After eating breakfast and packing our bags, we had a free hour before the shuttle bus back to the station, so we took advantage of the free cycle rental available next to the hotel. Taiwan is very bike-friendly, with lots of long distance routes. The outlet had special bicycles for parents and small children, so Nick had Emily sitting on a saddle in front of his, and she had fixed handlebars and a footrest to steady herself. She absolutely loved it and was soon urging him to go faster as we pedalled along the track that runs behind the beach for a mile or so. It was quite windy so we got buffetted by spray-laden gusts, but it was such good fun. We came to a shoreside botanical park where we could continue to cycle through the trees and shrubs until we reached a look-out shelter.
We reluctantly returned to the hotel and found the minibus almost ready to leave. We were soon at Hualien station, which was a-buzz, it being a Saturday.
The two hour return journey back up the coast and then across through the mountains to the capital went quite quickly. Rain set in soon after our departure and that was a shame as it obscured the picturesque scenery somewhat. Emily fell asleep on me 20 minutes from Taipei. Somehow I managed to get her off the train still napping and we sat on the platform until she woke. Luckily several trains came through to claim her attention and stave off any tears; she would not walk for some time though, which made it harder to lug our baggage.
Nick dropped our larger bags then we spent ages braving hordes of people to find a reasonable toilet for Emily to use (the main station is rather run down in parts and the loos were positively third world so she refused to use them). Eventually we ended up in Mitsukoshi, which is a Japanese department store - we saw many familiar brands and shops as Taiwan was once colonised by its northern neighbour, and due to its proximity it is a favoured destination for Japanese tourists.
We found the MRT underground rail system very easy to use and rode a few stops to Longshan Temple (the name means Dragon Mountain). It was really busy, with most visitors carrying offerings of fresh fruit, which they washed outside before taking into the inner courtyard. This was wreathed in smoke and incense. There was background chanting and old people were sitting round the edge counting out strings of beads. Emily found the smoke overpowering and insisted on leaving, so she and I waited outside while Nick stayed to take in the atmosphere and record the scene for posterity. The sweeping eaves of the rooves were adorned with countless colourful stylised dragons, birds and figures.
The rain had become quite heavy as we left, so we dived back down into the subway and took the MRT back across town to the neighbourhood where we had dined with Gary and Cindy. We managed to track down the same dumpling restaurant, where we ate loads of tasty dishes. Emily was flagging, so we left before she kicked off. We were very fortunate to have got there early as by the time we left there were dozens of diners queuing up outside in the rain waiting for tables.
We went straight back to Mitsukoshi to collect wine and a few goodies for Christmas night. The Taiwanese don't seem to be big drinkers and the only wine we could find in the extensive food hall was on a speciality Chilean stall. Nick picked up our bags from the station then we took a taxi back to the hotel in the miserable weather with another driver who thought he was at Silverstone. On checking in we found that we had been allocated a fantastic suite. It had two bathrooms, a lounge and even a massive bunk bed for Emily, which she was overjoyed with. Thankfully she found the ladder a little difficult and agreed to sleep on the lower bed, to our relief.
At bedtime I lay with Emily until she dropped off, and what with the dark room, busy day and the big meal, I ended up falling asleep too. Next thing I knew Nick was prodding me awake and it was 10.30. We had intended to relax with wine and chocs in our lounge with its massive TV, but I felt totally groggy and we ended up having words and retiring to bed in near silence. Not a great way to end Christmas Day.
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