By Zhou Liming
(Zhou is now an exchange student studying in Taiwan.)

You can see her earlier dairies: 

Love at "Sun Moon Lake"
First Glance at Taipei
Chihkan Tower - Epitome of Taiwan History
Kaohsiung, a City Pulsating with Life(1)
Kaohsiung, a City Pulsating with Life (2)
Kaohsiung, a City Pulsating with Life (3)
Kenting, a Place Lost in Time

The wild fruit was ripe. [Photo: CRIENGLISH.com]

My friends have always told me that Hualien was a very impressive place. But because it is located on the eastern coast of Taiwan, the journey there requires a great deal of time.

This week my friend and I finally made our dream come true. We call our trip to Hualien an "adventure journey," because a huge earthquake just occurred there several days ago.

With a width of 27-43 kilometers and a length of 142 kilometers, Hualien is the largest and the second narrowest county in Taiwan. As it is surrounded by the central mountains on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other, it has very beautiful natural scenery, which makes it an important tourist destination.