delicious hualien eats and pretty sanzhan village

A betel nut shop in Hualien (花蓮).

In my previous post, I told of our time at Taroko Gorge, which is a huge attraction in Taiwan, and I'm sure it is the main reason why many tourists include Hualien city in their itinerary. However, Hualien is not just a convenient base that one can use as a jumping-off point to visit Taroko - it is also an excellent destination in its own right.

After all, where else would you get egg-bomb spring onion pancakes?

Laopai egg-bomb spring onion pancake stall in Hualien (花蓮老牌炸蛋蔥油餅).

This is basically a deep-fried spring onion pancake roll with a half-cooked egg encased within. Bite into it and the creamy, gooey orange yolk bursts into action, so eat with care! You can also request for a fully-cooked egg if you wish, but I don't think that would be as awesome. This egg-bomb spring onion pancake costs 30 NTD, very affordable. You can get just a plain spring onion pancake without the egg for 20 NTD - but again, I don't think that would be as awesome. The spring onion isn't actually that prominent here, so the star of the show is really the egg.

So here's what the pancake looks like before the egg explosion... sorry, no post-explosion pics! It can get a bit messy, and I was too busy trying not to get egg all over myself!

Egg-bomb spring onion pancake (炸蛋蔥油餅), a fun, dramatic snack.

Another popular shop here is Gongzheng Baozi. Here, you can get a variety of things, including buns, dumplings, soup, noodles, soy milk, and tea, all for nice cheap prices. And it's open 24 hours so you can get your fix any time!

Gongzhengbaozi shop in Hualien (花蓮公正包子店).

I think it was here that I first discovered that xiaolongbao in Taiwan typically refers to a special type of mini pork bun, and not the soup dumplings that I was accustomed to. I was disappointed at first, but these buns are actually not bad! The Taiwanese xiaolongbao bun has a thinner skin than your usual pork bun, so the meat-to-dough ratio is splendid.

Taiwanese xiaolongbao (小籠包) - these are like mini pork buns, not soup dumplings.

A shop I really liked in Hualien is this wonton shop, called Yexiang Bianshi. Apparently it has been in business for more than 70 years at this point.

Yexiangbianshi wonton shop in Hualien (花蓮液香扁食店).

My goodness, I adored the wonton soup here. Look how silky and perfect their wontons are! Along with the scrumptious broth, they went down like a dream. I think it cost something like 65 NTD per bowl.

Wonton soup (扁食湯 / 雲吞湯 / 餛飩湯).

We also lined up for the famous oyster omelette from Haipu. I enjoyed seeing them cook the oyster omelettes while we were waiting in line - it's done in a large, flat pan, and it's quite entertaining to watch!

Haipu Oyster Omelette Shop in Hualien (花蓮海埔蚵仔煎).

As it turns out, though, I don't think the Taiwanese oyster omelette is my thing... the liberal use of starch in the recipe makes for a glutinous quality that I wasn't particularly fond of. The sauce was also quite sweet. After tasting this, I have to say I prefer the Malaysian oyster omelette, which is more eggy and savoury. But clearly, there are many people who are big fans of the Taiwanese style, and the Haipu shop is extremely reputable, so if you're in the area, it's probably a good idea to try it for yourself!

Haipu oyster omelette (海埔蚵仔煎), around 50 NTD per serve.

We also sampled coffin bread, or coffin toast, or coffin sandwich, at the night market in Hualien. Similar to a bread bowl, this involves toasted or fried bread with a variety of enticing fillings such as hot pepper beef, smoked honey chicken, satay pork, and pumpkin seafood.

Jiangjia coffin bread stall in Hualien (蔣家花蓮創意官財板).

You can see how coffin toast got its name - the fillings are placed in the hollowed-out centre of a thick slice of bread, and then covered again on top with a cut-out piece of bread, so it resembles a coffin with a lid. An interesting snack to try if you get the opportunity!

Coffin toast (官財板).

We also stumbled upon a fabulous gelato shop in Hualien called Houshan Gelato. Made with fresh natural ingredients, the gelati here is seriously delectable. The selection is dominated by fruit flavours, and they're so so good. A bit pricey by Taiwanese standards at 60 NTD for one scoop and 100 NTD for two scoops, but it's quality stuff.

Delicious gelati in a waffle cone from Houshan gelato shop in Hualien (花蓮後山手工冰淇淋).

