Hualien, Taiwan – Tuesday, May 10th, 2011
Hualien will probably be the farthest I’ll ever travel for a kiddie coaster I wouldn’t get to ride. While Taiwan’s northern and western coasts are where most of the urbanization (and thus theme parks) is built up, the eastern coast is far more mountainous, isolated and sparsely populated. There is one roller coaster on the whole east coast, a Vekoma Roller Skater. (And it’s the smaller 207m version at that!) Most people planning a coaster tour of Taiwan would probably skip it. I would not be most people.
Hualien is one of only three cities of any noteworthy size in Taiwan facing out across the Pacific Ocean, located right along the middle of the coast. To get there I got
up bright and early to take the train from Taipei, arriving just before noon as the oceanic fog still hung low in the air. The thing I remember getting off the train was breathing in the cool, humid air; I could practically taste the clouds.
While I wouldn’t have a ton of time to explore the Hualien, from everything I gathered it seemed like a very friendly, livable place. Being sandwiched tightly between the ocean and mountains makes it a popular getaway for Taiwanese; anyone making the trek out here should consider the local theme park a bonus to the region’s true natural attractions. (Taroko National Park, perhaps Taiwan’s most famous national park, is the major draw near Hualien; I would be going there tomorrow.)
Still, after checking into my hostel, I had business to attend to: several hours at Farglory Ocean Park, Taiwan’s answer to SeaWorld or Ocean Park Hong Kong.
The park is located a short bus ride south of the city, precariously built on a mountainside overlooking the Pacific. It’s an incredible location for a marine theme park.
Before I even bought my ticket, I was in for some disappointing news. The roller coaster would be closed for maintenance for the entire month. Womp womp.
Nevertheless, I still decided to buy a ticket and see what else Farglory Ocean Park had to offer. If I recall I got a discount through my Ocean Park Hong Kong annual pass. The two parks certainly share a lot of similar DNA.
Cartoon character mascots are a must for any self-respecting Asian theme park.
Being on the side of a mountain, escalators are a big thing at Farglory.
You can also take the cable car to the top of the hill.
It provides a nice overview of the park on the way up.
And looking back down towards the water the views are fantastic.
The upper station is themed as a giant medieval castle. Like many marine theme parks, they have a hard time deciding exactly how they want to consistently interpret their theme.
I headed straight to the Underwater Kingdom kid’s ride section. (As you do.)
All the rides, while simple, were custom themed.
Just to remove any lingering hope that the sign out front was inaccurate, the Wally Whales Deep Dive Adventure coaster would not be operating today.
The absence of any lift motors was pretty definitive.
While missing the count was disappointing, it was no big loss to my experience. Taiwan is full of Roller Skaters, most of them bigger than this one. Still, the view from the top of the hill would probably be pretty special.
Even if I had been able to rearrange my trip to have not missed the coaster credit, after looking up their refurbishment schedule it seems I may have gotten a lucky trade-off, as the Pirates of El Dorado log flume had just come back from its own refurbishment to alternate schedules with the coaster. While not providing a +1 to my count, it was undoubtedly the biggest, most elaborate ride Farglory Ocean Park has to offer.
The queue is fairly elaborate.
The boats are adorable little mini-galleons, complete with tiny cannons.
You know a ride is gonna be hardcore when the very first scene out of the station is Death’s Dungeon.
The flume includes three drops, one of which is taken backwards, and several indoor themed sections, including an entire fake volcano. And of course like the rest of the park a spectacular view overlooking the ocean. It’s pretty cheesy in places, but Pirates of El Dorado is quite probably one of the best log flume attractions in Asia.
Like I said: Cheesily hardcore.
Winding my way back down to the lower levels, I discovered a pleasant scenic garden trail. I always enjoy exploring these types of hidden secondary pathways through theme parks.
Including encounters with the local wildlife.
Returning to the middle part of the park, there’s an American seaside pier theme section. I can’t tell if it’s intentionally dilapidated for thematic intent or if it’s just overdue on a refurbishment.
The park’s Ferris wheel (which they call, somewhat inexplicably and/or stickily, The Love Wheel) fits into this part of the park.
All aboard your own private Dolphin Love Gondola! One of the differences between Asian theme parks and their western counterparts is that they’re much more viewed as a place for dating and romance among young couples. Granted, on a random spring Tuesday there were very few people of any demographic to observe using the park.
