Taiwan, Part I: Hualien & Yilan

After we traveled to northern Vietnam, we were excited to continue traveling around Southeast Asia. Trekking through Sa Pa really lit a fire under us to get back in nature and prioritize being outside more when we travel. This is something that is hard to get in Bangkok. We wanted to make a trip that was primarily focused on hiking and nature.

After hearing stories from friends and researching a bit we decided to travel to the island country of Taiwan for Emily’s winter break. It might not be a well known travel destination, but we soon learned that most of the island is mountains which means there are a ton of hiking trails. It is a Mecca for rock climbers. They just relaxed Covid restrictions and started allowing foreigners to enter. We were stoked to explore this stunning country, and booked our three hour plane tickets.

Unfortunately, life happens and soon after buying our plane tickets I was in back to back minor moto accidents and ended up tearing a few ligaments in my feet. Because of work, I couldn't take off the time I needed to allow my feet to fully heal and we had to rethink our trip to Taiwan.

Not only did my injuries set us back but when we began reading more about hikes the reality sunk in. While we have lots of experience with hiking in the US, specifically the PNW, the type of hiking that Taiwan offers was beginning to look a lot more intense than what we were used to. There are 268 peaks that are over 3,000m (9,800 ft). Most hiking blogs talked about "exposure to heights," and often wrote about the need to use ropes to ascend the steep trails. The hiking endeavor was looking a bit more complicated than we anticipated, also considering the weather during our visit and transportation difficulties.

With my feet injured and more intense hiking, we knew that what we initially thought the trip would look like soon needed to shift. Instead, we opted for shorter and much more accessible hikes with more city sightseeing. We weren’t disappointed by this, just different than our original idea. Flexibility is a required skill when traveling internationally.

After much deliberation as to which of the many beautiful parts we wanted to see in the country, we decided to primarily focus on the cities and counties of: Hualien, Yilan, Tainan and Taipei. We were excited to explore a new country, see some amazing sights, and try what we've been told is some of the best food in the world.

After looking into modes of transportation, Taiwan seemed pretty strict about foreigners needing an international driver’s license to rent a car/moto. So that was not an option for us. Instead, Taiwan has an expansive public transit network, so we knew we could take advantage of it. I think we managed to test out nearly all of the options from public buses, high speed rail, long-distance trains, skyways, subways and even rented bicycles to travel within each city.

To begin, we want to share some of our observations of what makes Taiwan unique from other places we have visited so far, and different from our current home in Thailand.

In no particular order:

Similarly to Thai people, Taiwanese people are very kind and welcoming. We were approached several times and asked where we were from, which isn’t abnormal, but it was usually followed by a friendly, “Welcome to Taiwan.” We were asked to be in two photos and a guy on a motorbike even stopped us to say hello and give us local candy to try, that was a new one! When we found ourselves in a difficult communication setting (which was relatively often since we don’t speak or read Mandarin), Taiwanese people were eager to use gestures to help us understand. They would do well playing charades.

The topography of Taiwan is breathtaking. Thousands of years ago it used to be connected to China when the water levels were much lower. Since then the water has risen, and the tops of the mountains have become an island. The island is almost entirely covered in mountain ranges. Bigger cities have settled on the west side of the island where there is some flatter land along the coast, while the east side has much smaller towns with cliff sides along the ocean in many parts. Mountains are always in view and in your face. It is magical. The ocean is close at all times.

It is clear Taiwanese people value and work to protect the natural beauty by the numerous parks and green spaces everywhere. Whether it was long bike trails or parks scattered throughout the city, the Taiwanese definitely promote an outdoor lifestyle.

This outdoor, active lifestyle is evident in all generations of Taiwanese people. We found lots of older folks, kids, and all ages in between at the top of mountains, or biking and jogging in the parks (this is different from our experience in the US). The parks and trails were well maintained and the areas we visited were well-developed, even having handicap accessibility in most places, which is impressive.

The impressive development in the country was evident and contrasting to Thailand and even the US. The transportation system was consistently impressive. Pleasant jingles play whenever a train arrives, a different tune depending on the station you are at. Trains are even cleaner, nicer, and quieter than in Thailand (which was a shock to us). The only transportation snafu we had was with a local random bus in a small town we visited, but other than that the trains, buses, and subways are frequent, on time, and convenient.

