Taroko national park

Last day of summer today for kids and we finally made it to the world famous Taroko gorge. It is literally in our backyard as it is only a thirty minutes drive from our house. This national park is ranked right up there with the Yosemite NP, which speaks volume. This place attracts a lot of foreigners as they come to hike and bike. Also there is an international marathon here every November. The 42 km course wraps around the entire mountainous road with spectacular sights and sounds. I only wished the clock could rewind ten years when I was fit for such a task......
First video is the ranger station...

then the beauty unfolds....

In this video, we stand over a platform which has a 500 feet vertical drop to the canyon below. Great spot for bungee jumping. My hands were sweaty when I leaned over with my camera......

In this next video, we spotted a cave behind a boulder which swallows flying in and out of. Chinese people love the swallow's nest (燕窩) and I can see why it is so expensive. It is extremely dangerous to climb and hang over a sheer cliff in order to get to the nests, people often die doing this.

Judging from the caves and available water within these mountains, I imagine wild lives are abundant here.

I was hoping to walk across this suspension bridge to see the other side of the mountain, but the sign says.......permits only. So, rather than going out on a limb and risk falling off the mountain, we decided to get back on the road again.........

You know the saying "there is light at the end of a tunnel"? It hit me cold when I turned around while following my family along the caved road. Yes, I saw the light at the end of the tunnel, and it was bright! It was really weird, a sense of deja vu, and also a sense of enlightenment....kinda spirtual, and kinda spooky.....notice I did not say anything, I was speechless. I just stopped filming and kept walking, seizing the moment, for what, I have not a clue......I spaced out for a moment but snapped out of it fast when a bus honked and I nearly stumbled onto its path. Perhaps seeing the light was a forewarning that I was about to "become" the light! Just not my time yet I guess.

It ain't difficult to feel some what spirtual up here because a lot of Chiang's soldiers died here blasting and building this road. Right after the corner of where I saw the light, we came upon a memorial for the dead.........

What a day. Now back to the future......