COMPOSITION
The Most Challenging
Adventure in Hualien
Hualien is a gorgeous place that is worth visiting over and over again. The destination of this journey is the Rose Valley. My family and I decided to experience river tracing to get upstream through the Shenzhen River to the Rose Valley.
Many preparations have to be done before departure. First, we should wear a swimming suit or any waterproof clothes inside, and put on a wetsuit provided by the coach of this river tracing activity. We also have to put on non-slip shoes, helmets, and life jackets to prevent from getting injured. Then, it is time to get into the river.
At the very beginning, when I touched the water with my finger, it was so cold that I cannot even bear it during the scorching summer. However, as time goes by, I gradually got used to the temperature and started to enjoy it. When we crossed the stream, there were some sections that were deeper and some children like my little brother need to swim over by themselves or need assistance from someone taller. In addition, there was an interesting part that we put our foot on the waist of the person in front of me and so do the people behind me. It can make a floating boat that lets us float over some places that are too deep for people to walk. There were also natural slides in the river. Some rocks there were sited at the perfect place and had a perfect shape for sliding. Coaches would set a plastic sheet on the rock, and we can choose to slide normally or slide upside down into the water. Those were fantastic activities that were not only scary but also exciting.
The greatest part of river tracing was definitely the one called diving. There were about five places for us to dive along the way to Rose Valley. When we arrived at the first diving spot, I felt that the height of the rock was extremely scary. However, I was encouraged by my brother who bravely jump down to the deep pool. After overcoming the fear for the first time, all the other diving spots were not a big deal. Before I dropped into the water, the world seemed to stop at the moment. The gorgeous view embraced me and I fall into the warm hug of the water. Those jumps are so impressive that usually call to my mind after I went back home. Even now, I thought I could feel the coolness of the water, the warmness of the sunshine, and the beauty of the natural. River tracing is an amazing outdoor activity that everyone should try.