We learned a bit about the garbage system which involved another pleasant jingle when the different trucks come around so you know to bring down your trash. They have garbage, recycling, and compost pick-up. The catchy tunes made what is normally a gross experience kind of endearing.

In Thailand there are TONS of cafes, mostly coffee. They have learned that Western visitors like them and they are very trendy right now. In Taiwan, on the other hand, they are still quite steeped in the tea culture. On every block there are many tea shops where you can buy boba tea or the local teas that are grown throughout the country. Emily loved this and tried many different types, as well as learned about the traditional tea making process brought over by the Japanese and Chinese that you can take part in at teahouses. There are more and more coffee shops popping up in Taiwan, especially in Taipei but tea is still dominant.

Another beverage we noticed in Taiwan was the wider beer selection compared to Thailand and Vietnam. There were many local craft beer companies as well as fancy cocktail bars all over Taipei. In Thailand there are basically three Thai beers due to the monopoly of the large companies, so to have this access was heavenly. We felt like we were back in Seattle, especially because we even got to drink several different ciders! Each night we tried different local beers.

Lastly, one activity we enjoy while traveling, in Asia at least, is the night markets. Taiwan is known for its night markets, which were different from Thailand in a few ways. Taiwan night markets offer three main activities: clothes, games, and food. In general the quality of clothing was better than in Thailand’s market. There were loads of different games whether they were carnival games, the famous claw machines, or playing Mahjong, every market was filled with them. These games made the markets family friendly and could keep the kids entertained for hours. The food was similar to Thailand in that it was very diverse, cheap, and brought lots of crowds. Most of the Taiwanese food we consumed was either from night markets or street stalls.

Similarly to Thailand, Taiwan has loads of temples. However, there were definitely more Confucius temples in Taiwan due to the stronger Chinese influence. There were lots of Buddhist and Taoist temples as well. We also noticed the more prominent female representation at the temples and within the religious spaces and iconography.

Finally, an observation that made our stay one more level-up in comfort. The toilet options. You don’t realize the various methods people around the world use until you experience them. Specifically speaking, the beautiful bidets available at most places in Taiwan.

While we only spent two weeks in Taiwan, it felt much longer. We were immersed and enjoyed ourselves. This post will be broken down by location, and we will share some highlights from our time in each city/county.

Hualien City

We really should learn by now that if you need to catch a bus or train after you arrive in any country to make it to your actual destination, you should allot more transition time than you think. The transportation to our first leg of the journey started with quite a BANG.

After landing, we had to pass through immigration, exchange our money, and buy SIM cards at the airport. If we hadn’t been first in line for each errand we would have missed our first train transfer. Then if we hadn’t run through the Taipei Main Station, we would have been out of luck. If we hadn’t changed trains to the express, we wouldn’t have made it to Hualien.

Thankfully we made it to the train platform with 10 minutes to spare. I ran to get us some food to sustain us the rest of our journey. As I stepped back on the platform, the train had just arrived and I jumped on the train. Emily was waiting for me at our seats with a face I know all too well. (Zoiks…)

Despite the frantic adventure it was to finally get on the train, we sighed in relief and accomplishment.

The next two days in Hualien would be absolutely breathtaking.

Hualien sits at the mouth of Taroko Gorge on the east side of the island. Taroko Gorge is one of the most stunning scenic attractions in the country. It includes views of the dramatic, steep valley carved out by the Liwu River. The marble designs in the rock are magnificent. The rock formations visible through the park are astounding. Emily really enjoyed this rock-focused endeavor considering her little girl dream to be a geologist.

After researching about navigating the national park to enjoy the top sights, it became clear you need your own transportation. Since we wouldn’t have personal transportation, we decided to pay to be part of a small tour group to see many of the popular spots at Taroko Gorge in one day. This turned out to be a great choice!

We woke up early on our first day to be picked up by our guide, Alan. Alan is a 6’4” Taiwanese man who loves basketball and traveling. He has been all around the world and won’t hesitate to tell you he is single and ready to mingle. We picked up a Filipino family of four and a couple from the U.S..

Together we rode in Alan’s van to all our destinations. Some of our favorite stops on the guided tour were Qingshui Cliffs, Shakadang Trail, and Swallow Grotto.

