August 22-26, 2013 --- Hualien is one of the provinces in eastern Taiwan. It might be the largest city on the east coast. A lot of tourists come here as a gateway to Taroko National Park, the most famous gorge in Taiwan. Nathan and I visited Hualien 3 years ago and hired a taxi from the train station to take us to Taroko. This year we just wanted to explore the city itself and see the countryside of Hualien, so we used Hualien City as our base to travel to other part of the county by taking public buses or biking.
We stayed at a hotel right at the train station, and it was the most convenient spot. The visitor center, bus terminals, and bike and scooter rental shops are all located right around the train station area. We rented a bicycle for NT$ 150-250 / day and biked around the city. There are many bike paths, but the most scenic one is the one that goes along Mei Luan River all the way to the ocean. Unfortunately, the beach side of Hualien City has nothing special and looks kind of ugly. If you want to enjoy a nice beach, just bike all the way to Qixintan Beach. There you will see a beautiful rocky-sand beach and bright blue ocean water.
In Hualien City, there wasn't much to see other than the Stone Sculpture Museum. Even the museum itself was very small and will take you less than half an hour to stroll around. At night you can get some great food around the tourist night market located on Zhongshan Road. Steamed buns are the best and you shouldn't miss out!
Hualien County Stone Sculptural Museum
