J-emine's reflexionando

By early afternoon we were on our way down the mountain onto the Central Cross- Island Highway, which will bring us to Taroko Gorge and onto the Su’ao – Hualien Highway, and finally to Hualien.

Due to certain constraints, we couldn’t embark on one of the many trails offered by Taroko , and was only able to stop at certain designated points of the ‘nine turn trail’ to semi- enjoy the marble gorges, the cliffs, sprawling river and the beautiful rocky terrains. It’s definitely on my list to head back there in the future to comb the trails, nonetheless we did manage to have a good look around and scored some beautiful shots.

The layover at Hualien would be the last night of our road trip before we head to Taipei for the last bit of our trip. First stop and the only touristy attraction we visited was – Chi-Hsing Tan (七星潭) – beautiful view of the pacific ocean, however it can’t beat the view from Qingshui Cliff (which I’ll get to in my next entry!).

Hualien’s a small city and easily accessible by foot – and being the last night we took it really easy, kinda like a wind-down before we head back to the city. We strolled around the town area (in search of food – read more below), soaked in the local atmosphere and ventured into the inner alleys to find little indie shops selling local clothes, books, music, housewares etc.Lovely find and my fav bit of Hualien.

Hualien remind me of Kampongs (reads: villages) in Malaysia, but with a tad more vibrancy and modernization. With that said, I do remember my Malaysian peeps telling me Taiwan resembles specific parts of Malaysia, even in similarities of culture and lifestyle, guess that contributes to the abundance of Malaysian students in Taiwan too, right?

Being such foodies with sweet tooth, we stopped to have shaved ice during our stroll. I can’t remember the names of the combination we chose, but I can definitely remember the awesomely- delicious yam cubes – and the chatters we had on life and what we each yearn to do with ours and the little things in life that stirs the fire and passion within us. Pleasant late-afternoon, very pleasant.

We were told we can’t leave Hualien without trying – Bian Shi  (another term for wanton, which is commonly used by Fujian dialect group) especially the ones from Yeh Hsiang Bian Shi (液香扁食店). There’s a photo of President Ma on the wall and sources (or grapevines) says it’s one of his favourite ‘Bian Shi’ restaurant.

If you’re a lover of wanton like me – you will surely love this dish, at NT 60 you get a bowl filled with 12 (I think?!) wonton simmered in a bland soup base, which you can spruce up the taste with chinese vinegar and pepper.

[Next up: Yilan]