Editor's Note: After a long hiatus I've begun to work on this again. I just wasn't feeling like writing. It’s a long story, better left untold, but
my mind is back in the right place now, so I think we can expect regular Taiwan
Adventure Blog posts again. I apologize
for the hiatus but it was needed.
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| The Virtually Indestructible M13 |
Recently, my friend You Tube Motovlogger M13 had a serious accident on
his scooter. He ended up going over a
cliff, breaking both legs and having to have part of his hand amputated. The accident happened right outside of
Hualien on the east coast of Taiwan, about four and one half hours from where
we both live. My wife and I went to
visit him. We had never been to Hualien
before, so we stayed for the night and did a little sightseeing on the way
home.
Hualien is located about a third of the way down the east coast of
Taiwan, about 177 km (about 110 miles) from Taipei. But those 110 miles take about four and one half hours. From the perspective of the drive Highway 9
is horrendous. The road is narrow and
traveled heavily by quarry trucks and tour buses. There are also those intelligent drivers who have no fear of
passing on a blind corner over a double yellow line. Caution is required.
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| From the Nan ao Overlook |
It’s a long, tiring trip but very worth the effort. The vistas of the Pacific Ocean are
spectacular. There are a number of
overlooks where one can stop, take in the scenery, and get a few photos.
In Hualien, we stayed at a motel called the Taiwan Best Hotel. The hotel was comfortable and clean and
rented for about $2600 NTD (about 90 USD) per night. This isn't bad considering Hualien is one of the premiere tourist
locations in all of Taiwan, because of it’s proximity to Taroko Gorge..
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| The Entrance to Taroko Gorge |
So, even though we were in a hurry to get back, (I had to finish up
working on my Bible Study for the evening) we took a short detour to Taroko
Gorge. The road through the Gorge is
one of the three most scenic roads in the WORLD; not Taiwan, but the ENTIRE
world. We were there only for a short
time but were awed by the beauty of that place. We will definitely make another trip to Hualien and to the Gorge
to see it all. This is just a taste of
The Road to Hualien.
Taroko Gorge
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| Chung Chan Temple |
Su ao Overlook:
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| Su ao harbor |
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| The Port of Su ao |
