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I realize I don't post as much as the others do but I prefer it this way so I hope Jack doesn't penalize me so much! Second photolog for this trip, I love how it keeps getting better and better :)

At the entrance of Yehliu Geopark. Taiwan is so fortunate to have such an amazing site! This place is filled with geological wonders that are sooo grand. It somehow reminds me of how very minute I am in this world.

See what I mean? And this is only one small part! The rocks are crazy beautiful and we were lucky enough to have a nice (but hot) day to explore the geopark. After a short introduction to the geology of the region, we were given an hour's free time to roam. Ben and I being typical Singaporeans (kiasu) bolted off on our adventure through the geopark. Even though we were both drenched in sweat after an hour of running and jumping over rocks, I wish we had more time to explore the place! It's pretty big- I think 1.5 hours is the minimum to get around.

Credits to Ben the photographer! Our efficient system of switching cameras :p

Mushroom Rocks at Yehliu! So pretty but they're actually smaller than what I expected.

Candle rocks at Yehliu, they're so pretty and my favorite!! I'm still pretty confused at how they're formed. It seems really conditional- maybe that's why they're so rare. The professor mentioned it's only found in Yehliu.. which means I'll be coming here a lot more eh? :p

Fisheries Research Institute- the taxonomic marine animals were soo creepy.. Plus, the stink was horrible. I think it's weird how the Taiwanese stopped all timber harvesting even though it's such a profitable industry but it's not the same for fisheries.

Dumpling making at the end of the day- I have to admit I'm pretty horrible at this. My dumplings look horrendous and I'm positive if I had to make the fillings from scratch it'd taste horrible too. Luckily for me, Alison made the fillings so all of us only had to wrap the dumplings. Ugly but tasty dumplings for me!

We headed off to Shida Night Market after the dumpling making session (because what's dinner in Taiwan without dessert?) and Kylee finally found her green tea ice cream. She was so amazed at the red beans that were in the dessert. It's very different from the Western version of red beans. I feel so excited whenever she tries something new! 

Dyeing session in some remote area in Jingshan. I find it so interesting how such an industry still exists in Taiwan but never would in Singapore, even though both are considered tiger economies. 

My dyed cloth! I think it's such a fun process but I wish I were more adventurous with my design. This was just a short stop and we headed off to the Dharma Drum Mountain after. It's a place for Buddhist Education, which was interesting because my family's buddhist but I've never really delved into Buddhist teachings especially because I was raised in a Christian school. I really appreciated the silence and tranquility of the area, even when the tour guides walked it was with quiet footsteps!!

Lunch at the Dharma Drum Mountain and it was a vegetarian lunch cooked by the volunteers at DDM. It was the same kind of lunch that I used to have with my parents at temples and I sort of missed it. 

Rows of us eating. The tables are placed this way because no one talks when they eat. They pretty much never talk actually.

Juming Museum. If you look closely, you can tell that this is a zipper with a garden in the middle and I think it's such a creative idea.

Sculptures made by Juming in the Taichi Series. 

Blending in with the sculptures~

Gold panning at the Gold Ecological Park! With Jean at the back, she's the funniest volunteer! luvv herrr~

Free time where Ben & I set off on our adventure to catch the ocean view.

Spotted this funky looking skeletal monkey thing, I kept thinking it was a scarecrow for gold mining but that doesn't make any sense.

Jiu fen! such a bustling street, I wish there was something like that in Singapore! Sheng-yu told me that the taro balls (he pronounced it as terrible, so hilarious) at Jiu fen are famous and I can't resist 粉圆 anything!

The taro balls at Jiu Fen! Addicted...

Getting my calligraphy brush from Jiu Fen. I love how it's customized with my name (in less than 30 seconds!!!!)

We had more time to spare so a group of us headed to a tea place to have tea and eat peanuts while chatting. So old school.

Check out my tea! The top portion's for smelling the aroma of the tea.. the Oolong tea we had was delicious! I love Oolong tea and this was amazing! I didn't quite like the other tea we had so I didn't bother remembering the name hehe but it was a flowery tea. Apparently this tea shop is the first in Jiu Fen, they even have a brochure about their history!

At our dorm for the night! We left Taipei so for the next two weeks we're going to live in hostels and hotels. I kinda miss having my own room but its nice to move outside of Taipei to explore the natural heritage of Taiwan.

Dinner that night at the B&B! I had milk hotpot which I've never had before and it was surprisingly tasty. 

Elephant Ear orchid at King Car Orchid Park. What impressed me the most about this place was that the company not only deals with orchids, but with coffee and whiskey and pesticides too. Such a huge company, wonder how long it took to establish?

The Slipper Orchid, costs like 6000NTD or something crazy for a single individual. It's pretty though.. Future boyfriend you know what I want for valentine's ;)

Lunch at Mr.Brown Coffee. Mr. Brown is the first brand most Taiwanese think of when they think of coffee and it's actually a branch of King Car!

Stop at a harbour on the way to Hualien.

Another scenic stop at QingShui Cliff/Chungte Recreational Park! The drive along this coastline was so mesmerizing. (choice of word is because I was listening to Mesmerize by Ja Rule along the way.)

Jean & I at Chungte! So pretty!

老師 at Chungte~ He was taking pictures of everyone but didn't take any of himself so I snapped one!

At night at Hualien after dinner when I went to look for my beancurd with taro balls again. Attempting to force Kylee to like it by eating it everyday.

Kylee's face after her first betel nut. I tried one too after much persuasion from Randy and Kylee.. and it was horrible!!! Worth trying but never eating that again. Randy said it's the first time in Taiwan I ever said something tastes disgusting. Always room for firsts ^^

that's all for now~