Additionally, here's a picture of a dog on a scooter, a classic scene in Taiwan. This doglet is so sweet and timid! We wanted to pat it, but it looked so scared and worried... and then it completely lit up with relief and happiness when the owner came back! Awwwww.

Little scooter dog!

Speaking of scooters, as mentioned in my Taroko Gorge blog post, we hired one for our stay in Hualien. It cost us 400 NTD per day, and fuel was about 150 NTD over the course of three days.

So we checked out the well-known Qixingtan beach, which is held in high regard for its pebble beach and blue waters.

Qixingtan beach (七星潭).

And I guess it is quite attractive, but to be honest, Simon and I were sort of like okay, it's a beach, now what do we do? So we ventured to the other direction, and there was some kind of a fish market going on. I've always been partial to fish markets, there's something about them that feels raw and right to me.

Qixingtan fish market (七星潭魚市場).

This kitty cat was probably the highlight of our trip to Qixingtan, haha! We were patting it outside someone's shop house like the crazy cat weirdos we are. This amused the locals and led to casual conversation related to the cat.

A nice cat near the fish market at Qixingtan.

On our way back to the main city area, we took a different route and discovered the Zuocang Cemetery. I took a photo as I thought it was quite a charming cemetery.

Hualien Zuocang Cemetery (花蓮市佐倉公墓).

There was also a cheerful statue of the Chinese Earth God, smiling beatifically as he ruled over his land.

Tudigong, Lord of the Soil and the Ground (土地公).

On another day, we headed off to Sanzhan (sometimes spelled Sanjhan and also known as Pratan), a little aboriginal village that was recommended to us by our enthusiastic Airbnb host, who showed us the pictures he took on his phone and the place looked pretty so we thought, why not?

We took the Hai'an Road route there and gosh, it's gorgeous. Such a great ride.

Beautiful views from Hualien City's Hai'an Road (花蓮海岸路).

Yep, the journey there alone was already making my heart sing.

Seaside views along Hai'an Road.

And then we got to Sanzhan village, and we probably should have done more research, because we weren't quite sure what we could do. If we'd looked it up more, we would have found out about river tracing here. We could have followed the water into a more secluded spot, taken a dip in a pool, and ventured into a river valley in the Taroko National Park!

Sanzhan River (三棧溪) - the teal waters are truly captivating.

As it is, we just wandered around randomly, and admired the views. With exquisite blue-green waters and a mountainous backdrop, this village sure is pleasing to the eyes.

Sanzhan village views (三棧村).

We got to the main village area, and found a shop where we could grab some breakfast!

I saw that they did blood cube soup, which isn't usually my thing, but that day, for some reason, it sounded fantastically appealing to me. An unusual craving for me, and I'm really glad I ordered it! The broth was generous with spring onions, and the pork blood curds were so smooth, the taste so subtle, it was almost like having tofu. This is simple, satisfying, rustic comfort food. I felt utterly nourished.

 Pig's blood soup (豬血湯) at Sanzhan village.

After our breakfast, we walked around some more, and met quite a few cats in the village, much to our sheer delight.

Cats at Sanzhan village.

Doesn't this cool cat look like it has superpowers? I mean, it looks like it could be a badass character from Dragon Ball Z or Rurouni Kenshin, or something.

A cool calico or tortoiseshell cat in Sanzhan village.

So even though we didn't do all the things we could've done at Sanzhan, we ended up having a lovely time there. Funny how things work out!

In conclusion, I'll just say that there is so much to explore in Hualien County, especially if you have your own transport. With a vibrant food scene in the city area, and beautiful scenery in the countryside, it definitely gets a thumbs-up from me!

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day trip to taroko gorge

A day at Taroko Gorge (太魯閣峽谷), Taroko National Park (太魯閣國家公園).

After Luodong, the next stop on our Taiwan itinerary is Hualien. One of the major attractions here is, of course, Taroko Gorge at Taroko National Park. We made this a priority, and after a good night's sleep in Hualien city, we got up nice and early, and scooted over to Taroko first thing in the morning!

There are quite a few options for exploring Taroko Gorge. You can go with a tour, you can get a driver to chauffeur you around for the day, you can take a hop-on hop-off shuttle bus. Or you can procure your own transport, which is what we did! We hired a scooter and away we went...

