Hualien

Today was the grand finale of my Hualien trip~ And it really was a grand finale. I woke up to bright sunshine outside the hotel, and the weather was perfect xD. I heard that at the same time it was pouring rain in Taipei and Kaohsiung, and the rain in Kaohsiung was so heavy that many shops had closed? I had originally planned to go out and have fun in Kaohsiung on Friday, but my aunt there said it was raining hard and there was nothing fun to do, so I didn’t go. My mom said we would go another time once the rain stopped, and then I could meet up with some internet friends while I was there :D ...

Today is the second day of the Hualien trip. I got up after 8 a.m., because my mom said we’d go cycling in the morning. The route to Ji-li was the same one we rode in 2004, but it’s very different now. There’s construction everywhere along the roads. I strongly recommend that anyone who wants to visit Hualien wait until the end of the year. I saw signs saying the construction won’t finish until December. If you ride here now, you may have to ride along the roadside and share the road with gravel trucks, which is dangerous. Also, since the hotel offers free bicycles, I simply got them from the hotel. I regretted it afterward. The hotel’s bikes are terrible. I only rode 3 kilometers before my hands got sore (my hands, not my legs = =), and they’re still sore now………. ...

First, a quick update on where I am right now! I’m in the hotel, writing this on my laptop (the keyboard feels so unfamiliar = =). This is my third time visiting Hualien. The first time was the summer between fourth and fifth grade, when my mom took my younger brother and me on a trip around Taiwan. We spent two months covering the whole island. The second time was for my elementary school graduation trip, which was also to Hualien. That trip was a lot of fun. Normally, school graduation trips go to Nantou, to the 921 Earthquake Museum, Jiuzu Culture Village, and places like that. Going to the same places for elementary school and junior high was really boring. My younger brother’s class went to Nantou for their graduation trip, and then they’ll revisit the same place again in junior high……… ...