If I had a dime for every time I exclaimed "that water is so blue!" or "I can't get over these mountains" this weekend, I would have gained fifty bucks on Saturday alone. For the long weekend celebrating the Mid Autumn Festival, my friends and I visited the east coast and Taroko National Park. The beauty of the park was unlike almost anything else I have experienced.
On top of being a nice break from the city, the trip was also one massive travel learning experience. From the train tickets, to the hostel, to the tour, everything was new. This was our first overnight trip and it taught us much in the way of traveling Taiwan. Scattered throughout this blog, amid the gushing about the beauty of Taroko National Park, there will be various do's and don'ts. Hopefully you find something helpful. To begin:
Do: Book your tickets for weekend trips ahead of time. Like a couple of weeks in advance. Especially if the weekend in question is a holiday.
We threw together our trip fairly last minute, booking tickets four days ahead of time. Because of this, the good times were all entirely sold out, and even the longer, slower routes were packed. The only tickets available left us with mainly Saturday in Hualien, instead of getting some of Friday and Sunday as well. But a trip was a trip. And so we booked our way there and back, found a hostel and reserved a tour.
We stayed at the Hualien Wow Hostel, which I found through Hostelworld and was $13USD a night (we booked non-refundable and got a slight discount). The hostel is across the street from the train station and includes free breakfast and wifi. We also ended up getting our own little room. So it worked out pretty well. We booked the Island Life Taiwan - Better Taroko Gorge Tour at the recommendation of a fellow teacher. The cost started at $2,500NT but came down to $2,200NT when more people joined.
Do: Be willing to spend money on tours and experiences. While it may be the most expensive part of the trip, I have found that the memories made are worth the price.
Okay, enough of the logistics. Let's get to the good stuff.
Day 1
Emily, Miranda and I all met up in Changhua on Friday afternoon and grabbed lunch before our 12:45 train to Hualien. While we had booked the tickets earlier, we were going to check in and grab them before lunch. When we went to the counter, it ended up that the window to have paid and picked up the tickets was not 30 minutes before hand, which we had originally believed, but instead, on Tuesday at midnight. We were left with no tickets, and all of the trains were full. We looked at each other and all made the decision that one way or another, we were getting to Hualien. So we booked one seated ticket and two standing tickets for the six hour train ride.
Don't: Forget to read the fine print. When it comes to train tickets, I would recommend going directly to the train station to buy them.
The train ride there actually ended up being alright. We snagged seats on a metal bench for the first couple of hours and when people started to leave, were able to secure actual seats. When we arrived in Hualien, we tired but excited for the adventure to come. We ventured out for food and then turned in early.
Day 2
Our alarm clocks crowed at 6:30am. We shouldered our packs, grabbed breakfast (toast, fruit and eggs) from the hostel breakfast bar and went outside to wait for our tour guide, Allen, to pick us up.
It was immediately clear that Allen was going to be a great guide. His English was great, he had a vast historical knowledge of the area, the aboriginal people and the history of Taiwan, and he used humor and references to Kungfu Panda and Meet the Parents to get all the information across. As we drove up the coast, I peered out the window, in awe of the giant green mountains rising up into the sky.
Our first stop once entering the park was the Shakadang Trail. It's built along a river cliff and winds up through a valley. The rock in the area is all marble, which means that the river is clean, clear and a brilliant turquoise blue. As we walked along, ducking under overhanging rocks, Allen introduced us to the local flora. The birds nest fern is native to the area and the tender shoots are often enjoyed as part of a meal. The taro plant has large leaves, which frogs (and the snakes who hunt frogs) often shelter under. In fact, the aboriginal people used to use these leaves as cover, then leap out and cut off the heads of unsuspecting victims (or so says Allen).
We walked along the trail, taking pictures and gaping up at the vibrant green mountains. Eventually we reached an area of land controlled by the aboriginal people. There was a group of small shops selling homemade goods and food. Allen took us around back, led us down a short trail to a small grotto with crystal blue water and told us we had forty minutes to swim around. I had been ogling the water the entire walk. The opportunity to dive in was divine.
We splashed around in the crisp water for a while, before drying off, heading back to the shops and snagging some traditional sausages for the road back.
Don't: Ignore park signs. There were many signs in the park stating swimming was prohibited. We were only able to swim because of our tour guide.
The next stop was the Eternal Spring Shrine. It is an old temple built at the base of a steep cliff. It is named for the many workers who died building it and the road to it. Unfortunately we could only look from afar as a recent earthquake had caused rockslides and the road was unsafe.
Then came Bear Tower. We arrived at a pretty temple and all got out to look around. Then Allen pointed up the mountain to a shrine overlooking the valley. "That's the next stop," he said, "I'll fill your water bottles." We asked if he was coming with us and he just laughed and shook his head. We understood why after we crossed a suspension bridge, and then had to climb a couple hundred stairs to the top. Our thighs were definitely burning when we arrived. But the view of the valley was worth it. We climbed to the top of the tower, rung the bell, and gazed out over the churning mountains. It was absolutely stunning.
After trekking back down, we took a brief jaunt through Swallow Grotto. This area is known for falling rocks, so hard hats were heavily suggested and could be rented for free. It was a short walk, but the first time we got to see the "Grand Canyon" aspect of the gorge. Sometimes referred to as the Grand Canyon of Taiwan, this area proved it with stark, water-worn cliffs plummeting thousands of feet to the river below.
Don't: Forget to put away the camera and simply be. It's easy to get caught up in trying to capture the splendor, but make sure to put away the camera for long enough to marvel.
The rest of the day passed much more quickly. We had lunch (which was included in the tour fee), saw more temples and walked through the Tunnel of Nine Turns (another road carved into the side of the cliff). The entire time we were surrounded by constant beauty, either of the rolling green mountains or the staggering cliffs. The exposure to nature was much needed after so much time in the city.
On the way home, Allen stopped by the Pacific Ocean (while explaining the current and drop off that make it so dangerous to swim in). We sat on the beach, watching the waves crash onto the shore against a backdrop of cloud-shrouded mountains. It was a peaceful way to end a wonderful trip.
We said goodbye to Allen, however our day was not over. After resting for a couple of hours, we joined Anto, one of our new-found tour buddies, and cruised over the Hualien Night Market for dinner. We sampled a bit of everything, including octopus balls, soup dumplings, fresh watermelon, egg pancakes, sweet potato fries, and taro and milk tea ice cream (some of the best ice cream I've ever had). We walked home to the hostel, bellies full, feet tired and totally happy.
Do: Buy lots of different things and share among friends. Night Markets are a great way to sample many new and unique foods.
Our Mid Autumn Festival trip had it's ups and downs, but overall it was an amazing experience. It's trips like this that make moving halfway across the world and teaching small children all week worth it. In the beginning I wasn't sure I had made the right decision to move abroad. But after exclaiming "I can't believe how blue that water is" for the 553rd time in one day, it struck me that I ended up right where I needed to be.
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