There is nothing more fun, in my opinion, than exploring new areas and new activities. My family decided to take the trek up and over the mountains from Taichung to Hualien. Most locals call this drive "trecherous". I can see why. Most of the 4 hour drive over the mountains is a single lane road with a series of mirrors at each curve to alert you of any oncoming traffic. The roads are steep and when it's raining they are quite slick. But the beauty and awe of the greenery and deep valleys make the drive well worth it. Another surprising perk was finding a Starbucks (we are major coffee drinkers) and a small Dutch architecture inspired town at the top of the mountains.
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| Dutch inspired architecture |
We made our way up the mountain with some amazing scenery and multiple opportunities to stop for photos.
Note: We found it best to leave early (8:00am) for Hualien. By the time we made it to the peak before heading down into Toroko Gorge, there were already quite a few tourists at each scenery stop.
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| There are multiple hiking opportunities. This is a scenery bridge at a designated scenic stop. |
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| The top of the world! Or at least it felt like it. |
As we made our way down the mountain the roads became much more narrow and steep. It would be best to avoid this drive during any rainfall as there are many areas prone to landslides. As we made our way into Toroko Gorge via the Guoliang Tunnel Road the drive turns into a series of twists and turns through tunnels carved out of the mountain's white marble interior. The valley of the gorge contains a twisting clear river. The drive is spectacular!
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| The Eternal Spring Shrine is the most visited tourist site along Toroko Gorge. |
The town of Hualien is buzzing with multiple restaurants of every ethnicity and many opportunities for shopping. We stayed at the Mola Mola Four Seasons Hotel (no swimming pool or activities for the kids but breakfast was included) and it was fine for us. We wanted to be somewhere centrally located. We were able to walk to restaurants and easily get to the main highway to drive to a local beach.
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| Downtown Hualien, Taiwan |
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| One of the many things I love about Taiwan: the various ways they shave their dogs. This Golden Retriever is shaved like a lion and seems very happy about it. Perfect! |
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| Walking down the street in Hualien |
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| Exploring a white sand beach just outside central Hualien. |
The best part of our trip to Hualien was finding a local hot spot. Actually, it was wonderfully cool and a little slice of heaven. We were pointed in the direction of a river at the base of the gorge when we asked someone where the best place to swim was.
Because I'm not exactly sure of the name of the town here are the driving directions to get there:
Once in Hualien Take Hwy 9 (Suhua Rd) North out of town. You'll see a sign with San San (Chinese symbol of 3,3) on it which is also called Sanzhan Rd. Turn left on Sanzhan Rd. and that will veer up towards the mountains a bit. Once you see the river take a left to follow the river around (before crossing over it). Follow that around until you come to a really small town (maybe 2 blocks from the time you took that last left). The river will be on your right. Enjoy your swim!
You're probably wondering, "What's the big deal? It's a river." First of all, the water is crystal clear and bright blue. Incredibly beautiful! Second, there are places to dive and jump off of large boulders. Third, the children from the local village are so fun to spend time with. This is the only river I'm aware of that is perfect for the whole family. Our 4 year old (who is not a strong swimmer) was able to splash around in 4 inches of water while 5 feet away our 7 year old was jumping off of a huge boulder into 12 feet deep water. The river has a bit of a current and the bottom is covered in medium-size round rocks, which can be hard on the feet. Rule of thumb: bring flip flops or swim shoes.