Our first stop, technically outside the national park, was to see the Qingshui Cliffs. It’s a view that looks out onto the Pacific Ocean as well as the dramatic cliffs that sit against the ocean. The dramatically high mountains next to the beautiful clear blue ocean water was amazing. Because of the cliff sides, this portion of the ocean is illegal to swim in due to the dangerous, unexpected currents in the ocean. With a slight breeze, we took time to soak in the 70 degree weather that we usually don’t get in Bangkok. We knew our time in Taiwan would be special.

As soon as we entered the national park, our surroundings felt otherworldly. We stopped to walk along the Shakadang Trail for a few kilometers. The turquoise colored water was as clear as can be! Alan told us that it is illegal to enter the water within the park due to so many accidents. Although, he has friends who own parts of the land and he goes in all the time. He said that he befriended some of the food stalls that are at the end of the trail that allow his guests to get a closer look at the water behind their stalls.

At the end of the trail we tried the well-known aboriginal foods like Ma Gao sausages. The locals hand pick the ma gao, or mountain pepper, and use it to season their homemade sausage. Alan picked some bird's nest fern nearby to eat with it. Afterwards, we walked down towards the water to take a few photos before heading back on the trail.

One of our favorite parts of the day was visiting Swallow Grotto. It’s a road that follows the rock face where cars drive by, and people can walk along the side to look out at the ravine and grottos. This is one of the best trails to see the picturesque views of Taroko. We were instructed to wear helmets in case of a rock fall. The ravine was beautiful.

We packed in a lot into one day seeing many sites that Taroko Gorge has to offer. It truly is a magical place with well built structures that allow tourists and locals to see within its walls. The few suspension bridges we walked provided a unique view over the valley throughout the park.

There have been numerous natural disasters over the years that have destroyed the roads, bridges, and tunnels, but the Taiwanese people always find a way to repair them and improve the design with each evolution.

Here you can see the old road next to the new, improved one.

Due to the danger involved in building all of this infrastructure at the park, there is a shrine, called Changchun Shrine (Eternal Spring Shrine), that honors them and keeps their sacrifice at the front of visitors’ minds. We visited it on our way into the park.

While we only saw snippets, we can only imagine what lies even further at Taroko. Other places we got to see and explore on this guided tour were the Changuang Temple, enjoyed Lunch at Taroko Village Hotel, Buluowan Terrace, and the Tunnel of Nine Turns.

Our day ended with Alan dropping us off at a recommended dumpling place near our stay for dinner. We considered this our first Taiwanese meal since we arrived. It was pretty good! We even walked down the road and tried some pork buns as well.

As it has become a nightly routine on our travels, we opted to pick up a few local beers at the 7-Eleven and took them back to our hotel to relax. A budget-traveler’s nightcap.

With just one more full day in Hualien, we wanted to make it count.

We rented bicycles from our hotel and headed to lunch. A waitress who knew broken English graciously gave us her phone to see pictures of the menu items. We picked a few dishes that looked good including the infamous stinky tofu. We weren’t sure what stinky tofu was all about but we were told it was a must try while in Taiwan.

The overall meal was great. We ordered too much food but that was alright. The stinky tofu definitely stunk up the place. It smelled like manure from Mexico, but when it came to what it tasted like, I didn’t think it had much of a taste. It mainly tasted like the broth it came in. Emily claimed there was a foul aftertaste. At any rate, I am glad I tried it but it doesn’t need to become a regular thing.

We biked to a park sandwiched between a hospital and a university. After walking and enjoying the fall-like weather we noticed a huge building and wondered what it was.

We saw a sign for “Visitors” so we headed over to it, unsure of what we would find. We immediately were approached by two women who were eager to welcome us but knew no English. They frantically called a man to come down and talk to us. Soon we heard rapid footsteps and within minutes we were learning about the Buddhist Tzu Chi Charity Foundation. Even though we said we only had about 20 minutes to chat and have a tour, an hour later we had learned all about the refugee efforts, the frequent response to natural disasters, and the many other research and educational programs that they have around the world. I was confused most of the time as to what the foundation was, but Emily enjoyed learning about the Buddhist Master Cheng Yen’s approach to service and humanitarian aid.

