Monday, October 30, 2023

Hualien, Taiwan (Taroko National Park….

 

Taiwan!

With Japan in the rear view mirror, we woke up as we arrived in Hualien, Taiwan.  This is our first visit to Taiwan.  We were excited to visit a new country and one we had heard so many good things about in the past.  We were fortunate to have a bit of “insider information” from Mei-Ling White.  Mei-Ling is married to one of Beth’s cousins.  She was born in Taiwan and has been very helpful in helping us with some great ideas.  Thanks Mei-Ling!

Taiwan is about the size of the state of Maryland and has a population of around 23 million.  It is considered by most to be a part of China, although it does function  independently and has its own elected leaders.  It is known as a leader in technology, especially in the development and production of microchips.  

Over millions of years, shifts in the earth’s plates formed the island.  This upward push has formed a large mountain range that covers much of the center part of the island from north to south.  Our first impressions were great as we saw a beautiful coastline with lush green mountains as a backdrop as we were sailing in.  

Our goal for our day in Hualien was to head for the mountains…..or at least the gorge that has been created over time.  The gorge is located inside Taroko National Park, which is one of Taiwan’s nine National Parks.   The uniqueness of the gorge is not only its massive size, but that the rock walls of the gorge are marble. 

Watching over the entrance to the gorge!

Although other options such as taxi, public transportation or independent tour operators were available, we opted to take a ship sponsored excursion.  It was the kind of excursion we like.  Our guide provided a bit of information on the country, park, gorge, etc. but then we had plenty of free time to hike a bit and enjoy some time at the very nice National Park Visitors Center.   

We did a little over two miles on the Shakadang Trail….there are a couple of pictures from along the trail below. 

Marble walls hundreds of feet above us and crystal clear water below

There were low overhangs along portions of the trail. Somehow I came out unscathed!

Shrine of the Eternal Spring…..hope it works!

Monastery above the Shrine of the Eternal Spring

It was a winding road through the gorge!

We had a little time left after our scheduled tour stops so we enjoyed a nice walk along a beach path. 

It was a fantastic first day in Taiwan.  We are so happy that we have two more days to explore more of this beautiful country!  Mei-Ling was right, we love it here!