Travel with Manfred

Travelogues from around the world

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Copyright © 1995 by Manfred P.. All rights reserved.

April 1 - 9, 1995

'Isla Formosa' or 'Isla Amica'

The Many Sides of Taiwan

by

Manfred P.

Keywords: Taiwan, tourist, travel trip report, travel log, travelogue.

Saturday, 4/1/1995:

The Portuguese called it "Ilha Formosa", the beautiful island. Without doubt it has many beautiful places and lots of nice scenery. But besides calling it the "beautiful island" I would also call it the "friendly island". From the plane I could see that Taipei was spread out quite a bit and that the city is surrounded with hills, especially to the northern sides. CKS Airport is far south of Taipei and friends picked me up. It was raining heavily and at 6:30am the highways weren't congested yet. A 40 minute ride on toll freeways brought us into the city. Here I tasted the flavor of Taiwanese driving habits for the first time. Very exciting but more about it later. For the moment, let's just leave it at saying I was glad I didn't have to sit behind the steering wheel. After a few detours that of course included some breakfast at a street vendor Ting and I were dropped of at the Taipei domestic airport. Since I had spend some time in Hong Kong after this vacation I wanted to spend as little time as possible in cities and hence we immediately escaped the cities and flew to Hualien, a city on the East coast, to spend the next days in the Taroko Gorge Nat'l Park. Airports are the same all over the world. The only difference I noticed was that the majority of people are smoking. I guess breathing the smog is not bad enough. Sorry, for that sarcastic comment. But in a place where clean air is hard to get by, it seems to make even less sense to smoke. Most bigger waiting areas such as at airports or train stations have big screen TV's to shorten the time. Most of the time they seem to show Disney cartoons or music videos. Taiwan is only about 290 miles (450 km) long and 95 miles (150 km) wide. Needless to say that any domestic flight is rather short. Ascent, quick drink, descent.

The view from the Hualien airport is nice already. Mountains are towering in the west. The dark green of the forests get enhanced by the white misty low clouds that move up from the valleys. It was still raining a little bit and with full backpacks we were standing at the nearby bus station. The bus ride was an experience. The first two benches were occupied by two large speakers and classic US oldies from the 50's and 60's streamed from them. The scenery was educational. I never knew that Taiwan is so tropical. Whatever comes to your mind when you think about Hawaii is available here. We crossed banana and papaya plantations. Guavas grow here just like strawberries, pineapples, oranges, apples, and a dozen tropical fruits that I have never seen before. With each song from the 60's the mountains moved a little bit closer. In between the bus driver stopped to buy some Taiwanese chewing gum and heads turned when we passed a traffic accident in which a truck fell over after partially damaging a shack. At the Taroko Gorge entrance is a visitor center and we hopped of the bus. The exhibits of the aborigines, Taiwan's first settles who are more Polynesian than Chinese with a darker skin and a different language, was interesting. So, was the slide show which they showed in English to my honor. Nevertheless I dozed of a couple of times in between due to the jet lag and the general lack of sleep. After wandering through all the rooms in the visitor center we started what we came here for: hiking. The gorge was cut by a river that widens up into a delta before joining the ocean. At the entrance of the gorge the river bed is hundreds of yards wide. Our goal was the Mysterious Village trail. We crossed the river on a dirt road with a small steel bridge. The trail head couldn't be found anywhere. So we started trail blazing. None of the first tries was successful and we had to return to the starting point a couple of times. Eventually we found the trail after crossing a side arm of the river. Ting had to wade through the rather cold water while I tip-toed from one rock to the next to cross at a shallow spot. Once on the trail it was easy walking along the river. The scenery was nice. A V-shaped valley with dense forest on both sides. The river had a few spots of white water. Being away from the traffic there was no noise besides some birds and the air was fresh and clean. It was still drizzling. After having seen enough we turned around and hiked back the way we came. However, when we reached the river the road was gone. A couple of guys working in caterpillars informed us that they had opened the dam further upstream and the elevated water level had washed away the dirt road. The iron bridge was still there but no way to get to it. We were sort-of stuck. An attempt to get back by walking through a tunnel that they were working failed as the tunnel was three quarters of a mile long, unfinished with deep wholes in it and without light. The caterpillars tried to recreate a road but the river was to strong. The water was washing the rocks away as fast as the caterpillars could pile them up. After a handful of people gathered one of the caterpillars set out to rescue us by giving us a lift. Standing on the back, 3 yards above the ground level we were safely above the water. The ride was kind-of scary and a small amount of adrenaline was pumped into my blood. But it went all okay and in a minute we were safely on the other side.

