08.12.09 Taroko Day 2

There was a 6.2 earthquake at about 2 a.m. Jenn pretty much slept through it (and the aftershock), as she does with all earthquakes.

We went back to Taroko today because it was so beautiful, and we had more to see and do. We had grand aspirations to climb the Da Li Da Tong trail, whic h required the application of a permit at the police station. The park police and the park information desk people told us the trail was rough because of the Typhoon, but we paid no heed.

The trail was insane. It was extremely steep, and there were spiders/webs everywhere. We saw a spider the size of Jenn's hand (including the legs) just hanging about, right next to the trail. There were signs warning of "venomous snakes and wasps." Jenn screamed everytime she ran into a spider web or saw a large bug (frequently). Taiwan is basically a tropical jungle. The trail was full of weird and large bugs and loud bug sounds.

About 30 minutes in, we both had sweat so much it looked like we had just gotten out of a pool. It was sweltering, and the end could not be fathomed. This would have been a doable hike in the winter, but it was rather unpleasant in 95 degree 90 percent humidity. We turned around after we had finished half the trail and opted for a trail that had a water source at the end.

The Sha Ka Dang trail wasn't much of a workout, but the view was gorgeous every step of the way. The river water was aquamarine and we took a dip at the end of the trail. We left Taroko gorge after we finished the trail and went back to Hua Lien. We checked out of our hostel, ate some more street food for lunch, returned our scooter and got back on a train to Taipei.

The death toll of Marakot in Taiwan is now at about 113. We don't really see the worst of it in the north, but many people's houses have been washed away. Sad.