Preface
This trip to Hualien was originally intended to go to Fuli’s Liushishi Mountain to see daylily flowers, but Fuli is already close to Taitung, and it only takes 15 minutes to drive from Fuli to Chishang, so I extended this tour from Hualien to Taitung, by the way Take a walk in Taitung City. This trip to Huadong includes mountains and seas, homestays recommended by Internet celebrities, and a new scenic spot of pilgrimage to the Internet ~ Haiya Valley. The five-day and four-night journey is full of rewards.
The first day of itinerary planning ~ September 10
20200910 The first day of Huadong Tour (Suao, Taiwan Cement DAKA, Huide Landscape Trail, Hualien Zhoujia Baozi, Container House Starbucks, New Paradise, Hualien Guangfu Sugar Factory, Huadong Rift Valley Highway, Yuli, Fuli Low-key Homestay)
From Taipei to Yilan to Suao via National Highway No. 5 Snow Mountain Tunnel
Pass through Suhuagai all the way to Hualien to experience the convenience of Suhuagai and the beautiful scenery along the way
This section of the Suao-Dongao route will pass through three tunnels, namely the Suao Tunnel 0.5km, the Dongao Tunnel 3.4km, and the Dongyue Tunnel 0.2km.
On the way, pass by the Suhuagai White Rice Landscape Bridge, which was built with the image of "white rice". It is the first corrugated steel web-backed bridge in Taiwan. It looks like two huge white rice standing in the valley. It is the most representative of Suhuagai. landscape bridge.
In the past, the Suhua Highway was winding, and many people would get motion sickness as soon as they entered the mountainous area. Now the Suhua Road has fewer bends and turns, and it is much smoother to drive. It used to take 2.5 hours to drive from Yilan to Hualien (the old Suhua Highway). After the Suhua Reform, many winding mountain roads have been replaced by straight tunnels, which greatly shortened the traffic distance. Now it only takes 75 minutes to travel from Yilan Nanao to Hualien , can save half the driving time. The so-called Suhua Reform is an upgraded version of the Suhua Highway, and its full name is "Suhua Highway Mountain Section Improvement Plan". Since the opening of the Su-Hua Highway during the Japanese occupation, it has always been a road with high risk of driving. Su-Hua Kai crossed mountains and rivers to connect Yilan to Hualien. It took 9 years to give Hualien people a safe way to go home. It used to be hard to get a train ticket to Hualien, but now you can take a bus or drive to Hualien, and enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way.
We have traveled from Dong'ao to Nan'ao. Nan'ao is the largest town on the Suhua Highway and also the hometown of the Atayal people. The mountain road from Dong'ao to Nan'ao is relatively steep. This short section of mountain road is about 15 minutes away. The beautiful scenery along the way makes people forget the fatigue of boats and cars.
This section of the road will pass through the Beixi Landscape Bridge in Nan'ao. Looking at the entire central mountain range from here, it happens to be the intersection point of the river and the mountain. You can feel the precipitous and shocking beauty of Hualien!
Su Huakai has a total length of 38.8 kilometers, and there are many long tunnels, and 8 tunnels account for 24.6 kilometers. There are Suao Tunnel (0.3km), Dongao Tunnel (3.4km) and Dongyue Tunnel (0.2km) from Suao to Dongao. From Nan'ao to Daqingshui will pass through Wuta Tunnel (0.5km), Guanyin Tunnel (7.9km), Gufeng Tunnel (4.7km), Zhongren Tunnel (4.8km), and Renshui Tunnel (2.9km). Among them, the Guanyin and Gufeng Tunnels are connected by the Guyin Bridge (60 meters), with a total length of 12.6 kilometers, almost as long as the No. 1 Yilan Snow Mountain Tunnel in Taiwan (12.9 kilometers).
Taiwan Cement DAKA Park: Changing Suzhou from Hualien to the First Tourist Stop in Hualien
Now entering Heping Village, Xiulin Township, Hualien, we are going to visit DAKA Park of Taiwan Cement.
TCC DAKA Park is a brand new attraction in Hualien, and it is a great rest stop for tourists traveling from Yilan, Taipei to Hualien. After Suhuagai was officially opened to traffic, the travel time from Yilan to Hualien was reduced by half. TCC’s DAKA Park is the first scenic spot you encounter when you drive from Suhuagai to Hualien. There are Starbucks, 7-11, DAKA Food Market, TCC Vision Pavilion and other facilities, there will also be water dance performances in the central square regularly.
