Tzu Chi 慈济

There are four schools (or brands, really) of Buddhism in Taiwan and one of them is based here in Hualien. This school is known as Tzu Chi (慈济). We visited their headquarters, which included the majestic prayer hall, Jingsi Hall (静思堂)...

... and their very own university, Tzu Chi University:

Allie led us into the prayer hall and spoke to some volunteers who happened to be there. When they found out that we were overseas visitors, they very generously offered to give us a tour of the place.

I think we were most impressed by the floor in their underground meditation hall - hand-painted tiles to form a mosaic of a giant lotus-pond. I don't remember how many tiles but it took quite a few years to complete.

The walkways that led up to the prayer hall were long, properly-shined and lined with posters of the humanitarian efforts by their teams around the world.

In all honesty, I have not been into a Buddhist prayer hall of this grandeur. Erm, don't take into account the ancient Chinese halls in China that are thousands of years old. I am talking about modern day ones, like this one. Just look at all the wood material, the wood carving, the columnless hall. Funny how the first place that crept into my mind was St. Mary's Cathedral, maybe because of how open the centre of the hall was.

There were more seats in the upper levels, too, a little like an auditorium. Even the sides of the upper levels had wooden carvings.

We ended the tour by taking a group photo with the Tzu Chi volunteer in front of the map that showed all the Tzu Chi centres around the world.

We adjourned to their shop selling the things they made from recycled plastic bottles. We bought t-shirts, hats, shopping bags and a lot of other things in support of their good work and also because we were pretty impressed at how plastic could turn into wearable apparel!

Personally, I feel that it does not matter what religious leaning you have. It is the heart for doing good that matters.

早安純香

Allie took us to a local breakfast shop - one of his usual haunts - for breakfast. It was a bright, sunshiny day in Hualien and I totally soaked up the cheerful weather.

It resembled very much our local kopitiams, just a smaller one. And heaps cleaner, I'd have to say. I suppose because it is a small shop, the owner (the lady at the hot plate in black) knew almost everyone who stopped by and was extremely friendly.

It took me an extremely long time to "read" their menu. Well, you know, I am illiterate when it comes to Chinese but I do know how to read some words. For example, I could read "蛋饼" because I love egg and what more, an egg pancake!

And of course our order included one of those egg pancakes! We also ordered a radish cake, both dishes cooked on the hot plate.

Wow, how mouth-watering does this look? It was delicious, too!

This radish cake was in fact what we call char kway kak but minus the bean sprouts and preserved vegetables.

The bowl of century egg and pork floss porridge was huge. In fact, there were so many ingredients in it, I wasn't sure if I was eating any porridge.

Mum ordered a corn soup as her drink and because it came in a big bowl, she shared it with Dad. They felt that it could even be had on its own.

In case you would like to pay this shop a visit, this is its location:

Mini Voyage Hostel 花蓮民宿小旅行迷你旅店

Although Mini Voyage Hostel was not our initial choice of accommodation for our night in Hualien, I was glad that I decided to stay with them in the end.

It occupied an old shoplot facing a main road. Refurbished, it did not feel a bit old. In fact, I quite liked the minimalist exterior and interior.

Their shared living area was comfortable and had a shelf with travel materials and also books for exchange.

Right in front of the reception counter, there was a postbox in traditional red. I found out that they also provide postage service for guests - pass them your mail and they will post it for you. 

The kitchenette, though small and basic, was sufficient.

For anyone wanting to stay here, please keep this in mind: They do not have an elevator. We climbed their stairs, which were narrow and steep so just be a little careful. I found it interesting that every level had a number. A lane number. For example, we were on the 3rd floor, which was called Lane 39.

Every floor had a corner equipped with a water dispenser, a fridge and teabags.

And of course the tea would be local Taiwanese tea ;)

Our room was an M-sized room, meaning for three persons. The design of the bunk bed reminded me a lot of the rooms in Roomies Penang. Their rooms are classified according to size, whereby the XS and S-sized rooms are for two person, and L-sized for four. They also have rooms for girls only that sleeps three and mixed dormitories that sleeps six.

Unlike most hostels I have been to, Mini Voyage provides clean towels, snacks, mugs, room slippers and a hairdryer in the room. Convenient much! 

Their bathroom was an all-in-one and I really liked how their shower had strong water pressure.

Also, unlike the B&Bs that we have been staying at over the past few days, Mini Voyage, being a hostel, did not provide breakfast. One big plus point though - just a road and a field apart from Hualien Station.

櫻之田野養生小館

樱之田野养生小馆 is situated on the outskirts of Hualien town. From the outside, it looked like a quaint little Japanese-styled restaurant.

And thinking that it had Japanese influence is not far from incorrect, as many people here have Japanese heritage due to the Japanese setting up camp here during their rule of Taiwan.

The reason Allie took us here was because he thought that we should try their vegetarian menu. Almost every vegetable served was planted by the lady who started this restaurant, so more or less what we had were organic vegetables. 

We all had a bowl of soup base, as it was hotpot-style.

And because Mum and I ordered the same lotus flower set, we both had a lotus bud that came with all the other side dishes.

Wow, I was so impressed! And for the record, this was the first time I am actually eating a lotus flower whole.

Along with the soup base came the other ingredients to be cooked in the hotpot. Because Mum and I ordered a set from their vegetarian menu, our plate came with all sorts of greens, roots and funghi.

And because Dad opted for one on the normal menu, his had some meat.

Oh, do not belittle my plate of "just" vegetables - I could not finish it! It was super filling!

Travellogue Taiwan: Hualien and Yilan

From Hualien, we made our way to Yilan, the state just northwards. We visited Taroko National Park, famous for its marble.

Upon alighting the bus, I noticed swifts up in the clouds yonder.

The river had crystal clear water flowing towards the sea beyond. Having tried the coffee (supposedly brewed using water from the river itself), we climbed up to Eternal Spring Shrine atop the hill.

We continued our journey towards Taipei along super narrow roads. It was just wide enough for a bus. The linzi centre we stopped at was very expensive and despite their enthusiastic marketing and persistent persuasion, we all came out of the place empty-handed.

The next stop was yet another money-spending place - the marble factory. After having our lunch at their restaurant, we were brought on a tour of the factory, introduced to the different kinds of stones in production.

I have to admit that the stones they sold were cheap but I did not buy any as they were set in stainless steel, not in sterling silver or white gold.

Suhua National Highway was like a roller-coaster ride but the view was superb. While everyone else was taking a nap, I was busy shutter-bugging.

The batteries to my camera were drained due to my enthusiasm in getting good shots. Along the way, we stopped to buy steamed sweet potatoes from the local roadside vendors.

Despite feeling slightly dizzy, I found Nanfangau and Nantien Temple interesting. No, this temple isn't like the one in Wollongong, silly. This one worships Ma Zhu for the peace and safety of the fisherfolk.

Dusk fell and it was time for as to arrive at our final destination for the day: Shangrila Leisure Farm. At first, we were thinking: wow, Reliance actually arranged for us to spend a night at Shangrila? Cool! How wrong were we! It was of a different concept altogether but we were not let down. It turned out to be the BEST of all the places we've stayed at so far! We had no complains for the food and rooms. The view was breath-taking. Here are some shots taken the morning after:

After dinner, the hotel had activities lined up for us. We made glutinous rice ball and wrote wishes on a wish lantern.

There was also a top-spinning competition. After all the hype, Shek Mei, Xue Er, Alicia, Miss Lee and I sat outside and had a long chat about their babies, their husbands, and the economy.