Taroko Gorge is made from a big river cutting through the granite mountains over millions of years. There are two main types of rock in Taroko Gorge. There is slate (sedimentary rock) and granite (metamorphic rock). The river will change colors based of what rock it is currently cutting through. If it is cutting through granite then the color is sort of blue and if it is cutting slate then it is a light gray. The mountains were made from convergent plate boundaries between a ocean plate and a continental plate. This makes for rapid formation of mountains as the ocean plate goes under the continental plate much faster do to the lower thickness of the plate.
– Victor Kwan
My highlight of yesterday was the pretty views and suspension bridge. I took a lot of pictures and was amazed at the beautiful mountains. I loved being able to see the ocean during our drive. The suspension bridge was slightly scary but very fun. My friends and I took way too many photos.
– Frances Kassel
I loved the great views at a lot of places while visiting Taiwan! From just the skyline of the city to the flourishing and lush nature. My favorite spot has to be the beach! Feeling the sand in-between my feet and watching the waves crash with all of my friends was astounding. I can’t wait to go next year with all of my friends and more!
– Ozzie Paine
I liked the mist rolling down the mountains. The tree at the lookout was made out of bamboo. Another thing I liked was the rice patties. They where mostly green with the fresh smell of newly grown rice. The food I had yesterday at the night market was amazing. At first I bought some sugar cane jocie. Ok, you might think that jocie is a typo, but it is not. The stand where I bought the juice it was spelled jocie. Anyways, for dinner I got some ramen which was really good overall. I had an amazing time at the night market.
– Adam Peterson
I loved all the places and views we visited. Some were in the city and some were by the ocean and others were in the mountains. There was a college that we learned at and the teachers brought us around Taipei. Then there was the hotel with an awesome pool. It was very comfortable in the room. Then there were the night markets. They were awesome. These night markets had some of the best foods that I’ve ever had. That is what I like about Taiwan!
– Aiden Peterson
Did you know that most of the beaches on the east side of Taiwan are rocky beaches and not sand beaches? Did you know that these beaches are also cleaner because not as many people swim in them? Did you know that at the place we ate for lunch in Taitung we ate a certain kind of flower (roselle) that somewhat tastes like a cranberry? Did you know this dish is also something that the indigenous people of the area make? Did you know that it typically only takes a few hours to travel across Taiwan but on weekends that you can sometimes be stopped on the road for four hours because of traffic? These are all facts and information I gathered from our wonderful tour guide.
While on our bike ride, the rest of the students and I passed a famous tree that was in a very popular movie, therefore lots of people were taking photos with it. Looking past the tree we were able to see many beautiful views of mountains, unfortunately my camera was unable to capture its essence. At this point My Linh and I had both almost fallen off the road multiple times (don’t take pictures and try to ride a bike at the same time). We then stopped at a small bench and took a photo with Aiden Peterson and the statue that was also on the bench. Finally, we biked back to the busses and I also ate a popsicle.
– Alma Schmidt
