Asimof
July 23rd, 2005, 02:39 PM
Hualien City lies on the middle east coast of the Taiwan Island. It is geographically separated from the western part and northern part of Taiwan by a tall mountain range that runs in the middle of the island.
Although there are flights to Hualien, the easiest way to reach there is still via a country train. Both electric and diesel trains run from Taipei Station to Hualien. The duration of the journey is about 3 hours and there are lots of scenic places along the route. The train, on leaving Taipei, would cut across a ridge in the central mountains to head toward the north-east coast. Once it reaches the coast, it would turn south along the coastal plain toward Hualien and other southern cities along the coast.
Hualien is a famous tourist spot. Taroko Gorge is one of the must-visit places. It comprises very breathtaking limestone mountains with plenty of caves offering strange limestone formations.
In the world, Hualien is one of the top producers of marble, thanks to its rich and extensive areas of limestone mountains. Indirectly, it also becomes one of the best areas in Taiwan for cement production. Cement from and around Hualien is exported worldwide.
The population around the east coast near Hualien are mainly highlanders who have darker skin and of distinct facial feature from the Chinese breed in Taipei or other main cities. However, they speak the same Mandarin language as the rest of the country. The main crops in this region is rice, vegetables and pinang (nut meg)
When you are on the train, you could hear announcements made in Mandarin and two other dialects, namely Hokkien and Hakka.
Well, I was fortunate to have a first-hand look of Hualien immediately after typhoon Haitang. When I arrived, there was still rain, but the strong wind had left for China.
Let the pictures below do the talking......
:hat1:
Although there are flights to Hualien, the easiest way to reach there is still via a country train. Both electric and diesel trains run from Taipei Station to Hualien. The duration of the journey is about 3 hours and there are lots of scenic places along the route. The train, on leaving Taipei, would cut across a ridge in the central mountains to head toward the north-east coast. Once it reaches the coast, it would turn south along the coastal plain toward Hualien and other southern cities along the coast.
Hualien is a famous tourist spot. Taroko Gorge is one of the must-visit places. It comprises very breathtaking limestone mountains with plenty of caves offering strange limestone formations.
In the world, Hualien is one of the top producers of marble, thanks to its rich and extensive areas of limestone mountains. Indirectly, it also becomes one of the best areas in Taiwan for cement production. Cement from and around Hualien is exported worldwide.
The population around the east coast near Hualien are mainly highlanders who have darker skin and of distinct facial feature from the Chinese breed in Taipei or other main cities. However, they speak the same Mandarin language as the rest of the country. The main crops in this region is rice, vegetables and pinang (nut meg)
When you are on the train, you could hear announcements made in Mandarin and two other dialects, namely Hokkien and Hakka.
Well, I was fortunate to have a first-hand look of Hualien immediately after typhoon Haitang. When I arrived, there was still rain, but the strong wind had left for China.
Let the pictures below do the talking......
:hat1: