Hualien City; to the west (left) are the foothills to the coastal mountains, and to the east (yup, the right) you can see the Pacific Ocean. Ocean to mountains, 20 minutes by bike.Christmas eve we took ourselves to a Japanese bbq for dinner, grabbed some street roasted chestnuts and lounged on the couch watching The Polar Express. A frigid night in Taiwan, giving that seasonal touch to the evening.
Christmas morning in our bathroom tiled kitchen and Japanese styled living room.
The protector of the presents - Raffy.
Liyu Lake (Carp Lake) as the sun sets on December 25th. We went for a christmas hike around the trails in this park and were lucky to end the hike at the same time the sun had just dipped behind the mountains, giving us a perfect (almost) setting for a picture.
Japanese bbq on the left, waiting for our chestnuts on the right.
So Friday night was a calm affair, at a familiar restaurant and a nice movie at home. Saturday, christmas day, we ventured to a local park that is about 20 minutes away by scooter. It is one of few lakes in Taiwan, and it has a neat network of trails around it that we had passed up for too many weekends. So, we decided that this was the time to explore. A chill in the air, overcast sky and a revved up scooter.....we took to the mountains, again. The trail took us to one point of note, a place where we could look down on the rift valley from west to east. So often we get to see the east to west panorama (from the highway, other trails, our old house, etc...) so it was a nice treat to see the valley from the other side. A totally different perspective of something so familiar!
Christmas eve on the streets of Hualien (left) and a tree awaiting morning on the right.
Putting Gavins train (he will be an artist, its obvious!) on the tree and Crystal showcasing the expensive gifts I got her. Yes, pickings are slim around these parts for gifts! They will make a wonderful soup and muffins sometime this week.
On the trail, looking down to Liyu Lake on the left, and looking eastward down the valley on the right.
Another cross-valley picture from the trail, the mountains in the distance are the coastal range, and we are standing on the first hummocky foothill of the central range. Just past the mountains in the distance is the Pacific Ocean. Click on the pic and look at the big building complex in the middle - that is DongHua University where Crystal now calls home!
Close up of DongHua U and the valley we have adopted for three years now.
Park entrance. With Style.
Overall a serene weekend, which was perfect for us. Happy Holidays, we are back at work as there is no vacation time here until February. But then....Borneo!
