4ever Discovering
Hualien: The Hottest Spot Around
Better watch your step when you walk, you might find some marble!
Hualien has got to be the MOST popular town to visit in Taiwan. To buy a train ticket from Taipei to Hualien, you need to try to get them 2 weeks in advance, and MAYBE you will get lucky. Tickets go on sale at midnight; it’s like you are trying to buy concert tickets to see the last Hip concert or something. Unfortunately, the first time Emily and I tried to order our tickets, we were unsuccessful. We stayed up way past our bedtime to try to get on the train and we came up short. Luckily for us, our friend has connections at the train station and she was able to get us tickets! It’s all about who you know. However, these tickets were for the trip that was cancelled due to the typhoon. After all of that hard work trying to buy the tickets, we didn’t even end up going.
Our next attempt at buying train tickets was, once again, unsuccessful. I think maybe we need to try to stop buying them for a long weekend; maybe our chances might be a little better! Now, just because we didn’t buy a seat for the train, doesn’t mean we still can’t ride it. This is the fun fact about trains in Asia: even though the train is full, you can still buy a ticket to stand. It doesn’t seem so bad, but standing for 3 hours isn’t very fun. We weren’t too keen on the 3 hour train ride, so we took a bus to Luodong and then caught the train from there. Overall, it still took about 3 hours, but at least we were able to sit on the bus. If you are ever stuck in the same situation, don’t be afraid to sit in the middle of the aisle in the train. You can start the trend like we did!
When we arrived in Hualien, we were greeted with lots of rain. Being on the east coast, you can imagine that this town gets a lot of downpour over the year. Good thing we aren’t made of sugar, or this rain might have ruined our trip. You always have to make the best out of any situation. Here are some tips you should know if you want to visit Hualien:
1. This place is COVERED in marble. When you walk down the streets, the sidewalks are marble. Everywhere you look, you think about how much money it is worth! It’s absolutely beautiful and crazy to think that no one tries to damage it. The only downside is when it rains (which is a lot), the marble is slippery to walk on. I advise you NOT to wear your cheap, Old Navy, rubber sandals. Save yourself some wipe-outs.
2. Hualien is known for their Mochi. Mochi is a rice ball dessert that can be filled with different flavours. My personal favourite was the peanut one; it is probably the closest thing to Reese Peanut Butter Cups I can get here. Mochi is a great souvenir if you travel here; however, it doesn’t last very long so it’s not ideal to ship home. Sorry guys! I will eat enough of it for everyone. I also bought this seaweed snack that was surprisingly good; maybe I will ship some of them home as a treat.
This town is somewhere you can easily get lost in. We wandered the streets for hours and came across some unique stores that really give you an idea about what Taiwan is like. There was this one store we stumbled upon that resembles an antique shop. Once you go inside, you see it sells the weirdest collection of knick knacks thrown together in a shop. The more you dig, the more you start to realize how awesome these would be as souvenirs, and then walk out of the store about $50 poorer. My bad.
One last place you need to visit in Hualien is the night market. Yes, surprise, surprise, another night marker to venture to. This one was different; it almost reminded me of a carnival. All of the vendors were stationed in shops that looked like cabins lined up. You could buy everything from little knick knacks to local food. If you really wanted to, you could even play some carnivals games like throwing the darts to pop the balloons. Emily and I were pretty hungry, so we stuck to buying food. We found a stuffed chicken breast (stuffed with rice), fried squid, shrimp wontons, and burritos. We needed a little western food with all of our new dishes! The food was amazing; nothing more to say. Maybe it was because we were starving, but the food tasted extra delicious.
If I can leave you with one piece of advice, it is to visit Hualien. Stop whatever you are doing and start planning. This town is filled with hidden gems; everywhere you look there is something to explore. Whether it is beaches, hiking, or wandering around the streets, Hualien has something to do for everyone. If you’re lucky, you may even find a hostel right beside an AWESOME burger joint. It also doesn’t hurt that Taroko National Park is only about 15 minutes away either; you can get lost in nature day after day.
