Hualien City

From Yilan we went to Hualien. Kit was very unimpressed when waiting for the train :P

And Hamish was tired from all the travelling.

He perked up a bit as the train was due to arrive though!

We then proceeded through the mountains to Hualien City. When Taiwanese say "through the mountains" they actually mean *through* the mountains. We would pop out into gorgeous scenery and then back into tunnels.

Exhibit A: Gorgeous Scenery.

Exhibit B: Tunnel.

Upon arriving in Hualien, we realised we were staying in a super flash hotel.

 View from the corridors - they opened up to outside, and outside was well-maintained.

 By the dining room area - random aesthetically pleasing cages with artfully arranged rocks, sticks, and hexapus.

This is the view from one of the lifts. I think it was the wheelchair-access one since it was larger than the other two and had a wheelchair picture by the button. It was octagonal and glass on three sides!

Hamish insisted on exploring the amazing hotel room. I left out the giant TV, but rest assured it was there.

And then we went to KFC! Here, KFC is one of the better takeaway joints. The chicken batter is nothing like New Zealand - it's super crispy, more like CFC, and doesn't seem to have soggy spots. The chicken is also super soft. Their chips are crunchier, and they sell custard tarts in three flavours (again, eaten before bothering to photograph). I'm not sure what the sides are like though.

I'm not sure what this burger was, but it's a pretty advertisement. We also had breakfast vouchers for the hotel buffet. As you can see, Hamish was pretty pleased with the food.

And last picture before we got on the bus (again) to travel to Taroko National Park.