Looks like the Jews were just a little misdirected. Should've fled Egypt a bit a further to the east.When the Portuguese first spotted the island of Taiwan in the 16th century, they dubbed it "Ilha Formosa" meaning simply, "Beautiful Island". That name, "Formosa" (Beautiful), remained in common use even into the late 20th century. Not quite as epic as "the promised land", but flattering, nevertheless.
Hualien lies on the East Coast and serves as a point of entry into the Taroko National Park. The beaches are too rocky for swimming, but, on the other hand, the naturally occurring variety of colours in the rock and large reserves of marble make for some nice jewelry and statues.
Hualien is the origin point of Tzu Chi, a large international Buddhist missions organization that focuses on medicine, education and disaster relief. Due to its apolitical stance, Tzu Chi has been able to work extensively in mainland China in spite of often bitter political tensions that may prevent businesses and government organizations from venturing across the strait.
This picture was taken just outside of Hualien in the national park. Taiwan, like Japan, is filled with mountains and prone to typhoons. This trail used to lead to a natural hot spring, but rock slides and typhoons about four years ago have caused it to close. At the time of the rock slide, several people were actually in the hot spring and some of them were killed.Beauty, it seems, is not without its dangers.
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