Sunday, September 5, 2010

CHIAYI...AND SCOOTERS.

We arrived in Chiayi by means of train. Chiayi is south of Fengyuan. It took approximately 2 hours to get to our destination. As we exited the train, our feet led us yonder to the underpass, in which our adventure began.

Here we go...



Me and Laura on our newly rented scooters. After riding a scooter all day, it is imperative I get one for the remainder of my stay in Taiwan- it was sheer bliss. I can't even explain how joyous traveling by scooter was...it was just a pure delight.


Note to self: Must come here when feeling low. And then I think to myself, "only in Taiwan..."


Me, Erin, Meg and Kristi at the gas station in which we are attempting to pump our scooters with gas..only you'll notice that you can't see us pumping the gas...it's not actually in this picture...


Me and Laura in front of a gloriously spacious Temple. If you notice, we are indeed on scooters. As Laura is the more experienced scooter driver, I gave her full driving responsibilities.


As we drove through Chiayi, it was a long stretch of road with beautiful rice fields and so much green everywhere! I don't think I could explain just how pretty this drive was. The temperature was just right, and the clouds overhead were amazing. I have never seen such awesome cloud formations than in Taiwan.


So fluffy. So white. So magical.


Pit stop shots.


The clouds were rolling in...

This is self explanatory.

The classically high speed scooter. We are maxing out at 80 km!!! Nice.


Due to the downpour that suddenly fell upon us, we veered off and stopped at this local eatery. We know now that, despite it's location, this place is famous for it's chicken. We decided to indulge in such goodness. Here is our chicken.

Want some chicken foot? I had the honor of deskinning the chicken..
Chicken foot is a delicacy in Taiwan & it was common to find natives gnawing or chewing on a chicken foot as the texture and taste was found appealing.


Some people were born for outings such as this...pit stop chicken goodness.


Here is a self narrative. Me in action. One of my finest moments.


It is typhoon season...hence the fluorescent poncho and tears of sadness.


 Next stop: Natural hot springs, called Kings Garden Spa!!


Spa goodness. This was the hottest pool... the water here was natural hot springs, thus making it a milky gray color. It looked dirty, but it was so therapeutic.


Swim caps and milky spa water. This spa was SUPER enjoyable and relaxing. I didn't think about teaching ONCE while I was here.


Kristi and Devin in the astoundingly freezing water!! 15 degrees celsius...which translates to 60 degrees Farenheit. Youch. Oh, and P.S. Devin is amazing talented in water...he held his breath under water for 2 minutes and 38 seconds!! Superman.


Spa action pebble star feet.


Kings Garden Spa in Guanzhalin...isn't this heavenly?? 


After we left the relaxing spa, we headed by scooter further up into the mountain. This is me, in all my poncho, wet fashion with Chiayi city behind me. I love this picture.


We stopped by Kuan Tzu Ling.. way up in the depths of the mountains. It was a sight to behold. The mistiness of the clouds amongst the mountains, cascading down over the magnificent Temple.

Panoramic shot of Kuan Tzu Ling.


Fire & Water Cave
Fire and Water coexisting as one. This little scenic area is popular for the natural methane emitting into the air as it exits the cave, touching the water. Fire and water can coexist...amazing, eh?


The legend of Fire and Water.



Panoramic shot of the Tiger and Dragon at the Fire and Water scenic area.

And, last but not least, one picture of my feet delighting in colorful pebbles.


CHIAYI was such a delightful place. The scooters were amazing to drive around the country. The weather was superb (down pour and all), the spa in Guanzhaling was relaxing & the fire water cave simply defied science! 

3 comments:

  1. Libby--YOUR BEST ADVENTURE YET!!!!! Wish I could have been a pebble in your pocket and been there, too! Great shots and commentary, of course, as usual!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Libby, mazel tov and here's so much info re Bubbie and Zadie in Taiwan, google it, if you are not sure: "bubbieandzadiefiles"....BEFORE AND AFTER PHOTOS: The before photo from this website

    http://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/static.panoramio.com/photos/original/31373180.jpg

    shows the statue in 2010 with three broken points in her crown and a dirty, weatherbeaten exterior

    coat.



    THE NEW AFTER PHOTO by Irma Yu of the Liberty Times shows the Statue of Liberty after

    the local DPP office called the Lion's Club on behalf of one petitioning expat who spent 5 years

    trying to get the city to pay attention to the typhoon-struck and weatherbeaten "Freedom Godddess" first

    erected by the Chiayi City Lions Club in 1985 or so. Now in 2011, she is all cleaned with a new paint of white and a new crown. BRAVO and thank you DPP and Lions Club!



    EARLIER OLDER PHOTO

    http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/c1b32/



    Chiayi's Lady Liberty, strides high atop a traffic circle on the entrance into town from Highway 1. It is like a shining beacon for those who value freedom everywhere:... "Give me your tired, your poor, your hungry, your huddled masses ...." -- I am told that there is a replica somewhere in New York....

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