While waiting for the bus back at the main road we hitch hiked which is legal here. It worked like a charm. Minutes later we were joining a family of three driving through a different section of the gorge. They dropped us off in Tienhsieng where we staying in the Catholic hostel. The Catholic missionaries have worked wonders in this Buddhist/Taoist/Confucian country. Every town has two Catholic churches nowadays. After dinner at a street restaurant it was dark but we still continued our sight seeing and checked out the multi-floor pagoda and the near-by temple and monastery. Both are reached via a suspension bridge for pedestrians. The temple is Buddhist and the monks were just gathered for the evening meditation. Both places were lighted and the gold in the temple was sparkling in contrast to the surrounding darkness. Looking around, the mist in the darkness made the hills in the area nearly spooky. Despite the beauty of the night I wanted to head to the hostel room. I needed that long-night sleep.

Sunday, 4/2/1995:

Back at the hostel we grabbed breakfast at the street vendors and had a simple meal while heading back to the beach on the bus. We didn't go all the way back but hiked the most famous portion of the gorge. Part of that area is called the "Tunnel of Nine Turns". It sounds good, but there were certainly more than nine turns and more than one tunnel. The walls to the left and right of the gorge climb vertically several hundred feet and in a few spots close to 150 yards. Through an uprising of the land the river has cut its way through solid rock which is primarily white and grayish marble polished by the water. After passing the most scenic part on foot we continued via hitch hiking. To my surprise a cop stopped and gave us a lift. My first hitched ride in a police car with red and blue lights flashing. Supposedly cops never turn the flashing lights off. Since I was a foreigner he even made a small detour so he could show us a temple along the road. What a service. Once at the coast we headed north along the famous Suao-Hualien Cliff Highway. The book calls it one of the most scenic highways in Asia. It winds its way along beaches of black or brown rocks. I personally got more excited about the drive through Taroko Gorge. After having it seen from the back seat of a car we enjoyed the view from a train going back to where we came from. The train passes through 15 tunnels and over 91 bridges. To see more of the beaches we switched over to a slow bus again in Hualien.

The beaches were plentiful. All empty except for some fishermen. To prevent the ocean from reclaiming some of Taiwan's territory, the government has dropped hundreds of thousands of concrete blocks along the shoreline which makes many miles ugly as hell. We stopped at a place called Umbrella Rock, named after a mushroom shaped rock. Other than feasting the eyes on the waves crashing against the rocks there isn't much to do. Later we went to Three-Fairy-Platform. A bridge of eight arches representing the eight fairies leads to a small island. The wind was extremely strong, maybe 40 m.p.h. It caused the waves to have white crowns and carried waterdrops from the wave crests for hundreds of yards. After we had circled the island it started to get dark and Ting chatted up a few people to give us a ride into the next bigger town. Once again the people were kind enough to offer us a ride. However, it turned out that five people with luggage is too much for a little Daihatsu. The tires touched the fenders. They still wanted to give us a ride. Even I know when too much is too much. Eventually we got another ride to the next town and a bus took us to Taitung, the "City in the East". The hotel room was $32 and a one and a half inch long cockroach greeted us on the carpet. I have seen worse. My hiking boots and 160 pounds of pressure quickly took the life out of that poor creature. It should turn out that $32 was the standard price for the hotels that we took all over Taiwan. This actually happened to be the worst, but no big deal. For dinner we did the usual: I explored exotic foods that were new to me from street vendors and Ting explained them to me. My brain, however, has a very limited capability of remembering Chinese sounds. So, usually the name of the dish went in one ear and out the other. Before I had finished the plate or bowl I couldn't remember what it was called. Shame on me. But I can remember quite well what it looked like and what it's made from.

Monday, 4/3/1995:

After the city tour we decided to go to one of the best known hot spring resort towns called Chihpen Hot Springs. While waiting for the bus we toured the "wet market". It's called Wet Market because the harvest of the sea is for sale there. Besides the bounty of the ocean, we also found Taiwanese chewing gum. It has nothing to do with US type chewing gum. Taiwanese chewing gum consists of a Betel nut which comes from a palm tree which is wrapped in a leave or is split open and filled with some stuff unknown to me. Chewing increases your saliva production and you start spitting red or orange colored saliva. By looking at other people, a prolonged habit can permanently stain your teeth red. I have no idea what's inside that Betel nut but it made me dizzy for twenty minutes.

