Staying Afloat
Now that I am more or less settled, most of the past week was spent going on mini-adventures, the first of which was rafting. We headed out to the Yilan (I-lan) region by bus. After about an hour (much of which was spent in tunnels) we arrived in the city of Luodong and then took a private van out to the rafting area.
Luodong bus stop, Yilan
Before we knew it we were suiting up (webbed water boots, sunblock, life vests with a million straps, and foam helmets a la Dodgeball). Sadly I have no pictures of this- although it would just be embarrassing for everyone involved. What is more unfortunate is that I have no photos of…water! It’s for the best that I didn’t ruin my camera, I suppose. Instead I will have to do my best to paint an accurate picture…
We were divided into two rafts, with 2-3 guides accompanying each. Our preparation consisted of one of the guides explaining things in Mandarin & Taiwanese for about 5 minutes, and then getting the two sentence “translation” from a friend which basically consisted of, “if it starts too get choppy, stop paddling and duck.” While I was quite comforted for their evident concern for our safety, I couldn’t help but wonder what kind of dangers were in store.
Saying goodbye to some of our raft guides.
View of the countryside from rafting base camp.
As it turns out, the “guides” only guided when it was absolutely necessary, and the rest of the time they were goofing off. What a job it must be to come to work every day and harass unsuspecting tourists by splashing them, pouring water down their backs, and dumping them in the river! They were all very friendly and just wanted us to have a good time. They actually directed us to climb up an inclined plane of rushing water, then slide down it like a water slide. They also drug us by our life vests into a whirlpool at the foot of a short dam which kept us afloat and stationary, despite the all the water rushing past us. Numerous times they chose me as their first victim, literally pushing me into the water or throwing me up in the air.
They also arranged us on the rafts so that we would be able to safely cross a couple of 3-5 foot drops by boat. By the end our shoes were full of pebbles and all our digits pruney. As we got cleaned up and said goodbye to the guides the sun was already starting to disappear. (Even though the weather’s still like summer, sunset is at 6pm due to the proximity to the equator!)
The Luodong night market was delicious, to say the very least. There seemed to be a lot more appetizing options that in many a Taipei market (while fowl and pig innards and blood were still present, there was also a wide variety of fried pork, chicken, and veggies, along with the traditional night market fare).
unidentified animal innards
japanese style fried octopus balls with mayo and wasabi
a variety of things on sticks ready for grilling
oyster omelet with pineapple-watermelon juice
shaved ice with green beans, taro, and passion fruit
Not only was the food excellent, but prices for everything tended to be a bit lower than Taipei, and the streets were less crowded. Overall, the trip was a breath of fresh air- a good way to stay afloat and maintain one’s sanity when living amidst the hustle and bustle of Taipei.
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