It was raining for the past week. There were worries on road conditions and at one point we may have to change the plan. However, with favourable forecasts and actual conditions cleared up. We load up and head out to Hualien through Yilan city (highway 5 and 9), along the scenic eastern coastal route. The first half of the drive was quite easy – large lanes and light traffic. It was interesting to go through so many tunnels. Essentially when we emerged from the tunnels we were at the eastern end of Taiwan.
Yilan County – Luodong Township
Originally planned to only stop for lunch, we ended up driving around the city looking for foods and buying local produce. Yilan, as it turned out, is a lovely quiet plain with rich in Indigenous history and agriculture. We stopped by the Luodong Township which is slightly South of the county City. Gaining more grounds towards Hualien.
We were are the Luodong farmer’s co-op. Lots of local foods and produces, and since we were going to be in Taiwan for a week, we bought many snacks. We then found a nice 快炒 (literally translated as “fast-cook”) restaurant offering “chamber” chicken as its speciality. My family loved it.
Then a short walk over to another local produce shop. So again a lot of shopping. All with our own sweet time, enjoy the free teas, especially after our heavy lunch. Quiet, no crowds.
Hualien Coastal Road
The weather cleared up, the rain has stopped. One less worry for the drive down to Hualien along the highway 9. We took the drive slow and simply enjoy the sights and scenery along the way. There were signs of fallen rocks and repairs underway, but by and large, the drive was pretty safe. The Pacific Ocean that is.
We took another break at Heping station and had some snacks. The local favourite Taiwanese sausages. The ones we had here had a unique taste. we were told of its special recipe only known to the indigenous Taiwanese people in the eastern region.
There were some interesting sculptures in the training station. And we realised this was a common stop for passing travellers too. As we met several travellers as well, mainly rushing in and out of their buses for the toilet. We took our time to walk around the station to enjoy the greeneries.
The final leg of the drive was straight forward. We arrived at our 民宿(AirBNB equivalent) in Hualien before sunset, rested and head out for dinner (next post).
gobassky
- Join Airbnb. It is still the best choice for a big family like mine.