Taidong, Hualian, Yilan (Travel)


Traveling to/in Taidong, Hualian, or Yilan

~ ~ References and Resources for people traveling to/in the eastern counties ~ ~

The population of Taidong (Taitung), Hualian (Hualien), and Yilan (Ilan, Gilan) taken together is only about 5% of the population of Taiwan, and since there aren’t many foreigners living and working here, either, there isn’t much information about this area on Forumosa. Also, whatever information has been posted at one time or another is hard to find since it is scattered through various threads (topics), some of which go back a few years. I started this thread as a list of local links to get all of that information on “one page”, but it has grown to include relevant information from other websites, hearsay, newspapers, and personal experience, as well. Do you happen to know anything about the eastern counties that you think might be useful for people traveling there? Please feel free to add it or, if you prefer that i add it to an already existing entry, please send it to me via a PM.
:thanks:

Note 1: The entries in this thread will be revised and expanded from time to time, as new information comes in, so please check here again once in a while. [Last edited 2011-10-14]

Note 2: A related thread, specifically aimed at people living (or planning to live) in one of the eastern counties, can be found in the forum “Living in Taiwan”, at viewtopic.php?t=84583


Transportation

(Highways, bus service, train service, air service from/to the east coast)

Threads:

Bus route from Taichung to Hualien? [this thread contains some train info]

Buses from Taipei to Taidong? [this thread contains some train info]

From North to Taitung - which way is the quickest

Driving from Hualien to Kaohsiung

Getting from Yilan to Hsinchu

Taoyuan - Hualien: is this info still current?
viewtopic.php?t=83568

Websites:

Hualien city bus info (in Chinese)
hl.gov.tw/bus/bus.asp

Taoyuan Airport: Transportation
taoyuanairport.gov.tw/englis … tmap_e.jsp


From Taoyuan International Airport to the East Coast

Threads:

Taoyuan - Hualien: is this info still current?
(Includes train connection information for east coast destinations)
viewtopic.php?t=83568

Specific question regarding travel time
(Taoyuan airport to Banqiao (Banciao) railway station)
viewtopic.php?t=83833

Websites:

Taoyuan Airport (main page)
taoyuanairport.gov.tw/english/index.jsp

Map of Taoyuan and the airport
worldmapfinder.com/Map_Earth … an/Taoyuan
(zoom out 4 steps to see the airport at the upper edge of the picture/map)

Taoyuan Airport: Transportation (to downtown Taipei, etc.)
taoyuanairport.gov.tw/englis … tmap_e.jsp


Taidong

Threads:

Things to do in Taitung?

Bombing the God of War

Hiking - dangerous plants

Any Good Fishing Spots In Taipei? [has info on Taidong]

Bike Ride: Cycle from Taipei to Taitung (Taidong)

Bike Ride: Hualian to Taidong (from Taipei)

Logistics for an East Coast Scenery trip
viewtopic.php?t=83946

Websites:

Taidong to Hualian the hard way
bikingintaiwan.theforgetful.com/ … rd_wa.html

Highway 11 Magazine’s New Website
highway11.net/index.php/en


Hualian

Threads:

Hualien/Kenting/Sun Moon Lake

Things to do in Fenglin before you’re dead

Hualien in the rain (what to do if visiting on a rainy weekend)

quiet beach hotel

Scooter rental in HUALIEN

Bike Ride: Hualian to Taidong (from Taipei)

Logistics for an East Coast Scenery trip
viewtopic.php?t=83946

Cheap hotel/hostel in Hualien

Websites:

Taidong to Hualian the hard way
bikingintaiwan.theforgetful.com/ … rd_wa.html

Highway 11 Magazine’s New Website
highway11.net/index.php/en

Amigos Hostel (Hualian City)
amigos-68.myweb.hinet.net/

Formosa Backpackers Hostel (Hualian City)
freewebs.com/formosabackpackershostel/

Ivy International Youth Hostel (Hualian City)
ivystay.com.tw/


Yilan

Threads:

Greasy pole climbing contest & other northern events- where?

Logistics for an East Coast Scenery trip
viewtopic.php?t=83946

Websites:


Taroko Gorge

Advice for Taroko Gorge/Hualien trip

A thread from another forum:
Need advice on taroko gorge
taiwanho.com/talk/viewtopic.php?t=1924

By the way, the link to the homepage of Taroko National Park that was posted in that thread on Nov 15, 2004 9:11 pm has changed to
taroko.gov.tw/ .
From that portal site you can go to the English homepage at
taroko.cm-media.com.tw/TarokoPor … fault.aspx


7 years ago, on the occasion of a business trip to Ilan County, i took the train to Taroko Village one afternoon and stayed overnight in a small hotel in Taroko Village. It was a weekday, and i was surprised that there were no other guests at the time, but the staff told me the hotel would be booked full over the weekend.

My plan was to go into Taroko Gorge the next day and take a bath in an outdoor hotspring (Wenshan Wenquan, 文山 溫泉) that had been recommended.

Unfortunately (maybe), i missed the morning bus to Tianxiang (天祥) (i overslept :blush: ) and instead took a taxi to the “eternal springs shrine” (長春祠). I had a good work-out walking up to the shrine and to another small shrine high up in the cliff (took an uncountable number of stairs to get there).

I don’t take pictures or videos, but thanks to the internet that is no problem. :slight_smile: Someone posted photos of that shrine here:
fotozon.blogspot.com/2008/12/tar … -trip.html

After coming back from the shrine i waited for the mid-day bus, went to Tianxiang (天祥), and walked from there to the hotspring.

