One must be wondering : what FBO stands for? It is actually named FBI Hualien. If FBI stands for Federal Bureau of Investigation, then why the hell name a hostel after it? If not, what FBI stands for then? I personally was curious about its name when I booked my stay. Soon enough I forgot to ask and it doesn't matter, because this hostel is awesome.
First thing first, it is really close to the railway station. Thus, it means it is quite far away from Hualien centre, if you choose to walk. But this one doesn't bother me at all. Hualien is a taiwanese city just like any other. For me, apart from the seaside, there isn't many attractions there. Hualien normally serves as a pit stop for people visiting Taroko Gorge. And from Hualien railway station, you can get all kind of transportation to Taroko Gorge. It is a big plus for being near to the railway station.
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| Hualien railway station |
Although it is near the station and it is on the main road, it was not that easy to find when I went there in August this year. It was still under renovation and there was no clear sign board indicating its name. It is a five-storey building : the ground floor is a café, 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors are the bedrooms and the top floor is roofless, which offers space to dry your clothes and hangout with other backpackers.
Beds and rooms they offer don't provide much personal space and privacy. Wifi coverage is good but there isn't enough plugs for everyone. More than 20 beds in a single room with only 2 air-conditioners, lights will normally stay on well after midnight. So if you can't sleep with lights on during summer heat, this is a major problem for you.
The beds design is certainly the only one of its kind as you can see from the pictures. But if you are on the top bunk, and if you want to pee at night, another major problem for you. Climbing up and down the beds is no easy task, even for me. So during my stay, I slept on the floor, which sounds horrible. But trust me, on the floor is the best.
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| Communal area in the room, most of the CD players are broken though. |
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| The forest of beds! |
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| The view from the top bunk, as you can see it is so high thta it is not for the faint-hearted. |
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| The middle and the floor are the best sleeping spots. |
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| The toilet, the bassins and the bathrooms. |
The bathrooms and washrooms are of course communal. What I like about the bathrooms is they are all so huge. One can basically lie down flat or even dance in it, a huge contrast with many other hostels where the bathrooms are normally small, so small that it is difficult to turn around without banging the walls.
All and all, it may sound like it is not a good hostel. But why I said it is awesome? It is awesome because the staffs are awesome. They are helpful, friendly, and enthusiastic above all. However, it was during summer when I was there. Most of them were temporary workers, summer job so to speak, and strangely, most of them were girls of my age. Not sure if it is the owner's strategy to hire mostly girls but it certainly works on me. They are so readily to make friend with people, not just me but everyone staying in the hostel. Never before I had such a warm welcome in a hostel. I even met the owner and he is a really nice guy too, down to earth and playful. For a middle-age guy, it is a rarity. The truth is I missed them already the moment I left. I wonder how many of them will still be there after the academic year starts.
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| Most of the staffs are girls! |
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| The sisters pair |
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| Another sisters pair |
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FBO also offers a cycling trip at night to Qi Xing Tan if the weather permits.
In this picture, we are on the rocky beach of Qi Xing Tan. |
In conclusion, the facility is just so so but it is the staffs who make the hostel awesome.
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