Literally the beautiful beach I have ever seen in my life. Qixingtan faces the Pacific Ocean, with turquoise water and the prettiest smooth stones. The waves were legit Little Mermaid-style crashing into the rocks.

Paul stacking rock sculptures.

This guy was taking photos of the waves… then a big one surprised him and he got soaked.

Tones of blue in the Pacific Ocean

SUPER windy!

Taiwanese fighter jets taking off every couple of minutes. It was like having our own private Blue Angels show.

Love the gray with white stripes. Took some pictures instead of taking rocks home.

I am a wierdo who dislikes sun and sand. (Too hot! And sand always gets everywhere.) So Qixingtan was perfect; overcast and rocky.

OMG. Look closely. This lady has a BABY in a stroller under her rain shield in the front of her scooter.

Apparently all the swallows in Taroko's Swallow Grove left to hang out on the telephone wires in Hualien.

Captain Paul

On a random weekday morning, we had Liyutan (鯉魚潭) almost all to ourselves.

A crane of some kind?

Feeding the carp.

Most young people in the cities speak English to some degree, but it's Taiwanese only for older people in the countryside. Our driver was appalled/amused I can't read the menu (or speak Taiwanese) so he ordered for us.

Must try in Hualien: deep-fried shrimp cake from a roadside vendor.