good reason to make the most of the hotel's exceptional amenities.
 |
| 15 minutes in hot water |
 |
| followed by 10 seconds in ice-cold water |
Day 6, we spent visiting the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial (which was partly closed due to renovations), and to go around the HUGE National Palace Museum.
For dinner, Karen's cousins, Wang Li and Mei mei, took us to what has become our favorite Hot Pot restaurant. We don't even know the name, we just know how to get there, which food is good, and to always save room for eat-all-you-can Haagen Dazs ice cream.
We spent the next day to show Myron Lung Shan temple and Tamsui Old Street market and surrounding stores. One of the day's highlights was the discovery of a hidden Japanese restaurant along Old Street which served excellent Sashimi at very reasonable prices! We were served generous portions of Maguro, Shake, Taketori, and Hamachi, plus other fresh catch Sashimi at prices similar to plain Maguro or Shake Sashimi in Manila.
We capped the trip off on the last night with excellent dining at Howards Hotel, thanks to Da Ayi and Uncle Bill, with the most sumptuous Peking Duck I've ever had.
What an adventure-packed trip! And what food-packed tummies we took back to Manila, too!
 |
| View outside Myron's window on the way home |
Hi Sir, Can you share where to find your favorite Hotpot Restaurant? And the name and location of the Japanese Resto, too? I am planning to go to Taipei early next year and I would love to experience an excellent hotpot and also fresh sashimi =) Thank you in advance!
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