TCC DAKA Park has a super large parking lot. Several peace flowers are set up at the entrance. The petals are made of solar panels, which will automatically open and close according to the angle and strength of the sun. It is the first solar installation art in East Asia.
The "Nine Stone Monkeys" in the park represent a good miracle. The cement installation art jointly developed by TCC Dong'ao Plant and good neighbor Yongle Elementary School was held in Yongle Elementary School on March 21, 2020. The root-seeking activity of Maoshan Branch School is located at the old school site on Ximaoshan, an old mining area. I hope that generations in Suao will remember that there were mines, homes and schools on Ximaoshan, and that part of Suao In the years of hard work in the mine, it is written on the monument that "someone must know how hard it all is."
The Shuiwu Plaza in the center of TCC’s DAKA campus is quite large, surrounded by Starbucks, 7-11, DAKA Market and other areas, but we did not catch up with the opening time of Shuiwu.
The 7-11 Lianhe store in TCC's DAKA Park is the first multi-storey store in Hualien. It is the latest compound store that combines five major business types: supermarket, beauty makeup, bakery, candy store and blog. The store signboard is matched with warm wood grain colors, and the high-ceilinged glass house allows the sunlight to fall into the store, integrating the nature in the ecological park, and providing 34 seats, allowing tourists and local residents to have a panoramic view of the park when dining and resting .
This Starbucks Hualien Heping store in the TCC DAKA Park is the first Starbucks in North Hualien. Although the concrete wall at the entrance is simple and clear, it is the background that tourists like to take pictures when they come to the TCC DAKA Park in Hualien. Although it is already September, the weather in Hualien is still very hot. Tourists are crowded into Starbucks to enjoy the air-conditioning and rest. It is really difficult to ask for one, not to mention that today is not a weekday holiday. The power of retaliatory tourism is really powerful. !
Opposite Starbucks and next to Xiaoqi is the "DAKA Market". There are local Hualien food and souvenirs in the market, as well as simple meals such as bento and meat dumplings. There are also some local cultural and creative workshops in Hualien, such as leather carvings, which feel very good in the hand, and I like them too.
There is a TCC vision pavilion in the corner of TCC’s DAKA campus, which mainly displays the small stories of Taiwan Cement and TCC’s efforts in environmental protection in a static way.
Yunlang Tourism Group will also settle in TCC's DAKA Park, and will use Hualien's mountains and seas as elements to create a fairy tale forest water cycle world in DAKA Park, providing clean drinking water for visitors, and reminding everyone with installation art to pay attention to the earth's water resources, Importance of forests.
TCC DAKA aims at the overall development of peace and assists the peaceful settlement to expand its connection with the outside world. All the fees collected will be invested in the Heping Elementary School. The century-old Heping Elementary School has been promoting cultural development and children's education in the peaceful settlement. The most important role of TCC DAKA will be the value of symbiosis between TCC factories and community settlements.
After a short rest in the Taiwan Cement DAKA Park, we continued on the road. From the Heping section to the middle section is the old Suhua Highway and the Suhua Reform, and there are two long tunnels from the middle section to the Daqingshui section, a total of 7.7 kilometers. In this section we will pass Qingshui Cliff.
Appreciate the beautiful scenery of the mountains and seas of "Qingshui Cliff" on the most beautiful section of the Suhua Highway: Huide Trail
There are many world-class beauties hidden in Taiwan, especially the coastline in Taitung, Hualien. Looking at the mountains and seas, it is really magnificent!
What we are going to visit at this stop is: Huide Landscape Trail, you will be able to see the most beautiful Su Hua ~ "Qingshui Cliff"
After parking the car, we braved the scorching sun and walked towards the viewing platform of the Huide Landscape Trail. Watching the sea move forward, I suddenly feel very healing.
The Huide Trail is the most popular place to watch the Qingshui Cliff, where you can see the beauty of the cliff perpendicular to the Pacific Ocean at a super close distance, the soaring mountain view and the sea view drilled into the ground, and the world-class beauty is in place at once.
There is a free parking lot on the Huide Scenic Trail. Although today is a weekday visit and it is not during the summer vacation, due to the "revenge travel" of domestic travelers this year, look at the full row of tour buses, plus self-driving tourists, There is no such thing as a "weekday".
