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| Arrived at the end of Qixingtan Bike Trail - beautiful pebble beach full of pebble stones. |
It was a 27 km Qixingtan Bike Trail from the hotel I stayed at down town Hualien City （花莲市） to Qixingtan (七星潭）.
Taiwan is known for its sports-friendly travel destination. The boutique hotel that we stayed had provided us with free bikes to use. Staff there was very friendly, showing us the map and how to enjoy Hualien City through cycling from the hotel to Qixingtan which covered around 27km distance.
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| No charge for using the bike - all provided by the boutique hotel I stayed. |
Along Qixingtan Bike Trail - beautiful scenery, relaxing and easy to cycle!
The moment I got onto the bike trail - which was clearly indicated with good signage, I felt so happy for having to embark on my 1st cycling journey on a dedicated bike trail overseas.
27 km wasn't a short distance for a guy like me who has not even ridden a bike since I was in college (please don't ask me when - cos it would reveal my age. haha! But it's loooooooong time ago! lol!)
During the trail, I passed through a big compound where the local youths would play sand volleyballs, exercising, etc.
Along the bike trail, there were few bridges to cross due the the geographical nature of Hualien City. It's right at the foothill of the famous Taroko National Park (太鲁阁国家公园） which I would share in another post. And the the city meeting the East coast of Taiwan, naturally there are a lot of mountains, rivers and also the beautiful sea.
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| Everyone was enjoying the beautiful scenery along the trail! |
In fact, you would be able to see Taroko National Park from the Qixingtan Bike Trail as well. Look at the picture below I took. The scenery was breathtaking,wasn't it?
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| Backdrop: Taroko National Park |
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| The cycling path has brought me to many quiet paths along the coastal road which is super nice!! I love it! |
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| Look at the proper cycling track! Beautiful! |
The bike trail was 95% of the time along the coastal line, which means that I got to see the beautiful sea and enjoyed the beautiful clear blue sky. And since the time I visited was in March 2013 which was spring season, the weather was very cooling - a no sweat cycling! :)
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| Beautiful abandoned houses - but they color scheme made them look so beautiful! |
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| Along coastal line |
Qixingtan 七星潭 (Pebble Beach)
After about 13 km ride, I finally arrived at the end of the trail - Qixingtan. It's actually a beautiful beach full of pebble stones. There were restaurants, joints, cafes, souvenir shops there as well as public toilet.
The place was so relaxing. I could lie on the pebble beach for hours - looking at locals fishing, kids picking up the pebble stones to play, and the fishermen's boat to pass by. And of course, looking at at the clear blue sky, smelling the fresh unpolluted air was truly in heaven! Since it was on the east coast of Taiwan, I didn't get to watch the sunset.
Here is a small little write up about Qixingtan from the official Hualien travel portal website:
Located on the northeast beach of Xincheng Town, Qixingtan is the only county level scenic area in Hualien. Besides the crescent bay and clear blue waters of the Pacific Ocean, the beach is full of colorful agates that are easily found and appreciated. Qixingtan used to be a small fishing village. Due to its abundant natural beauty, multiple scenic trails, beach pavilions, pagodas, and Star-Gazing Square, Qixingtan has become a popular tourist destination, particularly known for its remarkably blue sky and turquoise seas. Qixingtan beach is the best place to watch the moon and the stars, or simply meditate as you are soothed by the sound of the ocean waves washing over the pebbles.
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| I could sit there for hours watching world to pass by. Spotted was a fishermen's boat. |
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| Day dreaming: How nice if I didn't have to work and travel around to places I love! :) |
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| Lots of pebble stones at the pebble beach! Beautiful! |
When I visit Hualien City again...
Without a doubt, I would visit Taiwan again. In fact, I visited Taiwan again in December 2014 to run my first full marathon in Taipei (Fubon Taipei Marathon).
In 2016, I will visit Taiwan again - but this round I will cover Kaohsiung and surrounding areas. And I also plan to participate in Kaohsiung 42km Marathon.
But definitely I will visit Hualien again in near future.
When I next visit, I would want to cover more areas. I found out that there are few bike tours available with longest distance of 35 km. I have provided a map below and link if you are interested.
I might stay at same boutique hotel again next time. With the free bike rental, I would want to spend even more time exploring more of Hualien on a bike.
I strongly recommend you to visit Hualien if you like sports traveling! It's a must!!
More information can be obtained at:
Event date 2013.02.27
Written on 2015.10.11
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