Lost In the Wild

5/13

Packing up and moving so often (every other day on average, I think), I lose a lot of stuff.  It's usually no big deal because it's an eyemask or a lipgloss or an umbrella or something else inconsequential or easily replaceable but today as I was packing up, I noticed that my camera case was empty and my camera was nowhere to be found.  I asked at the Visitor's Center nearby if anyone had turned one in, and they said no and checked with the police who also said no.  They wanted me to file a report but I told them I was sure I'd lost it, not had it stolen, so I just left my email and a description of the camera.  There was nothing left to do about it so I called my Mom on Skype and told her that I thought I may have subconsciously lost it on purpose, as it was old and pretty crappy and I really did need an excuse for a new one.  If it really is gone though, I'll have lost all my Tokyo and Taiwan pictures which would be a bit sad. 

I sat at the corner by the bus stop, not knowing when it was coming, but aware that there were five daily.  I walked over to the shops area and got a Taiwan sausage, which is basically a coarser pork bratwurst and ended up going back to get another, more because I was hungry and haven't eaten enough meat lately than because they were so fantastic.  While over there, one of the people I'd seen yesterday said 2 and held up two fingers.  Then the man making the sausage did the same.  I told them I only wanted one, though I'd had one before- two total.  The woman said "No.  Hualien?" which is the name of the city I had to catch the bus to before getting the train to Taipei.  I nodded and she told me the bus was coming at 2.  It was just before 12:30 so I was glad to have this information, but sad that I couldn't write the image of myself I'd conjured while waiting: The girl sits on the corner, waiting alone for a bus that may never come.  Oh wait, I did just write it, and no, it's not great, I just liked it- every once in a while I get a bit emo.  Deal.

Knowing I had all this time, I decided to walk up the mountain to the temple nearby.  Since I had no camera I couldn't take regular pictures, but I got a few with my phone, though of course, I don't have a cord so I can't download them anywhere.

I met a girl from Singapore, Julaina, who was there with her Mom and Grandmother.  Her English was perfect and she told me about studying in Toronto and her backpacking trips through Europe.  She also recommended couchsurfing and invited me to stay with her if I found myself back in Singapore.  I know the idea of couchsurfing with strangers seems extremely suspect but this site has been around for quite some time now and they verify identities and I've heard nothing but positive feedback from several solo travelers, including many females so I'm planning on trying it in the near future.

The temple was nothing amazing, though the setting really is spectacular.  The gorge is made of a river running through mountains that rise, often at a 90* angle, up to 3,000 feet.  It's not a chasm, so the river flow is level to the basic ground level and the road is just a few hundred feet above it so the mountains block large swatches of the clouded over sky and holds the mist inside its cleavage. 

The bus ride back down to Hualien showcases the gorge's dramatic scenery.  It's quite amazing, but given the amount of rain pouring down everywhere I go (including here, at the time of descent) and cloud cover, I'm disappointed in the tiny cracks of waterfalls that drip down.  One of the best sights is a temple built so that a waterfall rushes out beneath it, and this one, at least, has a decently strong stream.

Eventually the bus winds its way down to the flat area near the ocean, and on highways to the city where I catch the 4 p.m. train to Taipei with two minutes to spare.