We travelled out of Taipei City for some sightseeing. In my original itinerary, I had wanted to take the public transport of train and buses to our destinations. It would give us the flexibility of time, save on costs, and allow us to immerse with the local community. Instead we hired a taxi for 2 days, went to far away places, travelled with ease & peace, and sat in comfort. In hindsight, lacking the preparation and local knowledge, it would have been difficult to move about on our own. It was the right decision to hire a taxi for our day trips.
Prior to my arrival to Taiwan, I made contact with Kevin, a local taxi driver (that is his cartoons loaded taxi) operating within Taipei City and surroundings. I came to know of his service from a forum. We exchanged texts via Line and agreed on the destinations & price.
Through his recommendation, which was to maximise a day's worth, we travelled out to Hualian 花莲.
花莲 is at the eastern part of Taiwan. From Taipei City, it is over 3 hours of car journey. As we did not make plan to stay a night there, we have to make it as a day trip.
We left the city at 05:30 in the morning, and after a couple hours of inland driving, we were greeted by this spectacular coastal view.
The sea coast is in amazing blue. With plenty of sunshine and a great weather, we made several stops to take in the view.
The best thing about having a hired vehicle is, you can make stops as you like, take your time to stroll and capture wonderful moments.
One of the stops we made was to this dragon fruit plantation. Thanks to Kevin, we had sweet tasting organic fruits.
Our purpose to 花莲 is to visit The Taroko National Park 太魯閣國家公園.
Taroko, which means magnificent & beautiful, is exactly its namesake.
Crossing the suspension bridge needs a permit, which we did not have. Visitor can apply at the tourist information centre before entering into the park.
Taroko Gorge and it surrounding beauty.
Passing through Tunnel of Nine Turns 九曲洞.
To enjoy the view, we got off the car and walked along the protected edge.
We took our time to explore the area by foot.
Taroko Gorge, formed by a rushing river cutting through it, is also known as The Marble Gorge.
The distinct marble pattern of black, grey and white.
Some parts of the drive have to be protected from falling rocks.
My lovely wife walking ahead but constantly catching my attention.
Our taxi got into an accident. The lady in blue reversed and hit our taxi on the side. Police has to be called in, and here's Kevin explaining the situation to the authority.
Tian Feng Pagoda 天峰塔 at Tian Xiang 天祥. It is a 20 mins climb to reach the pagoda, which offers an all directional view of the surrounding mountains.
Entry gate to the pagoda & temple up on the hill.
Descending from the top.
天祥 is a popular area where visitors stop to have a break. This is where we had our lunch too.
Eternal Spring Shrine 長春祠 commemorates those who died constructing the highway.
Visitors making their way to the shrine.
Although the trip was marred by a silly act that caused a delay (both drivers have to report to the police station to give a statement and have a breath analyser test), I would still classify our day trip to 太魯閣國家公園 as fruitful. Despite the long journey to & fro, we were able to see some amazing natural formations and breathtaking ocean coasts. Our tired legs might be hurting later, but our hearts and mind have now been refreshed.
And another travel trip awaiting....
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