Located at Taiwan’s mountainous eastern coast, Hualien is the largest of all counties in Taiwan. And coming to Taiwan for the third time, I have no idea where I am going. It was another random weekend trip –devoid of planning and with the game plan of just to chill out.
With
an early morning arrival in Taipei from Manila, we decided to stay at a nearby
hostel at Taipei Station before we hop on the early morning train to
Hualien. The approximate travel time
from Taipei to Hualien is 2 and ½ hrs.
The route was scenic though.
There’s
nothing much to do in Hualien for us. We
went out one night to know what the place has to offer. But only small shops of merchandise and food
stalls surround, with a night life of nearly nil. Thus, our stay in Hualien was almost inside
the premises of the hostel and the trip (travel time) to the Taroko
National Park.
Where We
Stayed?
97055,
Taiwan, Hualien County, Hualien City
+886
3 833 0186
There
is no better way to define convenience than getting out of the terminal station
and right across is your temporary abode.
And that is what we experienced at Hualien Wow Youth Hostel. It is centrally located that it becomes the
gateway to the nearby attractions of Hualien and other provinces in the East.
The
vintage industrial concept of the hostel from the rooms to the open and shared
spaces, was eye-catching and a visual treat for the travelers. Interior design is truly innovative.
It
is also a 2-minute walk to the orange bus station taking tourists to the Taroko
National Park. We left almost lunch time
and so we accepted the fact that we won’t be able to fully discover the
national park.
TAROKO
NATIONAL PARK
As
one walks out the main exit of Hualien train station, there is an orange bus station
towards the left. The public bus is the
cheapest way to get to Taroko Gorge.
Visitors should take note however of the bus schedules at all
times.
The
earliest bus from Hualien leaves at 6:30AM and the last bus departs Tianxiang
for Hualien at 6:00PM. They say that the
schedule sometimes change, thus, it is advisable to get a timetable before you
get on board the bus.
Taroko
Gorge is considered as Taiwan’s top tourist attraction. With that, you can just imagine the influx of
tourists that surround the vicinity.
With the limited time we have and most still spent on traveling from one
attraction to another, we have to decide at an instant which to drop by.
The
Eternal Springs Shrine, the Shakadang Trail and the Swallow Grotto are the main
attractions of the national park. The
Taroko Gorge is composed mainly of metamorphic rocks, such as marble. The national park would be appealing to
nature lovers and hikers as Taroko National Park features different scenic
hiking trails.
Honestly,
I have only one pre-conceived image in mind of Taroko National Park. It is a temple or a memorial shrine that sits
on top of a mountain and a cascading waterfalls, surrounded by a lush forest
and thick boulders. And then, I realized
that image though picturesque, is only a miniscule of the large acre of land
and natural attraction that composes the Taroko National Park. The image I have in mind is known as the
Eternal Springs Shrine. And it was the
last stop we had before we went back to Hualien.
The
short stint at the Taroko National Park is sufficient for me. But if one opts to discover more, there are
certainly a lot of natural attractions that would make you conclude a worthwhile
visit to the park. A friend of mine
availed of a tour package to Taroko National Park recently, and I must say,
there really are a lot more to discover than the major landmarks we have
visited.
2 comments
ay wow, bago yan ah!
ReplyDeleteWow! I missed this during my Taiwan trip :(
ReplyDelete