This is me. Standing in the middle of a field in Hualien, Taiwan. Can you see the silly grin on my face? That is the smile of somebody who is having a whale of a time traveling. I travel a LOT. And if a trip makes me happy like that, you know I have come to a good place.
The group of us travel writers, influencers and bloggers (or all of the above) from all over the region, set off from Taipei Main Station via the Puyuma Express. This colourful train will take you to Hualien Station in about two hours. Hualien is not served by the Taiwan High Speed Rail (台灣高鐵) so this is one of the fastest ways to get to the East Coast.
Hualien Station is relatively new, and it has all the modern facilities one can expect from a modern train station.
I am somewhat of a train geek, or train otaku. I love taking trains. And I love the views from trains. So I particularly enjoyed looking out of the window at the passing scenery. I can tell you that traveling to Hualien this way is a treat in itself. You see so much of the coast and the landscape along the way. It's breathtaking.
And from the train we got onto the bus, our home for the next few days. First stop, lunch! Then Taroko National Park!
Taroko National Park in Hualien can take an entire week to explore. Alas, we only had a day. You can hike here, chill here, visit temples and museums, or just take in the view. It is honestly one of the most beautiful places in Taiwan. There are mountains to behold, and the coast to see as well. I am certainly returning to check Taroko Gorge out further. And yes, I waited quite a while to get the photos of the trains going by.
That day, my office was the Pacific Ocean from Chingshui Cliff Trail. I love my job.
In Taroko Gorge, the place to stay is Silks Place, Taroko. We only had time to visit the hotel resort nestled in the national park. It looked heavenly. I mean, check out that view from the balcony of the suite! They even have outdoor movie screenings by the pool!
We did have time to taste some of their food and drink. I may have consumed a little too many shot glasses of cocktails (each representing a tribe of Taiwan) because later I was quite witty and talked a little too loudly.
You don't come to Taiwan without checking out Night Markets. And Hualien has an awesome one called Dongdamen. I like this night market more than the ones in Taipei, to be honest, because there is more variety of stalls and more space to move in the aisles. It is the largest night market in the county and it does take a while to cover.
Here, let me share my haul of food. Some of it is quintessential Taiwan Night Market fare, like the sizzling steak and spaghetti. It is the Taiwanese equivalent of our Singapore "Western Food". I also had fries coated in smelly tofu. It is a lot nicer than it sounds.
And oh, the barbecue stuff! The Taiwanese film crew bought sticks of meat back from their favorite stalls and shared their treasures with us too. They are the nicest lot I have ever met, and they are an award-winning film crew with a warm and friendly attitude. We became fast friends over food.
I am not the best Stand Up Paddle (SUP) athlete in the world but I did manage to paddle my way around the lovely Liyu Lake. The day started a little drizzly but the sky cleared soon after we entered the waters.
We spent a peaceful morning paddling around the lake and admiring the scenery. We even had time for a small picnic on the water. I did most of my paddling in the kneeling position, because I was not confident of standing. So in my case, it was Kneel Down Paddle (KDP).
I could paddle here all day, I tell you. Andy, who runs the SUP service here, became my friend too. He can skip on his board. Like literally skip. I think he did like 20 skips before he fell into the water. I can barely stand on my board. It was impressive to watch.
We had lunch at a DIY Pizza place. I am pleased to report that my pizza creation was very well-received.
After lunch, we visited Hualien Sugar Factory. It has been around for a very long time and has many stories to tell. Our guide showed us the bullet holes from Japanese Zero fighters that tried to destroy factories like this during WWII.
The factory is not operational anymore but our guide explained how sugar was made from sugar cane in the factory when it was still running. The factory has an eerie charm inside. I think we can film an action thriller or a music video in there. Or many even a horror flick.
Ba Han Han Non is a cafe that also makes their own tea. We learned how they make the teas we drank there. Pardon the cat photos. They have the cutest cats in the cafe (I think at last count, they adopted at least five). So here are some shameless cat photos for you. Enjoy.
In the morning, after a restful night at the hotel, we set off again. This time to make our own beer. It is a lot of work. I think after this, I have decided I prefer drinking it than making my own.
Remember the silly grin I had on my face? This is where it was taken. In the rice fields of Yuli Township. We had a hearty Hakka meal here too. I didn't want to leave, I tell you.
Check out the train going by as we walked in the rice fields!
Needless to say, we took A LOT of photos for Instagram. Do it for the Gram!
Cycling time! You know me. When someone says cycling time, I am the first to get on the saddle and pedal away. The Yufu Bike Path takes you on a scenic route that ends where the Eurasian and Philippine tectonic plates meet.
Of course you have to take a photo here. How often can you say you have stepped on two major tectonic plates at the same time, right?
Dongli Station is an old railway station from more than ten years ago. It has since been converted into an event space with shops and cafes. When we were there, they had their very first fashion show and also a bunch of small stalls selling souvenirs, food and drink.
I had a very good ice-cream and at the station store and also a cocktail at one of the stalls outside.
Allow me to indulge in my inner Annie Leibovitz and Anna Wintour as I share my fashion spread with you.
The day wasn't over yet. We took our bus further south into Taitung, and reached Tiehua Music Village. It has changed a lot since I came here last. More cafes, more shops, more music.
I was not complaining. I love it even more.
I even picked up a hat from the hat stall, made of high quality straw. I love the smell of my new hat.
That evening we were there, Monitor Yu (余文秀) was performing. I was mesmerized by her voice and I stood there a long time, listening to her play and sing. You can follow her on Instagram: @monitor_yu, and/or on Facebook.
Nearby, another young man was playing his violin, while we shopped and took photos.
We spent today at the village of Cilamitay tribe. Located at the southernmost tip of Hualien, the village has some really awesome views and also a chance for us to experience their food, culture and arts.
Riding on the little lorries was most fun.
There is a bridge in the village, 石門橋, which is quite unique in that half of the bridge was built by the Japanese during the war, and the other half was built with Taiwanese hands.
I loved the views so much, I even forgot to take a photo myself in this landscape.
After a very tasty aboriginal lunch, with some potent rice liquor, it was time to try our hand at aboriginal archery. Hunting is very much a part of the Cilamitay tribe's culture, and so, we too, had to learn how to hunt the wild boar with our bows and arrows.
Ok, the wild boar were painted on a target board but it was still very challenging. Some of us were naturals at archery. I was not.
Let's just say, I will starve to death if I need to hunt for my food with my archery skills.
Our last stop on our last day was the famous Container Starbucks café in Hualien. Located in “Hui-Lan” Bay (洄瀾灣) in Ji'an Township, the Starbucks there has a drive-thru and also a huge indoor seating area.
It felt odd seeing people in the windowed areas of the containers. They looked like fish in an aquarium.
As dusk fell, we finally reached Hualien Station for our journey back to Taipei. It has been a tiring but fun few days. I totally plan on returning to Hualien and Taitung because there is so much I haven't seen. Maybe my next trip, I will rent a car and drive around the region.
I hope this photo essay gave you an idea of what to expect in the East Rift Corridor. Do visit Taiwan and share your stories and photos with me.
I will leave you with a short film of our trip, produced by the administration of the East Rift Valley National Scenic Area. Made with love, by my talented film crew friends from Taiwan.
© 2026 Kin Mun "mrbrown" Lee
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