Leaving the Huide Trail, we headed towards Hualien again, passing the Taroko Bridge across the Liwu River. The Taroko Bridge will project 102 lights at night, forming a scenic spot in Hualien. Since the Taroko Bridge is located on the Suhua Highway, it has become a necessary bridge between Yilan and Hualien.
When you come to this intersection, turn right to Tianxiang and Taroko, and turn left to enter Xincheng and Hualien City.
We entered downtown Hualien.
The No. 1 brand in Hualien ~ Pineapple Bay, Huilan Shudao, Wendan Fuxing
This Huilan Potato Road ~ Hualien Potato No. 1 brand was created by her husband’s college classmate Liu Ruiqi, who once won the gold medal of the top ten cross-strait souvenirs in 2017. He owns no fewer than 8-9 brands, among which Pineapple Bay, Huilan Shudao, and Wendan Fuxing are the ones he likes to talk about. Personally, I think his pomelo crisps and green pomelo are very delicious. After years of hard work and experimentation, he has developed the fresh-keeping technology of "separating the skin and flesh" of pomelo from Hualien. From then on, he can supply all kinds of pomelo all year round. The production of pomelo stuffing has successfully opened up a broad new channel for pomelo farmers.
Pineapple Bay, Huilan Shudao, and Wendan Fuxing have many branches in Hualien. My husband came here to take a photo and sent it to his classmate ~ Liu Ruiqi, telling him that we are here and that he will treat us to dinner on the last night we are leaving Hualien.
I especially recommend the grapefruit series products, they are really delicious. Hualien Wendan Crisp, Pomelo Seed Hualian Potato, Green Pomelo Burn, Green Pomelo Mochi ~ Fragrant, Q bomb, Pomelo soy sauce is also good, suitable for dipping dumplings or light food.
"Hualien Food Recommendation" Hualien Zhenggong Street Steamed Buns, Zhoujia Xiaolongbao ◎ Local popular old shop, cheap and delicious
When it comes to the must-eat food in Hualien, many people will say with one voice that it is Gonggong Street buns, but according to Hualien locals, local Hualien people will go to eat Zhoujia buns, and 90% of the queues at Gonggong Baozi shop are sightseeing guest. So I chose to eat Zhou's buns.
We ordered steamed dumplings, xiao long bao, meat soup, and minced meat rice. There are 10 xiao long bao in a cage, but my husband misunderstood that there were 5 in a cage, so he drew a line, but it was 5 yuan each. So there was only one xiao long bao, but that xiao long bao was too big! I said just one, order more if it tastes better. I think their characteristic is that the outer skin is very elastic, but not as hard as the old noodles. I feel that the outer skin is very comfortable and tense to bite. But what a treat. I can't say it, anyway, I just came to try something new. But it's really cheap!
The Hualien Railway Cultural Park is known as the most complete narrow-gauge railway base site in Taiwan. It was formerly known as the Hualien Branch Office of the Ministry of Railways.
We are going to Huilan Starbucks and New Paradise in Ji'an Township. It is very convenient to drive straight from Nanbin Road.
Asia's first container house Starbucks ~ Starbucks Huilan store
Hualien Container House Starbucks, also known as STARBUCKS Starbucks (Huilan store), is one of the must-visit attractions for everyone who goes to Hualien to play. Hualien has another online beauty spot where you can make a pilgrimage.
Starbucks, the first container house in Asia, opened on September 26, 2018 at the Starbucks Huilan store at the outlet of Hualien City. The pure white containers are decorated with Starbucks’ classic green mermaid pattern. The containers of different lengths and stacked on top of each other look like Much like stacked Lego blocks, special and eye-catching.
The building of Starbucks Ulan store was designed by the well-known Japanese designer Kengo Kuma. Taking 29 containers sailing all over the world as the main body of the building, they are stacked to create an inverted pyramid-shaped four-story building, giving these containers new life. There are four layers of these containers stacked, but the indoor use space is only the second layer, and the third and fourth layers are only for architectural decoration.
The Hualien container house Starbucks is very three-dimensional and layered inside and out, which is very suitable for framing and taking pictures. Because there are really many tourists, it is really difficult to get a seat, so it is better to come early.
Starbucks, a container house in Hualien, is not only good for shooting outdoors, but also for indoors.
