Hualien

After a good night in Taipei, and a rich breakfast at the hotel, I met my colleagues and together we were taken to the domestic airport for a short flight (TNA 009) to Hualien on Taiwan's East Coast. The ATR 72-500 of Trans Asia Air quickly climbed out of Taipei and safely touched down in Hualien only 40 minutes later.

After check-in at the hotel we went over to a local whale watch operator, where we got a first overview of whale watching in Taiwan, as well as an idea how local guides on the boats are being trained for interpretation and eduction.

Interpretation at the whale watching base

From there we went to a beautiful historic building to have lunch with two local government officials. I recognised only half of the food we had, but we were assured that it was herbal and healthy. And it did indeed taste very well. Lots of new and interesting tastes for me - most appreciated!

The very yummy looking and tasting lunch!

After lunch we were joined by a local tour guide who accompanied us on a bus trip to Shiti (Shih Tie), about 2 hours south of Hualien. We took a little walk in the nature reserve there, and spent quite a bit of time on the rocky shores. The weather was still in "post-typhoon" mode, i.e. misty, and the sea was pretty rough. I truly enjoyed the time there - I just am a "cold climate/rough weather" boy!

Our guide on the bus

The missing roof tiles on these toilet facilities are the result of the previous typhoon

According to our guide, the previous typhoon brought with it 38 degrees Celsius winds that literally burnt off lots of the vegetation around here

We were intrigued particularly by the third warning. And although it sounds quite funny, we know that this is a serious problem in many Asian countries, where these methods are frequently used to catch fish especially for the aquarium fish trade.

Rock pools

These little suckerfish-like animals were brought in by big waves, and then quickly sucked on to the rocks in order not to be washewd back into the sea. I also observed a larger crab stalking them and trying to catch one - unsuccessfully though!

OK, this is the (in)famous photo of Tracy and the dog ;-)

And no, the dog is not doing what it looks like - it just is sitting down!

And just to do Tracy some justice I also took a decent photo:

This is an interesting campgound. The guide said:

"We provide the tent, you just bring your sleeping bag..."

I will use these photos in my classes about design for tourism!

After our time "on the rocks" we had a cup of coffee/tea in a new accommodation facility. It is kind of a small place with only six bedrooms, a souvenir shop and a restaurant/bar. The owner was very proud of his huge collection of good old vinyl LPs and high quality turntables. After the short break we went to the small harbour to visit another whale watch operator at their base.

This is the extended plank on the bow of a fishing boat with the hand operated harpoons for fishing.

Part of a large mural in port

The whale watching vessel

A sunfish

Guide Vicky, Captain Ling, and our guide. Captain Ling was a fisherman, and the first person in Taiwan to offer commercial whale/dolphin watch tours for tourists. We had the chance to visit his operation, and learned that he is a very friendly and very humble man.

After the visit we went to a local seafood restaurant which was said to have excellent local food. Look at the picture below - would you chose your own fish/crafish and eat here?

Well, we didn't chose our own fish, but we did eat here. And man, it was good! Very yummy local food, lots of fish, excellent raw tuna, and many other good things! And in Chinese tradition, all on the turntable in the middle of the table for everybody to share. A true experience!

After the meal we once again hopped on the bus and were driven back to Hualien to our hotel. Initially we thought we would go to a night market, but we all were so pooped that none went and all went to bed early'ish...