Blogs from Hualien, Taiwan, Asia - page 2

We had absolutely no problem getting our connection down to Taroko Gorge from Taipei. Vegetables for breakfast again - lots to choose from, usually mixed into rice congee, but we bypass that. We're really enjoying the vegetables - sweet potato seem to be eaten every meal. To me it has a slimy feel in the mouth which i don't like. One of the hotel staff played the violin that morning whilst we ate breakfast. A lovely handwritten note from hotel staff and weather information etc for the gorge as well handed to us as we were waved into the waiting taxi. We only waited a short time for the bus, they left every few minutes with super efficiency - never a second late, all spotlessly clean, very comfortable with onboard wifi! And only AUD $3 each. ... read more

Unfortunately when we woke up the next morning it was still raining heavily and radar maps were showing no signs of it letting up as there was a typhoon just south of Taiwan causing strong winds and rain. So we decided to hop on a train to Hualien instead. We spent the rest of the day enjoying Hualien and eating at/exploring the night market. The next day we went to Taroko gorge using an excellent hop on hop off bus service to explore the sites, the incredible road forged right along the gorges' marble and granite cliffs and it's myriad of tunnels, and the beautiful mountain scenery.... read more

Taiwan must be one of the most cycling-friendly countries in the world. Most cities have inner-city cycleways on the roads (i.e. parts of the road painted off for the use of cyclists only) or, even better, parts of the pavement sectioned off from both the pedestrian pavement and the road, just for cyclists. In addition, most places also have recreational routes, next to rivers, around lakes, or just around scenic areas. It is cheap to rent bicycles and I rent a bike probably one day in two, as public transport outside of Taipei is not very comprehensive and most Taiwanese get around by bike or scooter (and many also cycle recreationally). Today I cycled from Yuli to the head of the Walami Trail (there is no public transport to Walami), a route that goes through flat ... read more

Taroko Gorge is the most popular attraction in Taiwan outside of Taipei, so it is well set-up for tourism: a shuttle bus ferries tourists from site to site within the gorge, and there are queues of coaches along the road. The highest concentration of tour parties is at Eternal Spring Shrine a temple set into the rockface dedicated to the workers whose lives were lost in building the road through the gorge, and away from that everywhere is much less busy. The Gorge is one of those sites where everywhere you look there is stunning scenery. I first followed the Shakadang Trail along the river. There is still an Aboriginal tribe living near the river, and you are asked at various points to respect the environment and the fact that they might be working and causing ... read more

Hualien is an industrial coastal city, and feels completely different to Taipei, much more rough and ready. For a start, walking the streets is hazardous: there are few pavements, and those that do exist are usually blocked by parked bicycles and scooters, so just walking around the city requires constant vigilance to avoid the traffic. The city feels tougher: not unfriendly, but not all welcoming smiles (as in Taipei and Kinmen) either. The train journey from Taipei took 4 1/2 hours because the fast train was sold out, so no time for more than a walk to the seafront in the evening. This area is being renovated and is a building site, so to get to the actual promenade everyone had to shuffle through a narrow alley formed between fences and tarpaulins blocking off the building ... read more