These containers have gone through the journey of four different ports around the world, and at the end point it is located in this place ~ right above your head and under your feet. (Hualien Huilan Container House Starbucks)
You can buy two limited commemorative cups in Huilan store. They are:
Huilan life commemorative cup with silver handle (NT$650)
Huilan Fenghua Memorial Cup with golden handle (NT$680)
New Paradise with Guinness World's Largest Mosaic Mural
Hualien New Paradise is located next to the Hualien container Starbucks. It has the world's largest mosaic mural in the Guinness Book of World Records, the world's longest indoor double-helix slide, and the first IMIX movie theater in the east. Come to New Paradise to eat and play. Shopping, I think it is quite comfortable to come in and enjoy the air-conditioning in the hot summer.
The main operating floors of Hualien New Paradise are B1-4 floors. The indoor space is very spacious. Due to the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, there are not many counters stationed in it, which seems a bit deserted.
The signboard of New Paradise ~ Angel Wings is the characteristic large LOGO of New Paradise, with brightly painted wings symbolizing flying high. It was originally located on the boulevard outdoors, but it was moved indoors for some reason, so the space is not so good-looking when photographed, which is a pity.
After leaving the Hualien container house Starbucks + New Paradise, we are going to go south along the Huadong Rift Valley Highway along the Taijiu Line. On our left is the Coastal Mountains and on the right is the Central Mountains. We will pass through Ji'an Township, Shoufeng Township, Fenglin Township, Wanrong Township, Guangfu Township, Ruisui Township, Yuli Township, and Fuli Township along the way. Finally arrived at our place of accommodation today ~ Fuli's low-key homestay.
At this time, the sky began to rain, and the rain became heavier and heavier. From a distance, the clouds and mist on the mountain look like a fairyland.
In the heavy rain, we came to the Guangfu Sugar Factory in Hualien. This is also one of the scenic spots in Huadong Rift Valley Tourist Area.
The Hualien Tourist Sugar Factory, also known as the Guangfu Sugar Factory, was established during the Japanese colonial period. In 1913, "Tongtai Sugar Co., Ltd." established the "Hualien Port Sugar Factory" in Shoufeng Township, Hualien County. In 1921, the Dahe Factory was established in Guangfu ( Today's Guangfu Sugar Factory) to expand sugar production to meet military needs at that time. However, during the Second World War, the two sugar factories were bombed by the U.S. Army and were damaged. Afterwards, Taiwan Sugar took over and gradually restored and transformed into the current tourist sugar factories.
Hualien Tourist Sugar Factory was an important sugar factory in the east in the early days. It was transformed into a tourist sugar factory in 2002. It provides guided tours, accommodation in Japanese-style wooden houses, catering, ice products, sugar DIY and other services, and has become a popular local attraction.
Next to the Guangfu Sugar Factory, there are rows of neat Japanese-style dormitories, which are the only remaining Japanese-style wooden buildings in Taiwan. These cypress houses are the houses provided by the sugar factory for the employees during the Japanese colonial period. Although they have been baptized by the years, they are still well preserved, with a strong sense of nostalgia. Passengers can still feel the simplicity, elegance and privacy of Japanese wooden houses.
Taisugar Hualien Hotel currently has 42 guest rooms. The room types include warm Japanese-style wooden house, sweet Japanese-style wooden house, parent-child wooden house, family-friendly wooden house, and family-friendly villa wooden house to meet the needs of different guests.
Ice products of various flavors are sold in the sugar factory, which are very popular. Almost every tourist who comes here has one.
Hualien Sightseeing Sugar Factory still has the sugar factory building in the past. You can see the super conspicuous long chimney. It seems that the chimney has not emitted the white smoke for a long time, but it still stands there to witness the glorious age of Taiwan's sugar industry.
Princess Coffee from Hualien Sightseeing Sugar Factory ~ Wuhe Tea Garden Coffee from Ruisui Township, Hualien County
Princess Coffee's main store is located in Wuhe Tea Garden in Ruisui Township, Hualien. Although it is called coffee, it also sells tea, which is the famous honey-flavored green tea in Hualien.
The location used by Princess Coffee in Guangfu store was the public bath in the past. There is an old locomotive next to the cafe, which was a steam locomotive used to transport sugar cane in the past.
The interior of the coffee shop is spacious and bright, with simple furnishings. There are quite a few teas and coffees to choose from in the shop, and the outer boxes combined with aboriginal patterns are quite distinctive.
Continue to run on the Huadong Rift Valley Highway, the beautiful scenery along the way is like a fairyland
Leaving the Hualien Tourist Sugar Factory and continuing to Fuli Township where we will settle down today, the rain is still falling and the clouds and mist are misty, like a fairyland.
