4 - Puli（埔里）
Going all the way to Puli, by way of the Central Cross-Island Highway was my greatest adventure in Taiwan. Puli is the geographical center of Taiwan. They have a little steely monument that marks it by the side of the road. On my way out of town, on the final day, I made a brief stop there. It was a cool memory, to be sure, but a mere blip among what I had done over the previous two days...
Because Puli is the gateway to Sun Moon Lake. Gazing at the deep turqoise waters and the lush forested hills on all sides is a serene experience. The waves were calm on the afternoon that I went. I watched the sunset from the ninth storey of a hilltop pagoda. On one side I could see the lake, glowing like a fire. On the other side, I saw a great big mountain that seemed to reach all the way to the sky.
Because Puli is in the heart of the mountains. It was a winding, hour-long drive to Qingjing Farm. From the high-altitude pastures, beyond the children feeding wooly-haired sheep, I saw all the peaks of central Taiwan spread out before me, from Hehuanshan, to Qilai, to Nenggao, to Yushan. Deep below, I could see a river. Highway 14 climbed up the foothills, past hot springs resorts, only to end abruptly in the middle of a forest. Observing such a scene, I felt like I was on top of the world. Knowing that the Taroko Gorge, Hualien, and the Papaya River lay on the other side of the mountains gave me satisfaciton, as if I were party to one of Taiwan's little secrets.
Because Puli is a warm, familiar place. I came into town cold and tired from three hours of riding through fog. The innkeeper greeted me excitedly at the sidewalk. He recommended a small vegetarian buffet and a delicious tangyuan shop called Mama Shu's. That night and the next, I'd enjoy taking walks across town, around its traffic circles and past its many restaurants and cheap clothing depots. And not too far away, even under the cover of darkness, I could sense the mountains rising up on all sides, a protective coccoon from my fears and dark thoughts. Strolling through this small, slow-paced city, which lay tucked in its own remote pocket of Taiwan, I was reminded of Hualien, my favorite home away from home.