After our random detour with the charitable buddhists, we rode our bikes to a beach park along the Pacific coast. With the mountains in the background and the crashing waves, it was a wonderful sight. We stayed to watch the waves for a bit and collect a few marble rocks before heading out.

We noticed a bike trail through the beach park, and decided to follow it all the way back to our hotel. The trail went along the coastline almost the entire way back. It took longer than expected, but the views made it well worth it.

When we returned, we saw a sports bar with a happy hour sign. We stopped in to drink good cider, eat greasy pizza, and watch NBA. It was a blast.

When we finished, we checked out Dongdamen Night Market. Because it was during the week, it wasn’t very crowded. We heard that Taiwan’s night markets were some of the best in the world but our first one was a dud for the time we went. I am sure it would be way more busy with more entertainment during the weekend.

Without disappointment, we loved our time in Hualien. The area’s natural beauty wowed us and it was definitely a great start to our trip.

Restaurants/Night Markets:

Ba Fang Yun Ji
周家蒸餃小籠包 - Dumplings/Buns
He Jia Huan Restaurant
Salt Lick (火車頭烤肉屋)
T.K.K. Fried Chicken
Dongdamen Night Market

Yilan County (Luodong, Yilan, Taipingshan, and Jiaoxi):

The train ride north was quick with lots to see out the window. Yilan is a county in the northeastern part of Taiwan. It is made up of three small towns, Yilan, Loudong, and Jiaoxi that are all within a 10 minute train ride. When we arrived at the Yilan Train Station, we put our bags in a storage locker while we explored around the town.

Like Hualien, these smaller town wastes no time getting you sucked into what they have to offer. As soon as you step out of the station, there are restaurants, things to do, and more ready for you.

Our first stop was a tea house Em found in a restored traditional Japanese house, down a random small alley. The owner didn’t seem to be expecting anyone, especially American travelers with no Chinese skills. Despite the language barrier, he was very hospitable and took us to a room where we sat on the floor. Em chose an Oolong tea from the high mountains in Taiwan and the owner showed her how to perform the tea ceremony. We enjoyed the ambiance for a while before departing.

On our way to lunch, we walked the length of Yilan Riverside Park. It was windy and slightly cold but because this weather and temperature is foreign to us in Bangkok, we savored its gloominess.

Lunch was near the train station at a dumpling place. We had dumplings, buns, siu mai, and a few new dishes unfamiliar to us.

When it was time to check into our hotel, we took a local train to Luodong, the town just south of Yilan. While getting the hotel in Luodong was a mistake on my part, it turned out to be a super cool area. Our hotel was just a block from the train station next to several restaurants, bars, shops, etc.

We waited until the Luodong Night Market was open before heading out to peruse the aisles and eat street food for dinner. The night market was poppin. This became one of our favorite night markets of the entire trip. The smaller streets made for lots of smushed people walking in opposite directions but we were there for it. The smells were amazing and flashy signs were everywhere. Because Taiwan just recently opened its borders and this town was particularly small, we were the only white people we saw there.

We quickly knew which stalls were the popular ones with long lines next to their stalls. We stopped at several to try what they had to offer.

Whether it was a fried bun filled with pork and scallions or ice cream wrapped in a thin dough with peanut shavings and coriander, the food was really tasty.

One of our favorite days and most brutal on our bodies was our hike up to Mt. Sanjialun, popularly known as Matcha Mountain. We took a local train north to Jiaoxi and grabbed a quick bite before heading to the trailhead.

We saw people of all ages making their way up the mountain so we figured this would be somewhat of an easy hike. The views online looked stunning and it wasn’t too long of a hike. Neither of us brought our hiking shoes so my Vans would have to do. This turned out to be a big mistake.

Near the base, you could take a slight detour to check out three tiers of waterfalls called Wufengqi Waterfalls. They were actually really impressive and well worth the detour.

At the start of the hike is the Cathedral Sanctuary of Our Lady of Wufengqi which marks the fact that this trail used to be a Catholic pilgrimage. Halfway up the trail is the Marian Hut, which was built by an Italian monk in 1977.

The hike up the Marian Hiking Trail was just under six kilometers to reach the top. While that doesn’t seem like that long, this hike was intense. It was relentless with virtually no flat sections. It was all uphill from the get go. In fact, it just got steeper and steeper the closer you got to the top. The mid-section was filled with forested tree coverage, which was beautiful.

