Hellobee

I thought I’d do a follow-up to my Taipei post, and write a little about Hualien, where we spent 3 out of the 9 days during our time in Taiwan. Since Taiwan is such a small island (to give you an idea, South Korea is 3x its size, and Japan is 11x its size), many people go outside of Taipei to explore the other cities Taiwan has to offer.

I’m an adventurous traveler, so I couldn’t resist the opportunity to go off the beaten path, and see what else resided outside the hustle and bustle of big city Taipei. When planning our trip, we were deciding between the cities of Hualien (for Taroko Gorge), Taichung (for its youthful energy), and Nantou (for Sun Moon Lake), but went with Hualien because I was completely drawn to the landscape and beauty of Taroko Gorge.

Taroko Gorge, with its marble-walled canyons and rushing rivers, is one of the most beautiful places I have seen in all my years of travel. Taroko means “magnificent” and “splendid” in the language of the Truku aboriginal tribe, and it is indeed both those things. It does take some planning to get there, as you will need to take a 2 hour high speed train from Taipei to Hualien, then drive an hour to the gorge itself.

Train tickets from Taipei to Hualien are often sold out, so it is best to pre-book online 14 days in advance. You can book train tickets online here. You will need to provide a passport number when you book, and make sure you book the Taroko or Puyuma Express because those are the high-speed trains  Just be careful because if you book a regular train, it will take 4 hours to get to Hualien!!

The kids loved being on a train. The ride was smooth, and the views were lovely, full of lush greens and blue ocean.

Where to Stay

We stayed in downtown Hualien, in a hotel called Just Sleep Hualien. It was affordable, modern, and clean. You can also stay inside the heart of Taroko Gorge – doesn’t this hotel look amazing?  But once you’re in Taroko Gorge, there is literally nothing to do, especially at night. And nothing to eat unless it’s in the hotel. Because we stayed in Hualien, we got to explore this city’s charms, including the night markets, shops, and street eats.  Of course, you can also book with Airbnb and stay at places like this.

Small town vibes

Things to Do

Day 1 – We arrived in Hualien by train, stopped to eat, then checked into our hotel. Our hotel also offered tours to Taroko so we booked it for the next day. Day 1 was all about exploring Hualien by walking the city, and soaking in the culture, and visiting the night market.

Grabbing a quick bite right off the train

Every night market has its own vibe, and this one was no different. The Dongdamen Night Market had a completely different feel from the ones we visited in Taipei. This one was more enclosed, and even had carnival type games for the kids to play.

Dongdamen Night Market in Hualien

Carnival games galore

We also explored all kinds of little streets and alleyways, which we found full of energy and life.  The hustle and bustle seemed never-ending.

The streets of Hualien

Snacking on street food

It’s ice cream time!

Day 2 – We met our tour guide at the lobby, hopped onto a van, and headed out to Taroko first thing in the morning. This was an all day affair. In some parts of the gorge, we were required to wear hard hats and there were signs warning us to “beware of falling rocks” – eep! Anyway, I’ll let the pictures do the talking, even though they don’t come close to capturing the beauty of this place.

Eternal Spring Shrine – built to commemorate the 226 workers who were killed building the Central Cross-Island Highway that runs through the park.

Bridge of 100 Lions

Liwu River – a gorgeous pale turquoise

 

What is this thing on my head, mommy??

Our kids had fun exploring!

All smiles here, but I was secretly terrified being on this suspension bridge!

We spent about 5 hours in Taroko Gorge, and didn’t even get to see all of it because we got tired and hungry. Once you’re in Taroko Gorge, there aren’t places to stop and eat, so make sure you bring food and snacks!  However, right on the outskirts of the gorge was an Aboriginal Taiwanese restaurant unlike any we’ve experienced. It was a truly fascinating and unique dining experience.

Hello majestic restaurant in the middle of the forest

Our spread of traditional Taiwanese aboriginal cuisine

They cooked rice in these bamboo sticks.  In order to eat it, you have to knock the bamboo on rock, then crack it open.  It was fun and delicious!

If you ever find yourself in Taroko National Park, here is a great list of all the areas worth exploring. You can hike, swim, walk across suspension bridges, watch the sunrise/sunset, and bathe in a hot spring. We’ll have to come back someday to experience this magnificent place in full. Who knew there was such otherworldly beauty on the tiny island country of Taiwan.

Day 3 – Hualien even has an amusement park, which is where we decided to spend our last day before heading back to Taipei. It is aptly named Farglory Ocean Park since it overlooks the ocean. The kids had a blast! It had amazing views and no lines, so we were able to ride anything and everything at our leisure, with time to spare.

Ocean Park was divided into two sections.  A cable car takes you to more rides up top

View of the ocean from the cable car

They love their carousels

Ocean Park also had an aquarium housing some majestic creatures too. We saw dolphins, seals, and huge manta-rays, just to name a few.

Dolphins up close and personal

Seals twirling around in the water

Lots of Manta-rays!

After a good chunk of time at Ocean Park, it was time for us to hitch a ride back to Taipei. We definitely made the most of our time in Hualien, and will forever hold these memories in our hearts.

Goodbye Hualien, til next time!

I hope you enjoyed reading about Hualien as much as I enjoyed sharing about it! If you ever find yourself in the Taiwan area, I hope you’ll get a chance to venture out to one of the surrounding cities, whether it is Hualien or elsewhere. Each city has its own charm, and we look forward to exploring some of the other cities someday!