First Week in Hualien

Keyon

I have heard so much about the beauty of Taiwan, but I have not seen anything astonishing until my recent trip to the east coast. I was having a 60-day road trip around Australia with my best friend, a Taiwanese who wasn’t too impressed about Australia, as he quoted, “The Great Ocean Road is comparable, if not less than the Suhua highway.”

So much hype about the mountains and waters in Taiwan that I have not seen after 3 trips to Formosa Island. Finally I got an opportunity to volunteer at an adventure tour start-up in Hualien. On my way east on the Taiwan Rail, passing through mountains and coastal cliff already blowing my mind away, and god, how much I miss the blue skies and wide blue sea.

For “work” purposes, I went hiking with fellow colleagues, at the highest cliff trail of Zhuilu in Taroko National Park. It was an easy hike (some would disagree, maybe I had numerous training in the past 8 months hiking while travelling), we got to the cliff edge in about an hour. My gut sunk a bit, traversing through the narrow trail carved out on a steep cliff. Any missteps will definitely be fatal, yet I risked my life standing on the edge just for a photo, not that I would encourage people to do the same, but it sure was satisfying.

Also in the name of “work”, we had to make some promotional photoshoot for the SUP (Standup Paddleboarding), so we went to a nearby river mouth. Why the SUP is so unique, is that it is super easy to learn, and you can be extremely creative with it. So we did standing up, sitting, lying down, practicing yoga, and even surfing the waves. We got our job done and had lots of fun.

In the late afternoon, bicycling down the coastal track in Hualien is also a relaxing activity. Embracing the soothing afternoon sea breeze, while looking out to a great Pacific Ocean, could ease all the troubled thoughts. Sitting down on the shore front while listening to the waves, makes me wonder why would people choose to live in the concrete jungle.

I think I am slowly falling in love with Hualien.
Unique Fun gives reason for why the outdoor sports scene in Hualien is about to reach a new level.

Come and join us !