Our second full day trip was a drive down the coast, taking in a number of sights spread over about 100km. We had not been able to get the same driver as the day before; the chap who turned up did not have as good a level of English as the first one and his vehicle was not of such good quality, but we had no choice so set off southwards as soon as possible after a very leisurely breakfast.
The driver first took us into Hualien so we could go to the bank. In order to rejoin the coastal highway we had to pass through the squalor of the night-market area on the edge of town, which was rather whiffy with the smell of rotting produce. It felt very third-world when we saw some vendors with their wares spread out on cloths in the gutter, and everywhere were stray dogs rooting about.
We had a brief stop to admire the views north from Hualien Visitor Centre. The grimy city was sufficiently hidden by a headland to allow us to appreciate the gorgeous shades of the ocean from turquoise through to deepest blue.
Half an hour brought us to the next pull-in on the well-beaten tourist trail, Fanshuliao. A deep and narrow chasm cut through the hills with a new road bridge and an old one next to it now for pedestrians only. The driver dropped us at one end and waited in the car park at the other. From the older span we could peer into the gorge below and also out at the inland hills.
We were reminded more than anywhere else of Malaysia, perhaps due to the near-tropical vegetation. On a slope nearby we saw a small Christian grave the size of a large kennel, with a cross on top. Indeed, I was struck generally by the number of churches and Christian graveyards we saw, due to the island's Portugese history I suppose.
Despite its rural location, in the car park I was delighted to find the most well-kept public toilet I have ever seen. Emily was pleased too as it even had a special low kids' loo shaped like a frog with a parents' toilet next to it.
Moving on, we passed through a section of the highway where one carriageway had collapsed into a steep valley after typhoon rains caused landslides. Indeed the same typhoon had caused the death of about 20 Chinese tourists, whose bus plunged into a ravine further north. The driver next paused at Baci viewpoint, where we could take in views down to Jiqi Beach.
It was so warm and sheltered here that a T-shirt was all that was required. Not bad for December.
The next place we stopped was Jiqi where we played a while on the beach. Nick was itching to swim but we settled for paddling. Besides, the sun was so strong that Nick and Emily were in danger of burning and had to use umbrellas as parasols since we had not come prepared with hats and suncream.
We pottered around watching the little sand crabs pop out of their burrows and scuttle away from Emily's approach, then dried off and got back into the car.
It was lunchtime so the driver suggested that we stop in Shihtiping (no jokes please!). There wasn't much of a town there but he went straight to a large restaurant right next to the harbour. Inside it was basic and huge; they must entertain coachloads of Chinese tourists regularly, judging by the many tables for eight, each with a large lazy susan at centre. Nick went to look at a large slab displaying the catch of the day, and chose a fish which was spirited away into the kitchen for preparation. While we waited for the main event, we were provided with two massive platters of tasty stirfried vegetables. Emily enjoyed spinning the lazy susan around and tucked into some rice.
After a time they brought out the large fish, which had been simmered in broth, and also a big bowl of soup with various parts of the fish floating in it. It was all extremely tasty and we were stuffed long before we had done half of it justice.
Emily had attracted plenty of attention (not surprising since we had hardly seen one westerner since we got to Taiwan) and one of the serving women who had a small boy came over and led her away to play outside, so that we could carry on eating in peace. Emily meekly followed her and let her put her in a swing in the small garden, with hardly a backward glance at us. Finally we called it a day and left the table.
Half a mile away was another good reason to get out of the car. Shihtiping is well known for its rocky promontory; there were several coachloads of tourists there crawling all over it. We joined the hordes of sightseers, and managed to find a quiet place on the rocks to enjoy the scene.
After a while it got quieter, and we spent a good half hour exploring the many rockpools isolated by the tide. Some of them were several feet deep, and we spotted many striped or coloured small fish in them, plus the odd crab.
A short way down the coast we came to another old bridge usurped by a modern road crossing, at Changhong. Again, the driver dropped us off so we could walk across. It was a very pretty spot, with bleached white rocks in the river below, and an odd little island called Xi Bulan sitting in the river mouth, which I later found out is a volcanic rock.
Only a few kilometres south we reached our turnaround point, the Tropic of Cancer landmark.
We had to share it with about a hundred other tourists and an aboriginal man in traditional dress (very Polynesian in style, with a grass skirt and a headdress) who was selling CDs of native music and blaring out his wares over loudspeaker. Inland were dozens of amazing sharp peaks and I wished we had been able to continue our journey south as I had originally planned (no hotel availability further down).
Within a minute of our return journey Emily was flat out, and I had an uncomfortable hour's drive back to Hualien with her in my arms. We had asked the driver to take us straight into the city and as we pulled up outside Starbucks I woke her. Thankfully she didn't make a fuss. We went inside and stayed in the coffee shop for an hour or more, watching the world go by from the upstairs lounge window. Emily danced to the piped Christmas jazz music in the near-empty cafe. Taiwan is proud of its tea and I don't think that coffee has caught on quite as well there as in Japan. While we were holed up there a short, sharp shower came through but it had stopped by the time we sallied forth in search of Country Mothers restaurant. We'd decided to eat there again as they had several good menu options and I wanted Emily to have some more raw veggies.
The eatery was much busier this time so we had to eat in the upstairs dining room. There was a family at the next table who gave their little boy some Christmas presents to open, and Emily was a bit confused why she had to wait until next day. On the way back to our taxi collection point we stopped in the pedestrianised area to watch a live band play versions of Christmas songs for a 'Santa Rocks' event. The taxi ride back to Bay View hotel was as eventful as ever because they got the same crazy driver to pick us up. Before bedtime, Emily put out her 'stocking' at the end of her bed.
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