It took us less than an hour to get to Taroko National Park, and entry is free, which is awesome. We kicked things off with the Shakadang trail - an easy choice, as it's very close to the park entrance. It was a pleasant trail, and the rocky overhangs were cool, though also a little bit worrying, given that the park also warns about falling rocks. It is not uncommon to see people wearing safety helmets when they explore the gorge!

I think this is the Shakadang trail (砂卡礑步道). Check out those overhanging rock formations!

I can't remember which section of the park it was where I took this picture. But the mountain views here sure are pretty.

Bright green and misty mountains.

And minutes after I captured that photo, I found another opportunity to put my camera to work when I spied this cute little skink! It's a baby five-striped blue-tailed skink (otherwise known as an elegant five-lined skink). Apparently they're adorable and striking as younglings, then sort of go drab as they grow into adults. I wish I could say we saw heaps more wildlife at Taroko, but that didn't happen... I suppose we just didn't venture deep enough into the park to see them. I'm glad to have met this cutie, at least.

A baby five-striped blue-tailed skink, also known as an elegant five-lined skink (麗紋石龍子).

A bit further along, we were treated to the clean aquamarine waters of Liwu River rushing through a deep and narrow section of the gorge. This is the Swallow Grotto trail, named as such due to the abundance of swallows nesting in the marble cliff faces.

Gorgeous blue Liwu River (立霧溪) at Taroko Gorge. I think this is from the Swallow Grotto Trail (燕子口步道).

After that we stopped at Tianxiang Village for food. Shockingly, I do not have any pictures of our lunch on my camera. I guess it probably wasn't anything special.

We continued on with our sightseeing... here's the gateway to Xiangde Temple and Tianfeng Pagoda. We were getting a bit short on time, so we didn't do the Xiangde Temple trail, and only admired these structures from afar.

Xiangde Temple (祥德寺) and Tianfeng Pagoda (天峰塔).

At this point we turned back towards where we started, picking up more trails as we went along.

A green and leafy trail.

If I recall correctly, this is part of the scenic Lushui trail.

A lovely walk through the forest.

I really enjoyed the trek - it's a gentle walk that includes both forest and cliff terrain, very rewarding for not too much effort!

Lushui trail (綠水步道) at Taroko Gorge.

There are some good views of the river here, and I believe we also saw the rare Taroko oak tree (quercus tarokoensis), which is endemic to Taiwan.

Views of Liwu River (立霧溪). I think that's a Taroko oak tree (太魯閣櫟) at the forefront of the picture.

I can't remember if this was part of a trail or just a spot we stopped temporarily on our way back, but look at how gorgeous it is! Or should I say, gorge-ous? Haha.

Gorge-ous views at Taroko Gorge.

Ditto these magnificent mountain views.

Beautiful mysterious misty mountains.

As daylight dwindled, we were almost back to where we started, near the park entrance, but of course, we had one more important stop: the Changchun Shrine, also known as the Eternal Spring Shrine. The trifecta of shrine, mountain and waterfall makes for a charmingly photogenic location, definitely one that attracts hordes of tourists. You can easily admire this view and take pictures from afar, but there is also the Changchun Trail if you would like a more up close and personal experience.

The Eternal Spring Shrine or Changchun Shrine (長春祠) at Taroko Gorge.

And we also noticed this - a mountain temple? - perched at a higher elevation. Intriguing!

Another memorial or temple high up on the mountain in Taroko Gorge.

We ended up spending a full day at Taroko Gorge - we were there for about 8 hours in total, from morning till sunset, and it was a day well spent. If you have time to spare and you're strongly into nature and hiking, you might even consider allocating two days here - the Taroko National Park is actually seriously huge (look it up on the map!), and what I've covered in this post is but a tiny percentage of what it has to offer. So, go forth and be intrepid... and tell me all about it!

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luodong night market: fun regional cuisine

Luodong Night Market in Yilan County (羅東夜市, 宜蘭縣).

Our Taiwan itinerary was basically a loop around the country - the idea was to start from Taipei and make our way down the east coast to the south, then head back up again through the west and center before finally returning to where we began.

I'm going to leave the Taipei posts for later, so let's get to the (literally) loopy part of the journey!

For some reason, I decided to kick things off with Luodong. I can't remember exactly how this came about, but I suspect that I read some glowing reviews about the local night market there, my stomach said "yes!" and that was that.

And the Luodong night market really is the main attraction, as far as I'm concerned. We wandered around town during the day, and honestly, we didn't get up to much. It is when night falls that it gets truly exciting.

