勇敢去飛 Dream Big Be Brave

Dec. 2014, we had a wonderful family trip to east coast with aunt's family who came back from LA.  With a fully arrangement by EZ travel, we ate well, stayed well, and enjoyed so much.

2014年底，因為長年旅居美國的阿姨一家回台看外婆，我們一家和阿姨一家終於有機會一起出去旅行。因為阿姨想去太魯閣，所以我們選擇了易遊網的環島之星花東三天二夜行。

8:13am, left from Taipei, heading to Taitung.  早上八點，從台北出發往台東去了！！

Color painted train.  Each car has different painting.  Insdie of the train, just like on a plane.  3 seats in a row, and able to turn the seats around to have face to face chatting.  Chairs are big and comfortable.  The top pillow even can be moved up and down for travelers to get a comfortable position.

彩繪車廂，每節車廂還有著自己的圖案。進到車廂又是一陣驚喜，因為它就像是飛機般的三人座；椅子大又舒適，也可以轉動，讓一起出遊的家人朋友們可以面對面的一路給它聊天下去。除此之外，椅背上的靠枕也可以隨每人的頭高低不同做調整，讓每個旅行者都可以有一個最舒服的火車行程。

Because this is a tourist train, so on the train, it covers breakfast, lunch, desert, tea time (if travel to west coast), dinner (at the day we came back) and all you can drink.  Not only that, it also has a KTV car for groups or individual to sing to kill time and have fun.

因為是觀光列車，不同於普通列車，車資即有包括了車上的飲食。從早餐、午餐、點心、下午茶（如果是坐到西部）、晚餐（從花蓮回來的時候），還有飲料無限暢飲。還有，為了避免長途車程太無聊，列車上還有一間KTV，讓想要一展歌喉殺時間的朋友們可以盡情使用。

 Breakfast (sandwitch with corn soup) 摩斯早餐

　Lunch (train lunch box) 鐵路便當午餐
 Desert (fresh & sweet fruits) 新鮮水果點心
 KTV car KTV歡聚唱

5 hours train, arrived at TaiTung around 1:35pm, and started our half day sightseeing.  TaiTung is not a crowd city like Taipei, in fact, not so many people on the most of streets.  There are 15 Native Taiwanese troops in Taiwan now, and TaiTung has most of them, around 7.  Besides that, TaiTung has most prisons in the whole Taiwan, a lot of politicans were residents in TaiTung prisons when KMT first ruled Taiwan around 30 years ago.  And as we know, Native Taiwanese have beautiful voices, TaiTung also has many famous singers who won Golden Singer Award through years.

五個小時的車程，下午1:35抵達我們這次行程的第一站，台東，開始了這天的半日遊。台東並不像台北那樣的擁擠，事實上很多路上都是無人，感覺很寧靜，很世外；而台東也是全台原住民居住最多族的一個縣市。除此之外，台東也是全台監獄數總冠軍，許多活躍在政壇上的政治人物，在30年前國民黨全面統治時期時，都曾是台東監獄的住戶。雖然如此，因為有著最多原住民族群的台東，也有著許多家喻戶曉的歌手，更多是拿到金曲獎的優質歌手。

 New Life Road 更生路: where the road used to for prisoners to go pass then go home when come out from the prison (囚犯離獄後，回家的路）

 Street at TaiTung, no car...台東街道

　TaiTung Forest Park: nice park with huge lake.  People can come here to rent a bike and excerise at park.  有可以租腳踏車的森林公園，很適合早晚運動

　Pee Pa Lake 琵琶湖
 Many ranches at TaiTung.  Able to taste fresh milk, yourt, milk pudding, and milk corn ice cream.  台東有著很多知名的牧場，對於喜愛喝鮮奶的朋友們，真是個好去處。有鮮奶、優格、鮮奶酪，也有濃濃奶香的雙淇淋可以吃喲！
 One corner at the ranch 牧場的一角落

 

Jinzun: Where Sun Sheds Its First Golden Beam

On the south side of Donghe Village is an island parallel to the seashore of Jinzun fish port. The unique landform leads to the formation of circling waves,which accumulated sand enough to connect the island with the seashore. The form is known as tombolo. The anchor-shape rocks there are marvelous. This is the only tombolo in Taiwan that continues to grow. The magnificent view of azure sky and white splashes at Jinzunlulian,in the day or at night,is well renowned.

 

金樽：天然陸連島發現衝浪新天堂

金樽遊憩區由小海灣、離岸礁、綿長沙灘和海岸崖壁等地景組成，因海灣形似酒杯，故名為「金樽」。金樽擁有綿延3公里柔細的海灘，因海岸地形及浪頭波力強，近年，成為臺灣國際衝浪公開賽場地，登上國際舞臺。

　　 

Lin Tian Shan Forestry Cultrual Park

LinTianShan Forestry Cultural Park is not the largest logging yard in eastern Taiwan but is definitely the best preserved. During Japanese occupation,68 km of railway, all the way up to 2,500 m. above sea level, was completed for its lumber transportation. The prosperity in the old days can still be spotted in the homes, shops, theaters and other traces left. After logging bans in natural forests in 1987, the forest has been gradually returning to its natural state.

林田山　在1960年代伐木的全盛時期，林田山一片人聲鼎沸景象，讓這裡有『小上海』之稱，但隨著政府禁伐林木的政策的實施，林田山的伐木工人漸漸散去，一併帶走原有的繁華，但林田山仍舊保留保存了最完整的伐木場景與意象，，原始山川景觀、豐富的自然生態、早期的檜木房舍和運載鐵道，處處可見前人留下的痕跡，也由於林田山風貌與九份相似，近年來許多人也會用『小九份』來稱呼它，讓這裡成為許多人懷舊的好地方。

  
Stay at PARKVIEW HOTEL HUALIEN 1 night

5 star hotel with buffet dinner and breakfast.  Too bad that we didn't bring our swimming suits, or this pool looked so comfortable.  There is also an indoor pool with spa, plus gym services.  Moringing walked around the backyard of the hotel with nice view and waterfall.  What a nice morning and stay.

