Since we only had 7 days in
Before I jump right in on Taroko, first let me introduce the Bed & Breakfast we stayed at. Actually it was a place my parents just randomly bumped into.… Since I don't believe in random luck, I really didn’t expect much. And Paul was even more skeptical and had bombarded me with all these questions—“So, about the B&B, is it a big family whom we’re staying with?” “So, will I open the bathroom and see the grandpa peeing?” “Would it be rude to turn on the light? What if I step on to his pee in the darkness? ”…
So I’m thrilled to please this sometimes difficult Hong Kongnese. To be fair, this is not the most luxurious hotel you'll ever come across. But I was very impressed with its thoughtfulness behind every little detail--the spacious "zen" shower stool instead of a jam-packed bath tub, the cup noodle and cookies in case you got hungry in the middle of the night…
I have to first make myself clear I'm just like most young folks, I hate all-inclusive packaged tour. But this trip has really changed my mind. First, they pick you up from the Hualien train station as "part of the service". Seriously, who really enjoys learning how to drive in a pitch dark foreign place? Since we were the only guests there the first night, the owners took us to this tiny unassuming place for a quick chow… Anyone who’s been to We got up super early the second day as the owner promised to take us biking to the nearest beach. Besides crossing a major state highway, the ride is very safe as it mostly goes through back country roads. It was such a refreshing experience—the air fresh and the birds chirping, and you can see the ocean just steps away.
Just as I was embracing this whole scenery with all my senses, I heard a very loud and long cry with echoes. I stopped my bike, looked around, and saw this deserted cottage on the farmland not far away. The cottage looked so abandoned, the windows with no glass but just black holes that suck you into complete darkness. I stood there with horror: did I really hear someone crying? Was it from that deserted cottage? And the echoes? I was so scared it took me a while to realize it was some woman singing off-tune with a karaoke machine! While I got up early for my morning bike ride, she was still long into a very happy night… it was just bizarre.After biking and before we headed to Taroko, we had breakfast before we head out to Taroko. We had the Asian style breakfast—but you can ask for the "western" style if you want to. After breakfast, we made sure to ask for two freshly brewed coffee before we hit the road.
After we got back from Taroko (which I’ll write in more detail), we headed out to have some traditional Taroko cuisine for dinner. Mum told me the Taroko cuisine is very "different"—that means she didn't really like the food. But quite to the contrary to what she'd described, it was quite delicious but really not that different from regular food you'd have in Taiwan! The boar was so juicy and chewy (just like pork), and the wild fern didn’t taste as exotic as I thought either.
To end our trip with another highlight, before boarding our train, the owner took us to a little bit north of Taroko, called "Clear Water Cliff". I had never imagined there still exists ocean this blue and this unspoiled in Taiwan. I hope the last photo here gives you a glimpse of how pure and beautiful this place is. In fact, that's how I felt about Hualein in whole. I hope my plain description of this trip entices you all to go see Hualien soon.
1 comment:
Okay - now you really got me ALL EXCITED. Beautiful photos! I cant believe how 'blue' the ocean is - obviously you had nice weather too. Hopefully the weather god would be nice to us too!
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