Day #122: East Coast cycle path

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There is a cycle path that runs along the coast of Hualien, starting at Hualien promenade and ending at Qixingtan Bay, around 8km away. The first part of the cycle way is lovely, going along the promenade and then through seaside parkland, but then it has to go through a horribly bleak harbour and industrial area, factory after factory (processing marble and sugar, I was told) with hardly any sign of life bar the occasional passing truck. They have made a doomed attempt to cheer up the harbour by opening a few cafes and galleries in one corner, which somehow made it seem even more dreary, you feel it would have been better left stark and gloomy.

It feels like the industrial area goes on forever, but eventually the path comes out over the top of the cliffs of Qixingtan Bay, and the path follows the beach and then goes through a Botanical Garden, which is refreshing after the industrial area. I ate lunch in a cafe in Qixingtan that had a full-size mock English-style red postbox for visitors to post their postcards.

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