Located a short drive away, southwest of Hualien, is a body of water called Liyu Lake (鯉魚潭 / li yu tan). Liyu means carp, of which, there are apparently a lot of in this lake.
When we dropped by, except for restaurant owners across the street beckoning people to come in, there wasn’t a soul nearby. Paired with a heavy fog that sat above the hill surrounding the lake, the whole area felt peaceful and yet mysterious.
During many times of the year, people frequent Liyu Lake for recreational purposes including paddle boating, biking, and hiking. Perhaps because it was raining and gloomy, crowds stayed away. That didn’t keep us from exploring the area near the visitor center.
You’ll know you’ve arrived at the visitor center when you hear music playing out of the loudspeaker. This seemed to be a common thing in Hualien for many outdoor spots—music just playing where you’d least expect it.
Walking past trees that were Christmas colored, we made our way to the paddleboat dock area. The paddleboats (踩船 / cai chuan) were neatly docked waiting for better weather to set sail.
On the western part of the park was an observation deck. This wooden structure was pretty cool and fairly tall. It gave a perfect view of the surrounding lake, including a view into a nearby fish farm.
I was amazed at how beautiful the scenery was at Liyu Lake. The light rain made everything a little more shiny.
Will have to come by again some time when the weather is a little better to discover more of what makes this a popular recreational spot. Apparently, during the month of April thousands of fireflies dot the lake at night. That would also be a sight to behold.