I might have expected the views from the top to be the best in the park, but because it’s situated further down the hill the perspective isn’t too different from the cable car and the upper platforms. Still way better than most Ferris wheels, though.
While the upper levels of the park focus on more traditional amusement attractions, the lower levels are filled with marine animal shows and attractions. Here was their sea lion show. The sparse audience was probably close to half of the park attendance that day.
The entirely Mandarin-language show seemed to have some sort of sports broadcasting theme. At the least I can report that all the usual sea lion behavioral performances were included here. Regardless which language you speak, this show seemed very unlikely to change anyone’s opinions about performing animal shows.
Where to next?
With a light rain starting to come down, it seemed like a good time to check out the park’s main aquarium, Discovery Island.
Call me old-fashioned, but I’ve always felt that any marine theme park should at the very least have a decent walk-through aquarium with a wide variety of species to look at. It’s certainly more on-brand than amusement rides and less controversial than live animal performances. Fortunately this was another area that Farglory Ocean Park really delivered on. While not a particularly state-of-the-art facility, the diversity of exhibits was equivalent to many individually-ticketed regional city aquariums.
It appeared as though they hadn’t yet taken down all their Christmas decorations and decals. (It was May.)
Look closely…
And the exhibits keep going!
I’m not sure what’s more interesting: the fact that the park employs robots as aquarium custodians, or that this warning sign is only presented in English.
Okay, a few of these exhibits seem unambitious for even a dental office…
But then they finish with a giant aquarium with a moving escalator tunnel and honestly by this point I at least feel like I’ve gotten my money’s worth.
Only thing missing was a few big sharks.
Nearly a half hour later I finally emerged, only to find the rain still hadn’t quite subsided.
Fortunately the dolphin show was beginning soon nearby and it too was under canopy. By this damp point in the afternoon the crowds had almost entirely gone home.
While the facility was a step up compared to Ocean Park Hong Kong’s aging stadium, I’ll once again contend that this show will do little to impress a new opinion upon anyone who’s already seen a performing dolphin show at a theme park or aquarium closer to home.
After the show the rains had cleared and it was time to return to Hualien for the evening. I still had a bit of time to catch before the bus back into town, so I spent some time appreciating the power of the restless surf at this far edge of the Pacific rim. Gotta admit, it was both a stark contrast and an awesome thematic conclusion to a day at a marine theme park.
Story Time: While the bus to get to Farglory Ocean Park dropped off at a nicely marked bus station directly in front of the park, the return bus would pick up on the opposite side of the road, at a stop consisting of barely more than a sign on a post. Next to the stop was the tiny shack of a service station pictured below. I was the only person waiting for the bus.
Since my presence as a foreigner was not entirely inconspicuous, the store proprietor soon came out and, using extremely limited English, indicated that the schedule was incorrect and the next bus would be nearly an hour away. Oh, well. I didn’t have anywhere important to be this evening anyway.
He was an older guy who hadn’t shaved in several days, very outgoing and kind of eccentric. He pulled up a lawn chair for me to sit in as I waited, and not having much choice other than to be his guest, was able to pass the time engaged a fairly animated and entertaining conversation communicated mostly by hand gestures and pantomime.
Soon the cans of beer came out—“Tai-wan… BEER…” he carefully enunciated as he proudly pointed out the label to me—and not long after that came an increasingly large coterie of friends, family, and other roadside acquaintances, arriving from after work to join in the party.
Somewhat bewildered but infinitely amused by the impromptu roadside celebration, we were all having so much fun that when the bus finally did arrive nobody noticed until it blew right past us. The look on my host’s face I’ll never forget: a classic double-take, staring slack-jawed for a long silent second, before gesticulating wildly towards the slowly vanishing vehicle… THAT WAS THE BUS!
According to the schedule, I’d be waiting here another hour. Which meant only one thing… time for another round of Taiwan Beers!
Finally an hour later we were more careful to anticipate and flag down the bus. I bid a slightly drunken farewell to my new friends whom I shared barely a dozen mutually understood words, the whole group gathered to wave me a bon voyage as if they were seeing me off on the Titanic. Settling into my seat on the nearly-empty bus, I had to laugh to myself over how the afternoon had transpired, then spent the rest of the bus ride once again alone in contemplation. I made it back to my nautically-themed hostel safely, and I spent the evening getting a somewhat shameful dinner at a nearby McDonald’s, now engulfed by the silence of my foreign surroundings. Travel is very different if you experience it alone or with other people, regardless where those people are from.
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