Hualien
Trip Start
Feb 04, 2005
1
15
39
Trip End
Ongoing
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Hualien, Taiwan
Thursday, April 7, 2005
According to the Lonely Planet guide book, one should take a bus ride from Suao to Hualien. The bus route passes through many breathtaking views that one should not miss. However, they left out one very important piece of information and that is, how to take the bus! I tried in vain to find the bus but eventually had to settle on a train ride or risk spending another night in Suao.
Taroko National Park
I got up early the next day to catch a bus to go to the Taroko National Park. As I was waiting for the bus a taxi lady offered to drive me around the national park for NT1,800 round trip. She said it was a special deal just for me because she usually charges the same price for only one-way trips. I politely declined her offer since the bus ticket only cost NT71 and I planned to do most of the exploring on foot anyway.
When I got to the park, a park ranger who spoke perfect English gave me a map of the park with all the trails highlighted. She asked me how many hours I plan to spend at the park and based on that information, she made suggestions as to what trails to take. The park is huge so in order to see it all; one definitely has to spend several days there.
Since I plan to spend only one day, I decided to hit two of the most popular trails, Shakadan and the Tunnel of Nine Turns trail.
The trails take hikers through some of the most spectacular canyons and waterfalls. In the Tunnel of Nine Turns, one really appreciates how difficult it must have been to cut into solid rocks on the side of the mountain to make those tunnels. According to the Lonely Planet, this is Taiwan's top tourist destination. I can see why.
