The ride was a good 5 to 5 and a half hours long. We were slipping in and out of sleep as the train made a round around Taiwan to get us to Hualien - the last stop on the line we were on. The train tickets were not as cheap as we thought they would be, if I recalled correctly (merely a week since we came back and I'm already starting to forget bits and pieces of the trip... Thank goodness for pictures and receipts). But the ride was worth it. I was still feeling quesy during the train ride there, having only slept for a few hours, and getting neck strains from lying on Qi Lun's shoulder for too long, but the breathtaking views that were about to greet us took all those feelings away.
At Hualien, we stayed at the Papaya River B&B. Now, this B&B looked almost like a resort. I was extremely taken aback, considering that Hualien is not as developed and modernised compared to Taichung. I was preparing myself for a slightly less 'luxurious' home, with basic amenities for our stay, but I was blown away. (Bear in mind that Alvin did most of the planning, since he has been to Taiwan the most out of all of us, thus he knows his way around easier. Going on the trip was more of a free and easy surprise for the rest of us haha) The B&B itself sat next to an Alpaca Farm (probably because Alpaca-petting is one of the main features of the B&B), and the room itself was majorly comfortable. There were three beds, similar to our AirBNB in Taichung, but about a third of the entire room was segregated to form a huge toilet. And by huge I mean needing to take about 4-5 steps from the toilet bowl to the bathtub. Fancy indeed!
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And trust me, soaking in the tub with hot water when the weather out is cold and chilly is the best feeling ever..... Probably the closest I've ever gotten to experiencing an onsen haha.
Because of the rain, we couldn't have much plans for the day, considering that it was also super windy. We literally walked a little out of our B&B and turned back because of how windy, chilly and rainy it was getting. Our shoes were soaked, so it only made sense for us to not have much planned for the day. Because of that, the highlight of that day for me was exploring the area around Papaya River instead.
With close to no one around the B&B's vicinity, save for the occasional van driving by, it felt like we had the place to ourselves. It was so tranquil and quiet, a farcry from Taichung's bustling life. It was amazing getting to take a breather from the city.
The farm was home to these two adorable dogs, Tiger and Xiao Hei (I think?). They were both really cute, following us around everywhere! Tiger (the brown one) would always stand in the near distance, all most as if he was beckoning us to walk around the towns. He was the more adventurous one, apparently, while Xiao Hei just walked around the farm and the B&B on his own.
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When we tried setting out for a walk around the area outside of our B&B, Tiger was with us the whole way, although he seemed a little disappointed when we turned back instead haha. Darn, rain!
Also, I had the best sleeps of my entire Taiwan trip in Papaya River's B&B. Alvin said the owners mentioned that there was some special wood that their floors are made of that helps people sleep better?? I don't know, but either way, I slept like a baby. The bed was super comfy, and I truly appreciated the cooling weather outside while I was tucked underneath the sheets.
And excuse the ugly, low-light photo, but here's a snap of the dishes we had in this little quaint restaurant near the B&B that the owner recommended. Shoutout to the awesome steamed/roasted chicken dish we had. Practically speaking, the entire meal was hearty and wholesome. The chicken soup was of just the right temperature to keep us warm, and the nice lady of the restaurant cooked some strange vegetables that we've never tasted before... Nevertheless I found them pretty good! It was quite nice getting to taste something we're not entirely familiar with. All part of the experience!
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