local laundry with me and managed to get all our dirty clothes washed and dried in three hours for two quid!!! Even better than that - I got back and the hostel owner by means of sign language and writing offered us a private Japanese style room which was absolutely gorgeous for an extra quid!!! Needless to say we took it!!!! It had beautiful silk screens all around, and a seriously comfy futon bed, and most importantly of all - it was warm!! Heavenly!! The contrast between this room and the Catholic Hostel was the most marked we’d ever had - and all for an extra pound!!!!

We ventured out into sunny Hualien in search of something to eat - three days of soup and noodles had taken its toll! So when we saw a nearby coffee shop which the Canadian lady had said was good we were straight in there!! Two cappuccinos, a margharitta pizza and a couple of very naughty cakes later and the memories of

our cold pit were becoming more and more distant!!! Hualien was a very modern city, but not really unattractive, and we headed for the Ocean to get our first close up view!!!

The seaside area was really very pleasant, with a big park next to the coast, and a few monuments and watchtowers. We had a good stroll along the promenade and then walked back up the river to our hotel We were treated to the very mad sight of the fish hurling themselves out of the water and splashing back in. Some of them could jump a pretty long way!! Quite why they did this we have no idea, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves!!! Unfortunately for them though, so did the watching Herons, who must have thought it was a dream come true!!!

Next stop was the supermarket - we had a great kitchen and were