Nanda & Nathan The Travellers: Yuli 玉里 and Yushan National Park 玉山國家公園

August 28-31, 2013 ---- After wandering around Ruisui, Nathan and I went to stay in Yuli Township for three nights. This was the last part of our 10-day trip in Hualien and we planned to do a lot. Unfortunately, the typhoon hit western Taiwan while we were in Yuli, so it was less convenient to follow our plan, but we did everything we planned anyway.

We stayed at Wisdom Garden because it was rated as the best B&B in Yuli by Lonely Planet, and we were glad we got a room there. The B&B is a little far from the city, but the lovely couple who owned the place were very kind to pick us up from Yuli Train Station, take us to dinner in town, and offer to drive us or arrange a taxi to take us to wherever we want to go. Each room in the house was also unique. We got to stay in the bridal room and then in the big meditation hall during our stay. It was really the best B&B we have ever stayed in!

On the first day in Yuli, in the morning we took a half-day tour to Sixty Stone Mountain 六十石山 to see the Tiger Lilies. Then in the afternoon, we rented two bicycles from the Giant store in Yuli and biked on the Old Rail Bike Path from Yuli Train Station to Antong. The rain was still drizzling, so we also bought cheap raincoats from the 7-11 shop in the train station. The bike path was very well-kept and flat the whole way. The scenery of the mountains and green rice paddies was fascinating. We were there in late August, so the rice was still young and green. If we had gone in November, it would have been golden and full of grains. I would like to go back there in the fall/winter, but I have never had the chance. Not yet.

On the second day, Nathan and I were determined to go to Yushan National Park for a hike on Walami Trail. The park was closed the day before due to the typhoon, but it had reopened by the time we got there. We biked a long way (>10 km) from our home-stay passing rice paddies, some rivers, and up to the mountain. We stopped at Nanan Visitor Center for some info about the trail. There was an exhibit there and a picnic area where we ate lunch. About 2 k.m. from the Visitor Center, there was a beautiful waterfall called Nanan Waterfall where some people took a dip in the cool, clear water.

We continued biking for about 4 k.m. and found the trail head of Walami Trail. The typhoon had damaged part of the trail, so only a short part of the trail was open, but we didn't want to hike too far anyway. The trail was beautiful and easy to follow. There were many suspension bridges and waterfalls, and the mountain forest was a home to monkeys or macaques and was quite lush. Nathan and I walked just about 2-3 k.m. before turning back because it was getting late and we had a long way to bike back to town.

Once we got back to the city, we continued biking around and doing some cultural tour. We visited many temples, Buddhist and Taoist. Each had unique decorations and practices, but I didn't really have much knowledge on Mahayana Buddhism and Taoism. Nathan was more interested in religious stuff than I was, so he just went around taking photos of some altars and religious images.

After we returned the bikes at the Giant shop, we went for dinner and took a taxi back to our B&B. It was a very fun journey, and we got to know Taiwan even better than before. We were glad we did this 10-day wandering in Hualien and it was absolutely the best trip we ever did in Taiwan.