Taiwan mountains-Taroko Gorge

Annual conference of Taiwan Astronomical Society was held in Hualien, therefore chance to go and see Taroko, finally. The Attraction of Taiwan, and I failed to see it, still. Thanks to some good people, I had a transport (weather was bad) and could enjoy it. Sure, would prefer to walk it through, but one can not have everything.

But, before Taroko, another ingenious work of Taiwan architects...really nobody thinks of hanging some of this criminals in front of their crimes? This is gym+conference hall in Hualien University of Education...

Taiwan is Volcanic island on a Ring of Fire, so we had 2 earthquakes in weekend of conference, nr 41 and 41 for this year, of 6 and 6.8 in the Mercali scale, as visible at official eq reports 2008

Taroko Gorge is The Touristical Attraction of Taiwan. Mountains go up to 3500m. It is marble...fortunately, they seem to recognize tourists bring more money, so I did not see some devastation in the main track, I am sure if going a bit more off-track, I would find tracks of devastation. This is entrance in the gorge, which then stretches some 20 km between the mountains

It is beautiful.

I hiked a bit up towards pagoda

I saw there is some religious tourism going on, also

But this can not harm wild beauty of Nature here

Miracle of Taroko is the road in-cut into the rock, some 60 years ago...some 450 workers died cutting the tunnel in the stone here. Guanyin below pagoda is for them...

Few hundred meters futher tunnels still extending...and fallen rocks, proving the plates with "please do not linger, falling rocks" are not over-cautious notes only

Sure, something of GOOD Chinese architecture also, you, today's architects, learn something!

You think I am complaining about architects too much? I do not, I tell you...