Thursday

Marble looked so beautiful up close. Today, we ventured out from the cabin area of the National Park and admired the scenery and beauty of the Taroko Gorge that held marble, rocks, and water. Apparently, the water level of the river lowered and eroded many layers of rock. This process helped create this wonder of rock. It is hard to explain how spectacular a scene like that is, until you can see it for yourself. We hiked several trails, took many pictures, braced ourselves with helmet protection, and walked around in the cool, flowing river water. I was speechless when I saw it, and to this second, these are the only comments I can use to try and describe it.

We left the park, and went to a couple places to eat. Today, I ate many things ranging from Golden-sun fish to Cow stomachs. Disgusting as it sounds, it held a sense of content in my stomach as I was being filled up.

At the end of the day, we arrived to the Hotel in Hualian City where we would be staying for the night before we return to Taipei. The days of Hualian City were closing, and we had to say good bye to our tour guide, and dear close friend, Donna. She always would have a special place in our hearts and minds, for her nice words and exhilarating phone ring tone that has become our favorite sing-a-long. We took pictures, gave hugs, and said good bye. She left, but before she vanished, we made sure we told her to stay in touch by creating a facebook. We will not see her tomorrow, but I am sure we will hear from her again.

-Wale Desalu