A group of Taipei high-school students have circumnavigated Taiwan proper by bus in a one-day journey, which they highly recommend for the beautiful scenery and the experience of watching the sun rise over the Pacific Ocean along Provincial Highway No. 9.
Wang Yu-hsiang (王昱翔), from Taipei Municipal Yongchun Senior High School, yesterday said that the COVID-19 pandemic meant his classmates could not take trips abroad to celebrate their graduation, so he helped to plan the 24-hour trip using intercity buses.
“Journeying around Taiwan on the coastal roads has become a must for many Taiwanese, a mission to achieve in one’s lifetime. It can be done in so many ways, by walking, cycling, riding a scooter, driving a car and taking the railway,” Wang said.
Photo courtesy of Wang Yu-hsiang
With the opening this year of the improved sections of Suhua Highway from Yilan County’s Suao Township (蘇澳) to Hualien, people have found it convenient to take intercity buses around Taiwan.
Kuo-Kuang Motor Transportation (國光客運) officials said they have seen an increase in passengers, after a YouTuber posted videos of sights along the bus routes.
The high-school students also posted messages of appreciation, after they completed their journey in 24 hours, they said.
The students thanked the bus drivers for providing commentary of famous sights along the way and taking them to the best spot to watch the sunrise, they said.
Their trip started at 9pm at the Taipei Bus Station, where they took Kuo-Kuang bus No. 1838 to Kaohsiung and then transferred to Kuo-Kuang No. 1778 to Taitung County’s Jinlun Village (金崙).
From there, they took DingDong Bus (鼎東客運) No. 8135 to Taitung, where they transferred to DingDong’s Taiwan Shuttle Bus (台灣好行) for the eastern coast line to Sansiantai (三仙台).
They then took Hualien Transportation (花蓮客運) bus No. 1145 along the east coast highway north to Hualien City, and took Taipei Bus (台北客運) No. 1071 for the final leg to Taipei’s Nangang Bus Station, at a total cost of NT$1,838 per person.
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