The trip to Hualien was a spontaneous one, and it turned out to be full of surprises – not only because of the breathtaking scenery, but also because of the warmth of the people there.
Located on the east coast of Taiwan, Hualien is a charming seaside city, home to the famous Taroko Gorge – one of Taiwan’s top tourist attractions. However, since this was just a quick day trip, I didn’t venture into Taroko this time. Instead, I spent my day strolling along Qixingtan Beach and sampling local delicacies at Dongdamen Night Market.
Taroko, I’ll save you for another day!
At Qixingtan, I was stunned by the crystal-clear turquoise water – a jade-like blue stretching endlessly to the horizon. In the distance, mountain ridges ran along beneath the white clouds, making the entire scenery so majestic that I was left speechless.
Looking out at the vast ocean, I suddenly felt so small.
One thing that makes Hualien’s coastline different from many others is its pebble-covered beach. People say that if you can stack seven stones at Qixingtan Beach, good luck will follow. I gave it a try – and surprisingly, luck did come my way afterward.
Public buses in Hualien aren’t as frequent as in Taipei. We waited for a long time but no bus showed up to take us back to the city center, and to make things worse, rain clouds were starting to gather.
At that moment, a car stopped by and the driver offered to give us a lift. We were hesitant at first, but after waiting so long and feeling exhausted, we decided to accept.
The driver told us he had just finished work and was heading home in the city. That day he got off work early, and since his daughter wouldn’t finish school for another two hours, he had some spare time. On the way, he kindly picked up a few more stranded travelers and drove us all back to the city.
At that moment, we couldn’t help but wonder – was this good luck from stacking seven stones at Qixingtan already showing itself?
Bidding farewell to Qixingtan, we headed to Dongdamen Night Market. This is the largest night market in Hualien, featuring many seaside specialties such as giant grilled squid, bamboo-tube rice noodles, rice wine sausages, and of course, Hualien mochi.
One stall owner noticed how lost and weary we looked and invited us to sit inside his place. When we politely declined, he smiled and said, “No worries. Once you buy your food, feel free to come in and sit down to rest – I won’t charge you.”
It was at that moment I truly felt how kind and warm-hearted the people of Hualien are.
After finishing our meal, we quickly made our way to the train station to head back to Taipei. It was indeed a whirlwind trip, but one filled with delightful surprises.
I will surely return to Hualien again someday.