Here is a short video showing what the access path and the outdoor basins of Wenshan Wenquan used to look like, taken by a guy from Singapore who apparently went there about 2 years after my visit:
pogledaj.name/wenshan-hot-sp … WDDfO9r37s

And here are some photos posted by the same author:
flickr.com/photos/shimmertje/59967330/

The day i went, i had to catch the last byus back to Taroko Village and therefore only dipped my hands into the hot water, but i prominsed myself that i would return one day to take a bath. Then, in 2005, i learned that earlier that year some rocks had fallen in the hotspring area and that someone got killed, and so the park authorities had closedthe hotspring (it apparently is still closed)

Pretty sure Hualien has a separate English forum.

Couldn’t find any for 2009 or 2008 - but i didn’t check all the way back. :slight_smile:

Couldn’t find any for 2009 or 2008 - but i didn’t check all the way back. :slight_smile:[/quote]

It was totallytika’s site but, after finding it, I see a reconstruction sign is up.

Hot spring there is still closed. But there are many other wild hot springs in Taiwan.

I see. Thanks for checking - just in case, would you mind posting the URL? (Like, there’s hope. :slight_smile:)

Many thanks for the update!
:bow:

There’s hope, Yuli ! It’s been an extremely rough time over the past year or so and I haven’t been able to put much time into rebuilding the site, but it is (slowly, but surely) happening. Actually, I needed the push! I should have it up and running again in the near future. The site address is:http://www.freewebs.com/athomeinhualien/

Oh… good news! Need a hand with the work on the site?


Internet Cafes (網咖)

:arrow_right: Taidong

Listing of Net Cafes (with address info and map):
hipage.hinet.net/list.asp?keywor … pe=KEYWORD

Additional Listings:
Pikachiu Net Cafe (比卡丘網咖)
中興路2段430號(東方大鎮), Taidong City

Cyberdome (網路巨蛋)
開封街 (Kai1 Feng1 Jie1) 302, Taidong City
1 hour for NT$15, 3 hours for NT$40

:arrow_right: Hualian

The 2 netcafes in Hualian that i have used myself are part of the 駭客網路 (Hai4 Le4 Wang3 Lu4 = Hackers Network):
No. 439, 福建街 (Fu2 Jian4 Jie1 / Fujian St.), Hualian City; Tel: 03-834-9993 (corner of 博愛街 (Bo2 Ai4 Jie1/ Bo’ai St.))
No. 72, 林森路 (Lin2 Sen1 Lu4 / Linsen Rd.), Hualian City; Tel: 03-831-0701

The same company (hacker-net.com.tw/) lists additional stores at the following locations:
No. 39, 國聯二路 (Guo2 Lian2 Er4 Lu4 / Guolian Rd.)., Hualian City; Tel: 03-834-1108
No. 2, 富安路 (Fu4 An1 Lu4 / Fu’an Rd.), Hualian City; Tel: 03-846-2345 (that is behind the train station, and you get to that street from Zhong1 Shan1 Lu4)
No. 67, 中華路二段 (Zhong1 Hua2 Er4 Lu4 / Zhonghua 2 Rd.), Ji’an township; Tel: 03-854-1691

Note: If you are passing through Hualien for a day and use one of those shops you may want to buy a 4-hour block of time for NT$50, but for anybody staying longer or visiting repeatedly the following would be a better deal: for NT$100 you can buy a rechargeable IC card, and the time registered on the chip in the card can be used in any increment, as it suits you. (Adding NT$100 to the card will give you 5.5 hours of time, for NT$300 you get 20 hours, and with NT$600 you are good for 50 hours).

A listing of Net Cafes with maps:
hipage.hinet.net/list.asp?keywor … pe=KEYWORD

:arrow_right: Yilan

Listing of Net Cafes (with address info and map):
hipage.hinet.net/list.asp?keywor … pe=KEYWORD


Telephone Service

  • Renting cell phones in Taiwan

[ What i’ve heard so far is that you can buy used phones or bring one from abroad (if it is compatble) and get pre-paid SIM cards to use those phones while you are in Taiwan. Will post more here when i have more details. ]

  • Renting cell phones abroad (for use in Taiwan)

TravelCell (USA)
travelcell.com/rates/asia/taiwan.asp

AL Tel (USA)
altelphonerental.com/coverag … aiwan.html

Telestial (USA)
telestial.com/rental_cell_phone.php


Hospitals

:arrow_right: Taidong

map and list with phone numbers
google.co.jp/search?hl=ja&q= … C%E7%B4%A2

:arrow_right: Hualien

map and list with phone numbers
google.co.jp/search?hl=ja&q= … C%E7%B4%A2

:arrow_right: Yilan

Yilan County website: List of hospitals in Yilan
e-land.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=4 … e=722&mp=5

map and list with phone numbers
google.co.jp/search?hl=ja&q= … C%E7%B4%A2


Off the coast (diving, snorkeling, fishing)

Threads:

Snorkeling in Kenting…your thoughts?

The Scuba Thread 2008
viewtopic.php?f=63&t=67446&start=23
viewtopic.php?f=63&t=67446&start=66
viewtopic.php?f=63&t=67446&start=76

The Islands Thread (contains links to info about Green Island and Orchid Island)

Green Island questions

The Scuba Thread 2009

Websites:

Green Island Diving and Snorkeling
razzelberry.blogspot.com/2009/06 … -trip.html

The Secret of Green Island: Spectacular Diving
chinapost.com.tw/travel/taiw … Secret.htm


Hiking, Cycling

There is some information about at least one of the east coast areas in each of the following threads.
Useful search terms to find east coast related info in those threads: Taitung, Taidong, Hualien, Ilan, Yilan.

The Hiking Thread 2009

The Hiking Thread (2007-2008)

Who has cycled around Taiwan?