When you come to Hualien Yuli, you must eat [Jade Inside]
When you come to Yuli Town, of course you have to taste the famous Yuli.
The noodles named after the "Yuli" place, of course, have their own characteristics. They look a bit like oil noodles but not quite like oil noodles. They are thinner than ordinary noodles, and they taste springy and chewy.
We casually found Jiayu on the street. The small dishes here cost NT$30 per plate, which is about the same as in the city. But it's delicious.
The tribute balls in this bowl of tribute ball soup are really big!
Continue from Hualien Yuli to Hualien Fuli
After eating the delicious and delicious jade, we continued on our way. The next town is Fuli Township.
Hualien Fuli "low-key homestay" ~ low-key natural ecological holiday homestay--a super "low-key" homestay worthy of the name
"Low-key" is the life attitude of the owner of the homestay. I also hope that the guests who live here can feel such a low-key and small fortune. I believe that this philosophy of life can make you have a new experience that is different from ordinary lodging. I found it in ~ low-key My little luck...
"Low-key B&B" is located between Yuli, Hualien and Chishang, Taitung, at the foot of Liushishi Mountain.
This trip to Huadong, accommodation is also a major point, because I finally decided to go to Liushishi Mountain in Hualien to see daylily flowers, so I searched online for a suitable homestay to go to Liushishi Mountain. There were no rooms left on the day I was going to check in. During the lily flower period, the homestays near Liushishi Mountain were very popular. When I was searching, I suddenly saw a low-key homestay, so I went to their official website to check it out. Thinking that there is the last two-person room~Jisheng. Two single-person suites, I immediately placed an order, thinking that luck is really good, otherwise I might have to live in Chishang in Taitung, although Chishang is to Liushishishan The drive is about 40 minutes, not too far, but you can live at the foot of Liushishi Mountain, and you can go to the nearby terraced fields early in the morning to enjoy the fun of field life.
The entrance of the "low-key homestay"
This is the room we are going to stay in today: Sedimentary Two Single Suite. There are not many rooms in the low-key B&B, only the rooms in June (empty two-person suite, precipitation two-person suite, pure heart four-person suite, rabbit family two-person suite, high-altitude cat nest double room, Booker time two-person single suite)
The precipitation two-person suite has two single beds and an attic. The high-ceiling space design makes people feel no oppression. However, the attic is for those who pay for an extra bed, and it is best to avoid it for those who do not have an extra bed.
The sense of space viewed from top to bottom ~ elegant, tidy and bright.
There is a wide variety of beers available here, but they cost money to buy. I bought a bottle of the currently seasonal Yuzu flavor "Dan Shi Yu He Nai".
There is a lawn in front of our room
This is a wind chime cat cafe opened by the proprietress, where you can buy popsicles, drinks and some snacks.
The owner of the homestay has several cute cats, who often walk around our feet, and are not afraid of life at all.
This is the strategy of Liliu Shishan Lily Flower. Unfortunately, I didn't read it carefully, so I missed some scenic spots.
Guests staying here have a preferential price for exchanging popsicles in each room. The original price is 35 yuan for one, and only 10 yuan for the second one. I'll order watermelon popsicles.
It's so comfortable to lie leisurely on the deck chairs in the outdoor rest area at night! But there are many mosquitoes outdoors, so I need to take good protection. I first applied the anti-mosquito essential oil provided by the boss.
This reclining chair was made by the boss's mother herself, it is not easy.
The house at the other end of the turf should be the place where the owner's family lived.
I personally find it quite relaxing to dangle in a hammock.
This is the yuzu-flavored beer "Dan Shi Yu Hana" that I bought at the low-key hotel. I bought it because I wanted to collect the bottle.
Entering through this green gate is the living room for the staying guests, where breakfast is also enjoyed. In the low-key homestay, cats roam around at will, and one cat even ran into our room and refused to come out.
This is the living room for the staying guests. We can buy some commodities here, or we can rest and chat here, browse some travel photo books of the owner, and appreciate the owner's collections to pass some boring time.
The owner of the low-key homestay loves photography. He used to like to travel abroad and took many photos. After his daughter was born, the whole family often traveled abroad together. He edited these photos into photo books. There are also some of his favorite works hanging on the wall. At first we thought these pictures on the wall were movie posters! When we found out about it, we all exclaimed how can we shoot so well!
Hualien Fuli "Low-key B&B" ~ Precipitation video of two single suites ~~
