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Day 5 - Hualien - Taroko Gorge

We didn't really plan where to go and what to do in Hualien but the drivers and hotel receptionist were all saying Taroko Gorge is like a must go when you visit Hualien.

The hotel actually provides half day and full day Taroko Gorge tour but as we need to catch the 3pm train back to Taipei they recommend us to hire a driver to bring us up to Taroko Gorge then can drive us straight to the station thereafter.

We chose this option since the price is still quite reasonable, though I can't really remember how much it costs but should be less than SGD70 or way less ba.

Let's talk about the breakfast at Bayview hotel.
it's pretty decent and so much better than the breakfast provided at TS Hotel. Well, as all these hotels are more of bed and breakfast kind, don't expect the kind of typical 4-5 star hotel buffet spread standard.

nice cosy cafeteria for breakfast, they even have bao too! decent spread i must say..


After breakie, there's still time, hence we explore the hotel a little. There's actually a top deck where we can enjoy the sun, breeze and view on top of the hotel.
The hotel's not very tall though, only 8 storeys haha...


view from the top deck and yes weather is still gloomy.

though weather is gloomy it still feels so serene standing there, enjoying the breeze...

there's this castle looking hotel nearby too..hmm sure doesn't look cheap

the other side of the view is the little town...peaceful, quiet little town with lots of friendly people i guess! we were venturing around on Day 1 and this uncle staying there ask if we're lost and where are we headed to, he promptly gave us the correct direction to the sea thereafter..so nice! 

actually the whole hotel's theme is Nautica so from the room to the building, everything feels so nautica..

tadah, talk about being nautica themed..lol

So after our final exploration of Hotel Bayview,  it's time to bring our luggage down and for our driver to pick us to go to Taroko Gorge.
It is really a Must go when you visit Hualien ya. No regrets at all...it's such a beautiful place especially if you're a nature lover, you'll love it.

The photos we've taken just do not do justice to the place at all, you have to be there to experience and to hear the pleasant rhythm coming from the streams and waterfall yourself.

The following will be a image heavy post:

love the sound coming from the streams....





ok weather is getting gloomy, thank god it poured just when we were finishing our tour...


amazed by the different colour of puddles in the stream, it can be totally transparent at certain spots, a deep green in some and a very nice blue in some! i love the blue lakes..omg..so pretty...can you spot the little bluish puddle on the top left?


there you go, a green puddle

we heard there're tons of marble here too! from mother nature and there used to be people picking the rocks till the Government banned it.

oh here it is..spotted the nice blue stream? omg so pretty!!!



 Oh this gentleman right in front of us is actually a very nice uncle who came from Taizhong. Hearing us talk, he spoke to us and ask where are we from. he even walked and explored the place a little with us and walk back out with us together.
Funny though he had this impression that Singaporeans are very rich...hmmm....


getting foggy....

this bridge looks so exciting to be on!


oh for this Yan Zi Kou. gotta wear helmet cos there're cases of falling rocks...ahaha...

water here looks as though it's from the volcano..ahaha.


clever Mr. Keir took a video of the place and stream instead so that we can hear the  nature in the video and bring that piece of nature back with us..hehz...

lots of walking, so make sure you're wearing something comfy..i'm glad i have my fitflops, no regrets spending so much on it.



oh can you tell what animal does this rock resemble?
all the rock formations here are natural, not man-made.

also the hill on the right, does it look like a tribal red indian?


After exploring Taroko Gorge, our driver brought us to this shop to purchase some local snacks and souvenirs.

so what are the must buy local products in Hualien?
Other than their chilli we heard it's actually Muah Chee (mochi)
so we bought some of them back, the prices were reasonable for the normal range but they have some luxurious boxes that costs SGD25 and above for very few pieces.

The shop assistants were so nice and kept insisting us to wear their tribal costumes and take a photo as souvenir...so here we are...


ahaha they even have props to go with it...

so this is our last meal in Hualien at the train station. Fried rice and some beef stew...not too bad....
it was raining and storming super heavily by the time we got to the train station, thank god we brought out brollies with us.
So it's back to Taipei and to check in our hotel, Star Beauty Resort near Shih Lin night market...

Day 1 Taiwan Honeymoon: Singapore - Taipei, TS Hotel
Day 2 Taiwan Trip: Jiufen & Taipei Main Citymall
Day 3: Zhongxiao Dunhua Rd, Wufenpu and Raohe Night Market
Day 4: How to travel from Taipei to Hualien
Day 5 - Hualien - Taroko Gorge
Day 6 & 7: Star Beauty Resort Hotel Review- Taipei Shihlin Market, Miramar Entertainment Centre
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