My Travel Journal: Taiwan with Family 2012: Day 5

On day 5 we set out to the famous Taroko National Park. As arranged on the previous day, our taxi driver 小萱 picked us up at our hotel in the morning at 9. Along the way, she shared with us the history of HuaLien and Taroko Gorge and pointed out the interesting or significant buildings when we passed by. Within less than an hour, we were greeted by the iconic signage of 東西橫貫公路, which also marked the entrance of the national park.

The Taroko Gorge stretches over 19 km and the landscape consists mainly of mountain, marble cliff and the Liwu River. The best way to appreciate the natural beauty of the park is hiking along the different trails, which vary in lengths and difficulty.

小萱 dropped us off at the starting point of each walking trail, gave a brief introduction and allowed plenty of time for us to explore the park. The trails took us through tunnels, over the river, along the cliff and into the forest. We were able to visit most major attractions along the gorge, including 燕子口、九曲洞步道、砂卡噹步道、綠水、天祥、慈母橋、長春祠. The landscape and the plantations seemed to change with every trail. The scenery was stunning and the weather was spectacular that day, which made the hike especialy enjoyable.

The picturesque Taroko Gorge

After a whole morning of hiking, it was time to send my brother off for his flight back to Hong Kong. The train ticket was booked for HuaLien station to TaiPei station. We thought that we would drop him off at 新城站, which was closest from the national park and one stop away from HuaLien. But as soon as my brother approached the staff at the station with his ticket, he was told that the Taroko Express would not stop at 新城站! None of the other trains would arrive soon enough for him to catch up so the only way to make that train was to drive back to HuaLien station. The five of us jumped back on the taxi and made our way back to the HuaLien city. We were all very nervous as there were only 20 minutes left for a trip that would normally take 30 minutes. Thanks to 小萱 who took a short cut to the station we made it to the station in 16 minutes!

After sending our brother off on his train in a safe and timely manner, we continued the itinerary of the day, which was 七星潭風景區 located between HuaLien city and Taroko national park. Despite its name 七星潭 is actually a beach in the shape of the crescent, its whole length covered with big and small pebbles. A park built next to the beach features sculptures by local artists made of the famous HuaLien marble, a few shelters and a children's playground.
We found a shaded spot in the park with a paranomic view of the bay and sat down for a picnic. Lunch included bread from a local bakery, 八寶粥 and soy milk. Then we walked down to the beach, which was not crowded at all. Crystal clear water stretched endless in front of us and the sound of the waves was very peaceful and soothing. We spent some time on the beach enjoying the scenic view before heading back to HuaLien in our taxi.

The park