Taiwan,Taipei,Trains and Taroko

After a suprisingly pleasant trans pacific flight (not too full, so room to spread out), we landed in Taipei at 6 a.m. local time.  The opulant Taipei Regent is our home for 2 nights.
Our scavenger here cover 2 separate days, so we all head off at 10 a.m. with a list for the day.  We opt to get out of the busy, noisy, smelly city and take a 2 hours express train ride south to Hsinchu City in search of an ancient gate and a site called the "City of God Temple".  A good view of the countryside, mostly rice paddies (even in the cities).  We find both scavengers fairly quickly and easily, both are pretty unremarkable, though the temple is full of torture instruments.  The City of God dispenses justice.  We return to Taipei by a slow local train via the town of Yingge, famous for its pottery making along "the old street".  Unfortunately a downpour more than dampens our appreciation of the area.  We find temporary refuge from the monsoon at Granma's - a tea house that takes "presentation is everything" to new heights.  Back in Taipei, we visit one of the many city night markets in search of "small bites" to eat, and a very special massage that involved precussion with meat cleavers (the sharp part)!
Day 2, different challengers and 10 hours to do them.  We decided, based on the high recommendation of a Kiwi team to go to Taroko gorge.  Another train ride, this time down the east coast.  A speedy taxi ride takes us up a staggeringly spectacular river gorge with 1200 foot high walls.  One could hike here for days, but not this trip.  Our cabbie, with as much English as we have Chinese dropped us off for a short walk to a view point, then is nowhere to be seen when we return.  After a half hour of rapidly increasing panic we discover her on the back of a moped, searching for us.  We hustle back to the train and our 3 hour trip back to Taipei.  We quicly check out different noodle types, have some Boba tea and turn in our score sheets.
After about 5 hours sleep we will be off to.....
Burma