20150825 | Taiwan Day 4 - Taroko Gorge, Hualien

Since the typhoon didn't actually hit when we arrived, the roads were fully open and we made an overnight trip down the west coast of Taiwan into Hualien. and along the way, drove partway down the Central Cross-Island  Highway, which goes through Taroko Gorge National Park.

A view from the mountainous highway as we drive south from Taipei.


One of the small towns on the side of the highway


Some of the constant fog surrounding the mountains




The bridge leading into one of the trails that require a permit in the park




At a visitor center at the eastern point where we turned around and headed back to the west coast.






Another bridge that was actually open to tourists - there was a sign posted saying that the maximum capacity of the bridge was 8 people, but there were many people who blatantly ignored the warnings.


Looking west from the bridge










The entrance to the bridge




On our way out of the park, we also took a detour up into an indigenous village visitor center of sorts.  This is the view after climbing up pretty steep winding road.




More of those foggy mountains


An example of the indigenous dwellings


The trip the rest of the way down into Hualien was mostly uneventful, just passing through a couple of small towns. We had ginger duck hotpot for dinner!


After dinner, we went out to the Hualien Night Market - While the market was still (mostly) open, the rain really killed the vibe and there wasn't a whole lot going on.




We did get to try some of the Taiwan craft beer (Basilai) - not much to say about it.. it tasted alright, but was a little bit funky going down.. possibly just the carbonation though.


Across the road from the night market was a bunch of sellers of rock / stone / wood crafts and their displays - I really love the redness of this lamp!


A McDonald's across the street from our hotel - I HAD to try the soft serve!  It tasted pretty much the same and was still thick, but was much more airy than the stateside counterpart.


Another local 85C


The street that we stayed on.


Our hotel had this HUGE window looking into the bathroom for some reason... It had blinds that we could close to get privacy, but it was still kinda funky, but we had some fun taking some pictures!