花蓮美崙住一晚，吃到飽的晚餐和早餐。早餐後到飯後山走一圈，吸收芬多精，覺得好舒服。可惜的是，沒有帶泳衣，真是白浪費了這麼漂亮的泳池。

Qixingtan is the only county level scenic area in Hualien. It is a moon-star shape bay by the movement of Contiental foarm and Eurasia foarm.  Besides the crescent bay and clear blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, the beach is full of colorful agates that are easily found and appreciated. Qixingtan used to be a small fishing village.

七星潭

七星潭實際上是受大陸板塊與歐亞板塊造山運動擠壓形成的星月型海灣。從七星潭到奇萊鼻北側海岸，因地殼隆起形成海階地形，由於季風的影響，海岸受到海浪不斷的衝淘刷洗，侵蝕型的海岸一覽無遺。在奇萊鼻處的海岸線向海突出，海灘因而遍佈著河流所遺留下來的大小石礫，這些石礫在海浪經年的來回淘洗下，成為渾圓的鵝卵石或晶瑩剔透的小石子，由於海浪回洗力量大，沙都被帶回海底，留在灘上的，便只有一大片潔白、晶圓的美麗小石。此處的石頭還有一個特色，充滿粗細不同的線條，為石頭中的礦物被擠壓後再凝結而成，有「石畫岩」之稱。

　
Taroko National Park (Swallow Grotto Trail, The one thread of Heaven, 太魯閣國家公園 (燕子口、一線天、長春祠）

Mountains in Taroko National Park keeps growing every year.  Not like Grand Canyon, Canyon grow up because water level of Colorado River keeps going down every year to make canyon looks growing up; Taroko mountain / canyon was pushed up by the movement of forums.  By looking at the shape of the canyon, easily can know if that canyon was pushed up because of the movement of forums, or by water.

太魯閣的山脈每年持續的長高。不同於大峽谷，峽谷長高的原因是因為每年科羅拉多河水位持續下降，所以峽谷感覺變高了；但是太魯閣則是因為每年的板塊運動衝擊，將山給推高，所以每年山脈會持續長高。從岩璧的圖案，則可以看出是由造山運動推擠上來的，或是水流衝擊而成。

The Swallow Grotto (Yanzikou) trail is 1.37 km in length, and takes about 30 minutes to traverse on foot. It is the finest section of the entire Taroko.
Walking along the Swallow Grotto, you will see the gorges, natural sinkholes, water geysers, and the uniquely shaped "Rock of the Indian Chief". The reason behind these geographic forms is the river. This part of the river valley is extremely narrow and deep, therefore as the river comes through , a formation known in Chinese as "The one thread of Heaven" is created. This is a cave or a canyon with a tiny crack or opening at the top, which when viewed from below looks like a narrow thread of sunlight. When the water runs through the canyon, it speeds up due to the narrow channel, creating a much more potent erosive force on the marble embankments, and carves out the beautiful and unique natural forms of Swallow Grotto. 

燕子口步道長度約1.37公里，沿途漫步單程約30分鐘，是太魯閣峽谷最精華的路段。
沿著燕子口步道，一路可欣賞太魯閣峽谷、壺穴、湧泉和造型獨特的印地安酋長岩。這是因為立霧溪流經燕子口這段時，溪床特別狹窄而深，可謂「一線天」，溪流通過時，受到擠壓，速度加快，侵蝕增強，溪水就沿著節理豐富的大理岩層，雕鑿出優美壯麗的奇景。
若從觀景台上，可聆聽立霧溪谷的淙淙水聲，亦可遠眺令人驚嘆的奇岩峭壁。

The Eternal Spring Shrine( Changchun Shrine ) is located at the west entrance of Changchun Tunnel on the Central Cross-Island Highway. The architectural style of the shrine was modeled after a famous Tang Dynasty temple. It commemorates the memory of 225 veterans who died while constructing the highway. Right beside the shrine, spring water pours down into the valley, forming the famous "Changchun Falls" of the Central Cross-Island Highway. 

長春祠: 於中橫公路長春隧道西口，坐落一座外型為唐代廟堂式的建築，古典而雅致，祠內供奉著爲興建中橫公路而殉職的225位築路英雄，而祠旁的湧泉由山壁間傾瀉而下，形成白絹飛瀑，為中橫公路著名的「長春瀑布」。

 Eternal Spring Shrine (長春祠）     

 Rock of the Indian Chief (印地安酋長岩）  The one thread of Heaven (一線天）

Even though we couldn't stay at one spot for too long, maybe just an hour in average, overall, it was still a nice trip.  Hotels, meals, and transportations were all taking care of.  There were even tour guides to explain the scens.  Too bad that I didn't bring my recorder to record what they said, local tour guide normally gives more about local details than what we can find on the web.  And last, I know I gained weight just by this 3 days and 2 nights trip, because I ate too well.  HAHAHAHA

儘管無法在每個景點做長時間的停留，但是整體而言，這趟花東之旅其實還滿輕鬆愉快，因為住的、吃的及交通都已經全包了，還有導遊沿途做導覽；只可惜沒把它記錄下來，畢竟當地的導遊給的是更多只有當地人才會知道的細節。除此之外，回家後又準備減肥了，因為這三天兩夜的行程，真的吃太多了啦！！！