Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Let's go to Hualien

Earlier this month, Dad had a one week long vacation and we decided to go on a road trip. This time it is to Hualien (花蓮) which is located on the mountainous eastern coast of Taiwan.


The drive took us four and a half hours up the windy mountain roads. I got car sick as usual and poor Dad was exhausted behind the wheel. Along the way, we stopped for a break and lunch.


After lunch, we continued on our journey to White Sun 白陽山莊 (a dog friendly B & B).


We brought Pinky along to enjoy the spacious, clean and comfortable room.


It was almost dinner time and the B & B owner suggested that we go to the night market for some local delights.


The next morning, we woke up early for breakfast.


and we got to know more about the resident dog who is also a golden retriever. His name is Polo and he is a working guide dog.


Ms Ashley says today's itinerary is to visit Taroko National Park (太魯閣國家公園) to see Taiwan's most famous scenic spot, Taroko Gorge.




It was extremely hot when we arrived, but we still had to endure the heat for a photo shoot. Mom the photographer must have had difficulty opening her eyes due to the sun because she did not realized that my big head covered the word "Taroko". Duh!!!


And it was time for lunch again! We ate a simple meal at the visitor center.


Ashley was wearing a new outfit so we had to take more pics of her.


Here's one of our favorite pics of Daddy and Ash.


After lunch, we went on to explore Taroko Gorge, no doubt that the view of the marbled walled canyons, lush mountains and magnificent cliffs are spectacular, but it wasn't much fun under the scorching heat, so we quickly stopped at a few spots, snapped a couple of pics and went back to the air-con comfort of our car.



After that, we drove to Qixingtan Beach (七星潭) for a little stroll.





A fighter jet flew over our heads while we were at the beach.


It was getting late, so we decided to stay an extra night, however White Sun was full that day, so we had to switch to another dog friendly B & B Good Place (好所在).

Ashley and I fooled around in the room before we head out to dinner.


For dinner, we went to a Singaporean restaurant Bak Kut Teh (星爺肉骨茶餐廳).


More silly pics before the food comes.


We had bak kut teh, curry crab, chicken rice and chicken wings.


After a good night sleep, we set off for the long ride back to Taipei. It was a pleasant ride back with beautiful views of the mountains.



As we drove along the coast, we also enjoyed breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean.


That's all for my trip report. I think we would have enjoyed it more if we didn't go in summer. Anyway, it is always nice to spend time with my family. Definitely look forward to my next road trip, but no more windy mountain roads please.