Taiwan 2013 Travelogue: Hualien | QixingTan 七星潭

It's been more than half a year since I last blogged about my Taiwan trip and the last post was about Taroko Gorge National Park, click HERE if you haven't read it. So backtracking a little, I'm finally back with a new post on another scenic spot in Hualien  and hopefully I'll able to finish blogging about my whole trip soon. 

So after visiting Taroko Gorge, our driver drove us to QiXing Tan Beach which took about half an hour or more. Located 15 mins from Hualien City, it is a costal stretch made up of stone pebbles, forming a crescent moon shape cradling the Pacific Ocean. The name QiXing Tan literally means “Seven Stars Lake” in Chinese, it is named such because there used to be seven real pools of water in another location but the Japanese needed to use the site and filled the pools. The people were forced to relocate to the area now at the north of Hualien City. These people called themselves the ‘Qi Xing Tan residents’ and thus the area became known as ‘Qi Xing Tan’. 

The moment we arrived, we were welcomed by the strong wind. I ran down the stairs and raced myself towards the beach cause I was so excited to see the magnificient blue ocean. What sets it different from other beach is that it's a beach filled with huge pebbles rather than sand. So it's not the usual kind of sandy beach, don't worry about getting sand in your shoes (: 

I built a pebble snowmancastle! 

Such tranquility (: and I love the fact that it's so clean! 

Just look at the long stretch of pebble beach facing the Pacific Ocean and trust me, this is just a quarter of it. You can even see the great green mountains and twisting highways afar. I can just stand there for hours, enjoying the cool sea breeze and admiring the endless ocean view into the horizon. 

Since it was quite windy that day, the waves was strong too so no one was in the water. You could be easily swept away by the waves, I kid you not.  

It is a touristy spot but even the locals love hanging out here in the evening. I doubt it will ever be crowded since the place itself is so huge. The family and I had a really great time just chilling after a tiring afternoon in Taroko Gorge.

And slowly, the sun began to set.

It's definitely a must visit place if you're in Hualien. 

Qixing Tan Beach
Hai An Road, Xincheng Township,
Hualien County, Taiwan.

On an unrelated note, I just realised that I didn't take any selfie at QiXing Tan. Cause my camera battery died at Taroko Gorge so most of the photos are taken with my phone and my front phone camera kinda sucks so yay no selfie HAHAHA and oh, you can actually go whale-watching in Hualien too! Available only from April to October and since we were there nearing the end of Nov, no whale-watching for us, boohoo T__T More info about whale-watching in Hualien, HERE. 

Later on, the driver made a detour to a local fishing market nearby Qixing Tan (like 5 mins away) for us to try out fresh sashimi before dropping us off at the night market.

Fresh seafoooooooood everywhere. 

And this my friend, is a Sunfish or also known as Mambo fish (曼波魚), one of the heaviest fish in the world as it can weigh up to 1000kg. To be honest, I've never seen a fish this huge in my life. Mambo fish are in high demand because they cannot be reared commercially due to its large size and the inability to adapt to manmade environment. All parts of the fish, from the fins to the intestines are edible, and with its high collagen content. It is a  famous delicacy in Hualien but of course I didn't get to try it.

One of the many vendors that sell fresh sashimi. 

A plate of fresh salmon sashimi for NTD100, real sweet and juicy! 

So, that pretty much sums up my evening in Hualien! Sorry for the abrupt ending hurhur Next up would be about Stone Minsu that I stayed for a night in Hualien, stay tuned :D

xx