It took us about 3 hours to reach the top. Near the top you could turn around and see the Pacific Ocean along with all the commercial fishing farms nearby. At that point, it can become quite windy because the trees don’t grow at that high of altitude.

Before reaching the top, I found a small nook and took refuge for a short break. I didn’t have my inhaler and all the jagged rocks were doing a number on my thin soled, injured feet. Em went ahead and I continued shortly after.

As you make your way up to the viewing platform, there are images that depict Jesus carrying the cross. These reminded me of the pictures I’ve seen on the pews in Catholic churches. It was a bit out of place, in my opinion, but in retrospect it makes sense since this used to be a religious pilgrimage route and the walk is strenuous.

With a 360 degree view at the top, we were in awe. With no protection from the wind and cold, you couldn’t stay too long but boy was the view incredible. One side you had the ocean and the other was just a straight look into several valleys and mountains that go for miles and miles. The mountainsides were covered in silvergrass that swayed in the wind. It was a little trippy to watch, and just beautiful to take in.

Technically you can take the trail even further to have a higher view but we opted to stop here. There was a small building for hikers to seek shelter. We rested for a while before heading back down. The way down was steep but much faster of course. Overall the hike was difficult but well worth it for the amazing views.

We took a bus back to town and noticed signs for a “hot spring festival.” There were places everywhere to either enjoy the swimsuit-less pools or dip your feet in for a soak at the parks. We opted for the latter since our feet were killing us.

A local attraction we saw and decided to try out was a fish spa. It consists of small pools of water filled with little fish that eat the dead skin off your feet. The water was warm and as soon as you dipped your feet into the pool, the fish swarmed your feet and began nibbling. It honestly felt like tiny electrical shocks and took me a long time to get comfortable with it. I know they do things like this back in the states at luxury spas and the like, but it was less than a dollar per person with no time limit, free water and towels. Well worth checking out.

Since we had been cold all day on the mountain, we ended the night with some nourishing beef noodle soup and a quick trip to the night market for some snacks.

On Christmas Day we decided to check out an area called Taipingshan.

It's a beautiful national forest in the Central Range of the mountains in Taiwan. It includes the Nanhu mountain range in the south and the Sanshing Mountain Range in the center. It is covered in forest due to the high humidity from the winds coming in from the Pacific Ocean. This area has lots of Taiwan Cypress and Beech trees. It used to be aboriginal land, but in 1906 the Japanese people discovered the huge beautiful trees and decided to develop it for forestry. The “golden age” for this area was from 1916-1936. The logging operations ended in 1974 and it became a recreational area in 1983. Now, tourists enjoy the outdoors and ride along the old logging routes to enjoy the forest.

This area is more popular for local tourists from Taipei, so we were the only white people embarking on this adventure. In the end it was worth it for the amazing views and time in nature. But we had a bit of a hard time figuring out the local bus route due to the language barrier. Finally, we had our bus tickets and motion sickness pills ready for the journey. It took just under three hours to get to the national forest. The roads were very windy as we continued to go up and up into the mountains. The scenery was gorgeous.

Once we arrived, there wasn’t too much to do outside of a few small trails and something called the Bong Bong Train. That sounded interesting to us so we bought tickets and waited for the next train. While we waited we walked around and followed some small trails through an amazing cypress forest and up to a temple.

This was the coldest day of our trip, and unfortunately we weren’t really prepared for it. The Bong Bong Train is an open air cart that used to be used for logging so it didn’t provide any protection from the brisk temperatures or winds. My Bangkok bod wasn’t used to all this higher altitude, cold weather. I was shivering to say the least.

The slow train ride turned out to only take about twenty minutes since the rest of the route was not in working condition. The views were amazing but I wished the train ride was longer. The train drops you off at Maosing Trail and returns about an hour later. This was just enough time to walk down the main trail to see the rest of the train tracks that were mostly broken but quite picturesque with the overgrown plants all around.

After the Bong Bong Train we were quite frigid, so we waited for our bus back to Loudong in a cafe to warm up.

On the way back down the mountain, we made an unexpected stop at a hot spring for about an hour. There you can rent a bamboo basket and buy some eggs and/or ears of corn to boil in the hot spring. It was a fun experience with lots of people.