Trip Overview:
Day 1: Morning 臺北(Taipei) – >花蓮(Hualien)
Day 2: 花蓮(Hualien)
Day 3: 花蓮(Hualien)
Day 4: Evening 花蓮(Hualien) -> 臺北(Taipei)
Why Should I Go?
My personal opinion is that Hualien, more specifically Taroko Gorge is the most beautiful part of Taiwan. If that isn’t reason enough I don’t know what is. Seafood is quite good as it is near the Eastern Coast. I haven’t eaten better fried squid elsewhere. If you are daring enough you can ride a motorized scooter which I think to be quite fun. In a town with WAY less cars than Taipei, I would consider it safer and a must do in Taiwan.
Trip Expense Report
| Category | Totals |
| Accommodation | NTD 1,300.00 |
| Scooter Rental | NTD 850.00 |
| Food/Drinks | NTD 2,000.00 |
| Transportation | NTD 880.00 |
| Trip Total= | NTD 5,030.00 ~ US$168 |
** It must be noted that we had a group of over 10 people, plus we rented a nice apartment (the whole thing) during our stay. You could save a lot of money staying at a much cheaper place but (NT$325/night) is quite cheap. Also, Scooter rental is calculated by NT$500/day but split as two riders split the cost along with NT$200 for gas which is then split as well. Food and Drinks is calculated by spending NT$500/day which is quite reasonable.
Things We Did:
- Toured around on Scooter
- Played with Fireworks
- Nanbin Night Market 南濱夜市
- Taroko Gorge
- Chi Sing Tan Beach 七星潭海灣
- Qingshui Cliff 清水斷崖
- Plenty of other things to do!
Things We Ate:
- Fried Squid (Nightmarket)
- Famous Fried Green Onion Pancake with Fried Easy Egg [Can’t remember Chinese Name.]
- Fresh Mango Slush
- BBQ Meat on a Stick
- Seafood
Tips and Tricks:
- Chances are you can probably rent a scooter without a license. If your Chinese is good, you should be fine in renting them. Don’t pay more than NT$500 per day! Also, you’ll need to pay a deposit usually NT$2000/scooter. Be careful. Don’t run lights, and obey the traffic law. If you plan on going through the gorge on scooter be extra careful because you’re on a mountain side. Some roads only have one ways per couple of minutes so pay attention. Also, stay away from the sides of the road where moss grows. Two of the people in our group slipped and had minor injuries due to the road being slippery.
- Have fun!