From Eternal Spring to Hot Springs

Pipkin and Domo made their way north from the Eternal Spring Shrine towards Jiaoxi Township where they were to spend the night at a swanky hotel in hot spring country. Unfortunately, they missed their train by only a few minutes and had to sit around at the station for the next train, losing daylight and time booked at the spa.

By the time they arrived at the hotel, it was well after dark and in a short time the public hot springs at the hotel would be closed. At any rate, there are traditional Japanese style bath houses at the hotel and since nudity is the norm, so Pip and Domo wouldn't have shared any photos. (You see them naked all the time, but you know, they wouldn't want to share other peoples' naked bits without permission.)

Each hotel room has its own stone tiled tub with taps that pour out water from the hot springs. While they can't sit under the stars amongst a pretty Japanese style garden,  their only night at the spa wasn't a total bust.

Jiaoxi has been a popular tourist hot spot since the Japanese colonial period, hence the influence of Japanese bath houses. The hot spring water is odorless, lacking the sulphur scent of many hot springs. The water is made up of sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium, and carbonic acid ions and has an average temperate of 58 degrees Celsius.

Filling the tile tub was overkill for Domo and Pipkin but they imagined it was their own private hot spring pool. Soaking in the mineral rich water left Domo and Pipkin's furry exteriors incredibly soft!

It was nice to get out of the hot tub and enjoy a refreshing cool rinse with the adjacent shower. 

It seemed like every bathroom in the hotels they stayed at had a telephone beside the toilet, and this hotel, the nicest one they stayed in, was no exception. Pipkin can't imagine wanting to talk to anyone while they were on the potty. This hotel's potty was the fanciest one they'd seen. Just look at all the options!

So after a very thorough cleansing experience, the two fell into a deep sleep and looked forward to the next day. In the light of day, the two awoke and looked out their window. They didn't seem to have missed too much by getting in late the previous night. Looks like they were surrounded by other touristy looking spa hotels. On to Taipei!

Eternal Spring Shrine, Taroko National Park, Taiwan

It was a very rainy day when Pipkin and Domo visited the Eternal Spring Shrine at Taroko National Park. A rainy day isn't the best day to visit, since getting to the shrine involves walking through tunnels cut in the mountain, and much of the way is steep, slippery, and dark. Even without the rain, there is always the danger of rockfalls.

Given the steep terrain and the constant threat of rockfalls, one wonders who in their right mind would build a temple here. Sure, it's beautiful, but it doesn't seem all that safe. In fact, this place has had to be rebuilt twice because of damage caused by landslides. Third time's the charm? Oh, and speaking of things that come in three, let's run down a few of the dangers of building here, from the top down. First, the aforementioned rockslides from above.

Second, the rock at Eternal Spring Shrine is made up of green schist, thin marble and quartz schist strata. It is fragile enough to begin with, and all the more unstable because a fault line runs through it.

Finally, the Liwu River at the base of the shrine is continually eroding the slope. Eternal Spring Shrine, you say? Mmm hmmmm...

So who's ready to walk to the shrine?

There's ample warning along the way. If you don't happen to read Chinese or English, hopefully the drawing isn't too abstract to understand.

As you walk through tunnels blasted into the fault lined fragile rock, you come across this memorial which commemorates the 212 construction workers who died while building the Central Cross Island Highway near the shrine.

Eventually you emerge from the darkness and you can walk through the temples. Domo took a photo of Pipkin at the falls. Who knows how long this will be here?

Tropic of Cancer, Taiwan

Sometimes when you're traveling, you have to stop and take the touristy shots that everyone else takes. You have to fight your way through the crowd and get your two seconds to pose quickly in front of whatever monument or sight is around. So, Pipkin and Domo took their turns in front of this tower that was erected (giggle) to mark the Tropic of Cancer.

You have to do the "group shot" - or in this case the couple shot. Either you set a self-timer or you ask a kind tourist you trust to not run off with your camera to please take a photo. This is always challenging when you don't speak the same language. Then you smile real big and if you have a sense of humor, you hope someone is photobombing. Not sure if this qualifies above, but that lady on the left has a sour expression and a shirt that proclaims oh no she didn't!!

Next you grab the camera and take a selfie with the camera all up in your face.

And, at least one of you has to do some sort of funny pose, so you turn it around on your friends and let them go crazy. RAWR! It's like Domo's got some sort of portal to the heavens going on here. Or maybe a strange growth out the top of his head.

Shihyusan - The Stone Umbrella

Pipkin and Domo continued up the eastern coast of Taiwan and hopped along Shihyusan Recreation Area, where they had gorgeous views of seawater carved potholes, arches and caves.

The park's famous Stone Umbrella stands on a large spit of rock that extends nearly a kilometre into the sea.

It looks rather small in the photo above (in the center, it stands above the spit) but it is rather tall if you were to stand underneath it.

There's a calm, cozy bay by the spit, but Pipkin didn't feel like going for a swim and providing the local sharks with dinner. Labbit is quite a rare treat here!

Labbits Fuel Up With: Bacon & Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cookies

It's been a while since the labbits put up a cooking post. It's been far too hot in New England to bake and besides, it's salad season in farmland paradise! There's been a lot of arugula salads with strawberries and blueberries, and greens with shredded raw beets, yum yum! The heat wave ends tonight so there may be some heat in the kitchen as the labbits cook up some summer squash and zucchini burritos.

Summer is also triathlon season for Masher McBuns and his friend Doddy Blue. Labbits are (mostly) vegetarian, but for the serious triathlete, and for the plush mini labbit, sometimes a little BACON is in order. And so, Masher and Doddy decided to bake these Bacon & Chocolate Chip Chocolate Abominations Cookies. These are decadent. These are sinful. These are for the labbit who MEANS BUSINESS. These are the moath amayznghf ookiesh. Oh - pardon me. Was just eating one. :)

Doddy Blue did his first 70.3 triathlon in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, so he was a labbit who meant business. Here's how you make the best cookies ever. Print the recipe here.

Bacon & Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients:
12 strips Applewood Smoked Maple Bacon
3/4 cup softened butter
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preparation:
Cook the bacon on the stove until browned; break into bite-size pieces (not crumbles). Reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons of bacon grease and mix in with the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, vanilla and remaining ingredients. Do not over-mix! Form cookies. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 °F. Allow to cool on a wire rack before storing in an air-tight container. Because these cookies have bacon, store these in the refrigerator for up to one week (if they aren't eaten by then) and microwave on low for 10 seconds to warm them up and get those chips gooey. Enjoy!

Boy is it ever tempting to eat these cookies pre-baking. Mmmm, maple bacon chocolate chip cookie dough...*drools*

Yields: About 3 dozen 2" cookies.

Recipe: Adapted from Kim Youngblood