Journey to the center of Taiwan
My journey began in earnest last Saturday, around noon. Speeding down highway through Hualien's northern suburbs, and taking that familiar left fork into Taroko. I stopped for a brief moment at Swallow's Grotto. My bladder was about to burst, thanks to the 1000cc iced tea I'd had for brunch. Many tourists were out and about. A man was selling fruitcakes by the bathroom. I continued on, through Nine Turns, Lushui, Tianxiang. The weather was overcast, but this was somewhat of a blessing, actually. The clouds hugging the silvery canyon walls exuded an aura of mystique, calling to mind a classical Chinese painting. I rode past Wenshan, and after that into uncharted territory. I stopped over at Huoran Pavilion, but left after a few minutes, not wanting to disturb the man who was sitting there, cooking instant ramen in a pot. The road climbed and climbed. At Ci-En, I saw a marvelous cascade and walked along the red truss bridge. At Bilu, I saw the giant tree and discharged more iced tea. Shortly past that, the road was partially closed due to slope maintenance. Fortunately, it was close to 3pm, and I didn't have to wait long. The road ascended 1000 more meters before Dayuling. I went onto Highway 14-J, subjecting my scooter to the grueling climb up Hehuanshan. By then, the mountains were almost completely covered in clouds. Cold droplets of rain splashed down, my hands felt a bitter brand of cold. Hehuanshan was shrouded in mist, and my body went numb, but I had no choice but to continue. Eventually, the road began to descend. I made one more stop before Puli, at a 7-11, to eat a Mister donut and to make sure my hands and feet were still intact. I arrived at my destination around 5:30. The friendly innkeeper unlatched the door for me, and recommended a vegetarian cafe for dinner. It was buffet style fare, the selections hearty and refreshingly different from those offered at my local neighborhood vegetarian buffet in Hualien. Afterwards, I wandered for a bit along Zhongshan Avenue, browsed a large clothing mart, and, also upon the innkeeper's recommendation, devoured some delicious rice balls at Mama Shu's Cafe. The hotel I stayed at was located next to a Pizza Hut. Even as I returned around 9 that night, I still caught a strong whiff of pizza dough by the door.
A pesky mosquito tormented me that night. In deference to it, I woke up early. I decided to climb Hehuanshan North Peak first. The journey there took around two-and-a-half hours, including a roadside stop for breakfast (dong fen). Even at 9am, there were many people on the trail. The climb was straightforward, consisting of many steps, both man-made and natural. Due to the clear day, I got a good view of the sea of clouds over Taroko Valley, as well as some of the mountain villages to the north. Unfortunately, I forgot to wear a hat or sunscreen, so by the time I got back down, my face was badly sunburnt. I had some suprisingly yummy vegetable buns from the cafeteria for lunch, accompanied by piping hot milk tea. In the afternoon I tackled the East Peak. It was a wooden-plank style trail with many steps once again, passing adjacent to traces of an old ski lift. The views were impressive on the ascent, with Hehuanshan North on one side, and the jagged rocky face of Qilai on the other. By the time I returned to my scooter it was 3pm. Slightly impulsively, I decided to ride to Sun Moon Lake. When I got there, it was close to sunset. I disembarked at a resort town which I forget the name of, and followed a small trail along Chiang Kai-Shek's private wharf. The lake is considerably bigger than Liyu Lake in Hualien, and very peaceful, surrounded by dense green forest and gently sloping peaks. Most of the shore appears to be undeveloped. I caught the last moments of sunset atop the Ci-En Pagoda. After that, it was time to head back to town. I was slightly unnerved, riding through unfamilar mountain roads in darkness. But I got back safely, and had a nice plate of risotto and warm bubble milk tea at Nu Pasta. At the end of such a full day, I determined to make the next day slower-paced.
I woke up much later, around 8am. I rode around town in a somewhat haphazard manner, hoping to come upon a breakfast place. And along a barren side street, across from the high school, I did. It was a cute little establishment, very clean with three sisters cooking at the front. I had a plate of french fries and a slab of french toast. I then set off for Qingjing Farm, encountering a modest traffic jam in the mountains along the way. Parking at the south end, I wandered upwards, past the villa-style hotel, tea plantation, and miniature railroad at Carton World, taking in the mountain air and mountain views. I transitioned over to the skywalk, from which I could clearly see a broad buffet of peaks, from Hehuanshan to Qilai to Nanhua to Nengao to Yushan. The skywalk terminated at the Green Green Grassland, whose crowds of tourists and rather steep admission fee were offset by the cuteness of the sheep. Guanshan Park was quieter, with all the sheep of the Green Green Grassland, and better views too. I began heading down the mountain at this point, stopping over at the Small Swiss Garden, where I caught the 2:30 fountain show. With not much time left in the day, I once again rather impulsively decided to start driving over to Aowanda. The road there hugs the cliffs alongside Wanda Reservoir, and passes through some quaint tribal villages. Regrettably, midway through my journey, I got stuck behind two enourmous cement trucks. It was 3:30 by the time I arrived. The kind lady at the gate gave me a map and reassured me that there was still enough time before sunset to hike to the suspension bridge and back. I walked rather briskly, but enjoyed the trails, seeing some late-blooming cherry blossom trees along the way. The suspension bridge was surprisingly amazing. Not just the beautiful deep red and green colors of the bridge itself, which blend well with the surrounding mountains. But the two rivers, far below, on a gray riverbed far exceeding their widths, slowly winding their way to a meeting point. The multi-colored trees on the mountain slopes, red, green, and gold. The late afternoon sun piercing through the rolling clouds. I lingered there for a good 30 minutes before heading back. I arrived back in Puli around 7, and carried out from the only ramen restaurant in town.
My final day, I woke up at a similar time to the first day. I checked out of the hotel by leaving the key in the door. I rode back to the Hehuanshan area, climbing the Main Peak (a gentle trail), as well as Shimenshan (an even gentler trail). The summit of the Main Peak offers a nice view of the East Peak, and I think Shimenshan offers the best view of the sea of clouds. I had a delicious vegetarian bento box from the cafeteria. It was 180 dollars, but seriously might be the best bian dang I have ever had in Taiwan. And I got to enjoy it along with the mountain scenery! After lunch, it was time to head home, back the way I'd came three days earlier. From the cliffside road, I caught breathtaking, up-close views of the sea of clouds, even if having to drive through those clouds later was rather unpleasant. With clearer weather, I was able to better appreciate the scenery of the road, with mountain peaks rising in all directions, the Liwu River snaking in the valley below. I stopped at the Houran Pavilion again, and had it to myself this time. On an impulse, I started walking down the trail. Overgrown and consisting of winding steps, it was quite magical until abruptly ending half a kilometer through. I retraced my steps upwards, took a small break in the pavilion, and started riding again, not to stop until arriving back home.
