Location: Hualien, Taiwan

I woke up early this morning to take a walk around Ximen, the neighbourhood where I’ve been staying. I grabbed a coffee and some breakfast before most shops were open and just relaxed, enjoying the slow process of seeing a city wake up. Before I knew it though it was time to leave and I was saying my goodbyes. Luckily Jack will still be around when I pass back through in a few days. Caro on the other hand will be gone already and I was really sad to be saying goodbye. It’s only been a few days since we met but we spent a lot of our time together since then, and every bit of it was easy and fun.

A few days ago when I talked about coming down to Hualien for a little trip I asked around if anybody wanted to join me and lo and behold Danny said yes! Yay friends! I was a bit nervous to come to a smaller place by myself, so I was really happy to have some company. Danny initially came to Taipei to participate in the pride parade, but has since been making his way through the city eating as much as he can (as a self proclaimed foodie). He has a running commentary that is endlessly entertaining, which I think will be great for easing the pain of any hiking we do while down here.

The train ride south was eye opening – as soon as we left the greater Taipei area everything started to look extremely worn out and old, as if no money has been spent on the buildings since they were actually built. High-rises covered in stains, muddy rice paddies, and abandoned tiled buildings gave me an eery feeling, reminiscent of the feeling I had visiting Chernobyl. It didn’t help that the sky had darkened considerably, and the subsequent rain added an extra layer to the gloom.

I’m sure that the weather, the contrast in building maintenance, and my sadness at leaving Taipei all played into it. ALL THAT ASIDE I actually was still really excited to see Hualien. Taiwan used to be called ‘Isla Formosa’ which means ‘Beautiful Island’, and apparently Hualien County and the nearby Taroko National Park is the main reason why. If some of the scenery approaching the city is any indication, then it’s going to be amazing!

Danny and I checked into Cave Hostel (literally no windows so I’m not surprised it has this name) and immediately went out to the night market for dinner. The best thing I ate was grilled mochi with chocolate on it. Drool. Mochi is like a gummy candy made of rice (which sounds terrible but it’s actually fine), and when you grill it it puffs up but stays soft in the middle like caramel. Yum.

I’m now laying in my comfy cave bed, barely able to keep my eyes open. I’m excited to see what tomorrow brings, but also nervous because I know there’s an extremely high chance that we end up hiking. Which I generally dislike, but will do if I’m allowed to complain the whole way and go at a normal human pace. Danny was warned beforehand and was still ready to come along so…

Wish me luck. Wish him luck.

Sav