Taiwan - Hualien 花莲, 太鲁阁 Taroko National Park by Aaron

Hualien, Taroko

~Aaron

On the Shakadang Trail

     Hualien is a fabulous place. It sits beside the ocean and mountains. The Shakadang Trail contains very beautiful scenery. Swallow Grotto gets its name from the swallows that fly around and live in it. Tianxiang has many types of architecture. The Seven Star Lake’s rocky shore makes it an ideal place for a rock-throwing contest.

The stripes on the metamorphic rocks

The metamorphic rocks

Throwing rocks

Touching the rock

with a warning

     The Shakadang Trail (砂卡礑步道) was amazing. It used to be called the Mysterious Valley Trail (神秘谷). It’s carved into the mountain, so visitors need to watch their head and are protected from rockslides. Many rocks were metamorphic and had stripes. At 4.4 kilometers, it would’ve taken us a long time to make a round trip. Luckily, part of the trail closed because of an earthquake that caused rocks to tumble down and block the path. Because of this, visitors were allowed to go inside the beautiful Shakadang River and even drink the spring water! The water tasted sweet and there were many tiny fish inside the river. This trail is very awesome.

Swallow Grotto

The Indian Chieftain's Profile Rock

The river and potholes

The beginning

of Swallow Grotto

     Swallow Grotto (燕子口) was a cool place. Though swallows nest in them, the many potholes（壶穴）  on the cliffs aren’t made by them. The Indian Chieftain’s Profile Rock (印第安酋长岩) is a special shaped rock along the Taroko Valley. These potholes were actually created by the river or openings for ground water that eroded over time. In some holes, you can still see water pouring out (涌泉). This is an excellent place for swallows to survive.

Water pouring out (涌泉)






Tianxiang with its buildings

At the bridge

     Tianxiang (天祥) has buildings from many cultures like a Chinese temple, Western church, and marks of a Japanese shrine. It is one of the largest recreational areas in the area and many visitors have a meal here. Food vendors often make shops here to sell to visitors and staff.





The Seven Star Lake （七星潭）

Drinking coconut

juice

Throwing stones

     The Seven Star Lake （七星潭）  was very fun. We drank some juice from a young coconut (though I thought it was a bit sour). The big dipper can be viewed from the rocky shoreline, which gives it its name. My brother and I started having a stone-throwing contest for the biggest splash and farthest thrown stone. This “lake” is actually a bay that ends in the ocean!

The entrance to the Eternal Spring Shrine

     This city has many wonderful things to do. The Shakadang Trail is exciting, since you’re walking inside a mountain. Swallow Grotto contains many swallows and their nests. Tianxiang is very beautiful with religious structures from many places. The Eternal Spring Shrine was built to honor the people who died (over 200) building the Central Cross-Island Highway. The trails, scenic spots, and temple give a spectacular view and an opportunity to be thankful of the work and sacrifices engineers and construction workers made.

The hot spring water tub

The hot spring tub with us inside