The first thing I ate at the market was something simple and straightforward, a piece of grilled mackerel. A sprinkling of salt and a squeeze of lemon is all it needs - the excellent quality of the fish rings through bright and clear.

Grilled mackerel from the Yifang Seafood Stall (宜芳海物燒烤店的鯖魚).

Simon, on the other hand, got this thing, whatever it is, I can't remember... but it looks like a pizza cone.

I think this is some kind of pizza cone (義式捲筒披薩)?

Then he made an astute choice with this Shanghai-style cold-tossed hand-torn chicken salad. I was a bit skeptical because the stall wasn't one of the more crowded ones, but it actually turned out to be delicious. With mixed vegetables, pulled chicken, crunchy peanuts, and a tangy dressing to pull it all together, this salad is big on texture and flavour. It's probably also one of the healthier options you can get at the market, if that matters.

Shanghainese cold shredded chicken salad (涼拌手撕雞). 60 NTD for a small portion, 100 NTD for large.

By the way, there is a park just next to the market! It's called the Luodong Zhongshan Park, and the lights and fountain features are quite pretty at night.

Luodong Zhongshan Park (羅東中山公園).

But let's get back to the food, because we're getting to the more interesting stuff...

I think we got these pork-wrapped spring onion rolls after seeing an impressive queue at the stall. Usually, a long line turns me off and I can't be bothered... but hey, we're on holiday, we're in Luodong precisely for the food, and they look freakin' awesome. Like many other stalls selling spring onion snacks, this one also proudly proclaims the use of the famously voluptuous and fragrant spring onions from the nearby Sanshing, a small rural town that has its own spring onion festival and spring onion museum.

Pork-wrapped green onion rolls on a stick (三星蔥肉串), 35 NTD.

The thinly-sliced grilled pork that's brushed with a sweet, savoury sauce and topped with sesame seeds, the aromatic spring onions bursting with juices encased within... yeah, these babies were worth the wait.

Another shot of the pork and spring onion skewer.

Then I had a brief dessert interruption... though frankly I wasn't so much tempted by something sweet than amused by the name of this stall: "Flat-Chested Maiden's Crispy Egg Cakes". That's one way to make a sale! Anyway, these are best eaten warm - they're soft and tender inside, with a slight crunch to the exterior. But like most of the egg cakes I tried in Taiwan, they weren't as eggy as I prefer; I think I'm just spoilt by the homemade ones my family makes, where we don't hold back on the eggs!

Crispy egg cakes from the Flat-Chested Maiden stall (平胸妹脆皮雞蛋糕), 30 NTD for a small portion, 50 NTD for large.

I was keen to try the specialty foods known to this region, and the mysteriously named dragon phoenix roll certainly fits the bill. It's basically a sausage with ingredients such as pork, fish paste, cabbage and carrot neatly wrapped up in pig's caul fat.

Dragon phoenix leg (龍鳳腿), 20 NTD per stick.

Pork fritters are also well-known here. Strips of pork are seasoned, dipped in batter, and deep fried. The stall I got these from also offered another specialty called gaozha, I wish I tried that too, I don't know why I didn't - apparently they're deep-fried creamy meat cubes that melt in your mouth, so intriguing! They sell some kind of century egg salad as well.

Pork fritters (卜肉) from the Xiaochun (小春) stall, which also sells little deep-fried meat cakes (糕渣). 60/100 NTD small/large.

Last but not least, one of the local specialties that I really wanted to experience at the Luodong night market is the angelica mutton soup.

Yangpuzi, a popular angelica mutton soup stall at Luodong night market (羊舖子當歸羊肉湯).

Cooked with angelica root, which is said to have restorative medicinal qualities, this Chinese herbal soup features tender mutton in an aromatic broth. With a taste that feels nourishing yet light, this soup is like a lovely warm hug on a cool autumn evening. It made me happy.

Angelica mutton soup (當歸羊肉湯), 65 NTD per bowl. Delicious!

Eventually, our night market wanderings also led us to the Luodong Fude Temple, a random find for us.

Luodong Fude Temple (羅東福德廟).

The lanterns looked bright and festive - a fittingly vibrant end to our time in Luodong, which was short but sweet - or should I say, short but savoury, with little surprises here and there, plus lots of satisfaction!

Lanterns at the Luodong Fude Temple.

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