Albee, Mom of Three
We finally set foot on one of Taiwan’s most beautiful spots—Qixingtan. Before planning the trip, I kept wondering where to take the three little ones in Hualien?
It happened to be Xinxin’s birthday, and we had promised her a month ago that we’d go to the ocean park together. But before the trip, we accidentally came across an online video of dolphin calves being captured—their mothers desperately trying to save them, but unable to overcome human cruelty….
“Why do humans catch dolphins?” asked Enen and Xinxin.
I replied, “Because they want to make money from dolphins. They take them to ocean parks to train and perform for us to watch. But you know, dolphins should live in the sea, not in ocean parks. The ocean is their home. We shouldn’t take calves away from their mothers—just like I’d never let anyone take you away. You’re my precious!”
After hearing this, Enen and Xinxin, with teary eyes, told me, “We don’t want to go to the ocean park anymore!”
I was deeply moved by their decision and hoped this moment would stay etched in their hearts. I told Enen that besides the ocean park, Hualien has so many other wonderful places to explore.
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We might not even be able to cover everything in two or three days, so let’s set off with eager hearts.
Our family of five took the train with just simple luggage. We didn’t rent a car (though we have licenses, we’re too scared to drive!), so instead, we rented two motorcycles. With little Chenchen strapped to my back and Enen and Xinxin standing in front, we explored Hualien this way.
The kids found it all so fresh and exciting. Even we felt like we were reliving our younger days riding around on trips….
As soon as we arrived at Qixingtan, the three little ones’ eyes lit up—it was so beautiful. Thank you, lovely Qixingtan, for giving the children such a wonderful surprise.
Enen and Xinxin used to think of the sea as just beaches and water. It was their first time seeing a beach without sand, and they carefully stepped on the rocks…. The weather was especially nice. After getting tired of the humidity in Taipei, we soaked up the winter sun on the beach.
Qixingtan is a great real-life lesson. Like a tour guide, I explained to them that this is Taiwan’s only pebble beach, where the stones are round due to years of waves rolling and crashing against them.
They eagerly went treasure hunting, searching for all kinds of unique stones. We watched our three little treasures from behind while daydreaming…. At that moment, we truly paused our busy pace, stopped worrying about the daily hustle, and simply watched the waves roll in and out…. We left our worries to the sea and let the sound of the waves heal our hearts.
Dad quietly stacked up stones, as if he had seen in a Korean drama that such a tower could be a wish tower—to make wishes for each other.
By chance, we found a smooth, white, shiny stone. It looked like a glowing stone—so beautiful.
The best part about traveling on our own is that we’re not rushing through a schedule—we’re not bound by time. Though there are many fun places in Hualien, we’re not greedy. Actually, we want to give ourselves a reason to come back. We spent the whole morning here, and selfishly hoped the kids would grow attached to this sea and create more childhood memories.
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While picking up and tossing stones, Enen found a bamboo skewer. He said, “Mom~ look. Someone littered. If this skewer flows into the sea…”
“Dolphins and turtles could get hurt!” (I was really touched—he remembered what I taught him!)
I said, “That’s right. Later, we’ll take the skewer with us and throw it in the trash.”
The sea is truly beautiful, but if you look around, there’s actually a lot of trash on the beach…. We didn’t have trash bags with us, so we couldn’t take all the garbage. But if each of us puts in a little effort, we can maintain this beauty for the next generation. Please teach them to care for nature so its beauty can last forever.
Since we’re at Qixingtan, let’s also visit the “Qixingtan Bonito Museum”—it’s a great spot to keep the kids entertained.
Look how handsome Dad looks from the back.
First, let’s meet the adorable Bonito Grandpa.
The ticket is only 50 NT, and you can even get a 30 NT discount on purchases.
As soon as we entered the museum, the aroma of dried bonito filled the air. Enen asked, “Mom, why does it smell like udon noodles?” Haha—of course, yes. The bonito in your usual udon is the famous product from here. There are models demonstrating the traditional process of making dried bonito, and right under our feet is the old-fashioned drying room for bonito.
But those bamboo-woven flooring landscapes are just too much—Xinxin cried her way in, haha.
When you come here, remember to slow down and soak in this story that belongs to the Qixing people and the fish.
At the Qixingtan Dried Bonito Museum, there are plenty of interactive activities for kids. That day, Enen and Xinxin touched a starfish for the first time, and they both thought it was amazing !
The first floor has many small aquariums where you can see various marine creatures and fish. Did you spot Nemo and Dory from Disney?
Hi~ I’m a live starfish too !
Head up to the second floor of the museum, where we can imitate fishermen by casting nets.
A fun word-recognition activity—many words made out of fish characters. We’d probably never use these in our lifetime ! It was tough, and we spent quite a while flipping through them together….
Did you guess these two characters correctly?
Now we know that Qixingtan is rich in dried bonito, but what about other places? Coming here, I learned that Taitung actually produces swordfish.
I know Changhua is famous for oysters ! I hope I can also bring the triplets there to experience oyster harvesting one day.
Here, a simple flip-card game helps kids learn about Taiwan’s fishing produce.
Enen, who’s over five years old, started seriously looking at the pictures. I could also use the images to explain how fishing is done in Taiwan.
On the way up the stairs, there are cute little figurines you can take pictures with—none other than Bonito Grandpa himself ! Hahaha~
More and more people are leaving Hualien, and the hiring of mainland Chinese fishermen is affecting both tourism and the fishing industry. Many traditional handicrafts and skills are gradually being lost. Thankfully, the museum preserves these little details, letting us know the origins of dried bonito and the history of Hualien’s fishing industry.
We played in the museum for almost an hour and a half. Actually, the museum isn’t very big—if you don’t look around carefully, you can finish in about 10 minutes ! But there are so many games to play with the kids that we ended up staying for ages….
Especially this vegetable-and-fruit-themed tic-tac-toe.
Enen challenged me, the big boss, for the first time. Hahaha~ Of course, she lost to me completely !
Besides the tic-tac-toe game, there’s also hopscotch, the game we played as kids. Remember how to play? You toss a stone onto a square, and when hopping, you can’t land on the square where the stone landed. If the square is single, hop on one foot ; if it’s double, hop on both feet.
Now it’s Daddy Triple’s turn ! Haha~
Don’t forget to visit the specialty shops before you leave—pick up some souvenirs from Qixingtan and support Hualien’s tourism !
We spent nearly a full day at just two spots. Pretty wild, right ? But sometimes, traveling isn’t about checking in or sightseeing. Sometimes, slowing down is how you truly immerse yourself in the local life. After coming back, the triplets couldn’t stop talking about how beautiful Hualien was. We’ve already agreed to go to Taroko Gorge in Hualien next time to see the breathtaking beauty God created !
Let’s end with this adorable fish with a pouty mouth !
Cute Xinxin tried it too—mwah~ I love Hualien !
[Authorized Repost from Albee, Mom of Triplets. Parenting. Life] Original source: [[Family Travel]Hualien Qixingtan & Super Fun Qixingtan Dried Bonito Museum]