It turned out to be a real boomtown. Upscale hotels with 12 floors are popping up all over the town. The main attraction are the hot springs, but besides that it is also worth to check out the Chingchueh Temple and the monastery. Temple is guarded by two white elephants and contains a two-ton Burmese jade Buddha and a one-ton golden Thai Buddha. Since it is a true Buddhist temple, one needs to take the shoes of before entering the temple. Boy was I surprised when I found a dead cockroach in my boots. I forgot jungle rule number one: Never put on your boots before checking for creatures hiding inside. Anyway, after the temple we hiked to the White Jade Waterfall to get some exercise. It cascades down and splits up into many small and short falls. The gray plastic pipes channelling water down to the town make sure that one is reminded of civilization. Finally, after having done enough walking it was time for the highlight: the relaxing hot springs. Most hotels have pools that are open to the public for a small fee. We were lucky to pick one that was esthetically very attractive. It had three outdoor pools, all adjacent but separated by walls formed of rocks. The pools came in three "flavors": warm, hot, and very hot. The warm pool was big enough to swim around. To add to the beauty the pools were surrounded by palm trees. One of the signs read (in Mandarin): "Watch out for falling palm leaves." A relaxing contrast to the hiking. But the hot water is equally tiring. An hour of soaking is as much as I can take.

The journey continued by bus. First back to Taitung and then south along the coast. The scenery is beautiful. And if the scenery is not exciting, watching the traffic is. Here anything goes. After a few hours of ride listening to Chinese songs, spending part of it standing we left the beaching behind after passing the city of Tawu. From here we went inwards, i.e.westwards. The bus started climbing mountains, and instead of bending around beaches, the road started bending around hills. The area got noticeably drier. We didn't have any rain or drizzle for half a day. The hills started changing their colors from green to green brown and fewer trees were around. Finally we reached the west coast and were at the beach again. When we got of the bus in Fengkang the smell of food was extremely enticing. After dropping of our backpacks in a hotel and freshening up, I felt like having an extra big dinner. The beer with the easy to remember name "Taiwan Beer" is good. As good as Austrian beer. Just like it, it has 4.5% alcohol and comes in handy half liter bottles. For desert we went to the equivalent of a Seven 11 to have some Matsi and Dragon Berry ice cream.

Tuesday, 4/4/1995:

In the late afternoon Ting had to back to her family as the next day was a big religious holiday, the "Grave Sweeping Day". I headed for the beach as I needed some cooling down. The heat was getting to much. The beach was sandy, about a mile long and west of down-town Kenting. There were fewer people on the beach than on the mountain. Most people were actually on the roads as renting scooters and Jeep Wranglers is the in-thing to do here. The water was refreshing. Swimming is surprisingly illegal, but this is most likely due to the fact that most Taiwanese can't swim and not because of bad currents or high waves. The waves were two to three feet high and not very powerful. I swam anyway and played with the waves until the sun turned all red just before sunset. Once it was dark I headed into town to form my own opinion about the night life. At the east end of town is the expensive Caesar's Park Hotel, dance club and bar. Just across the street is the Little Bay, a small beach embraced with rock formations. I haven't seen a single Caucasian in Taiwan until I got here. Here were many of them. The rest of the town were local tourists. Needless to say the town was catering to their desires. Dance clubs and open bars, western pop music, and non-Chinese foods such as Thai, Indian, and Indonesian. Kenting is a spring-break getaway for the young; the Palm Springs and Daytona Beach of Taiwan. The bars were blasting their hip-hop music and if you walk in the middle of the street you'll get a music mix of the bars of both sides. Time for some more Taiwan Beer. The weather was still warm and no cloud in sight. So, I spent the night at the beach. Unlike swimming, camping there is legal. Another perfect night falling asleep to the waves rolling in. It was so warm I had to sleep on top of the sleeping bag.

Wednesday, 4/5/1995:

From Kaohsiung I headed further north by train to Tainan, the former capital and the "City in the South". This train ride was quite an experience. First I nearly got on the wrong train because the real train 15 minutes late. Once the real train came in the pushing and shoving started. The train conductor ordered the people to squeeze together more tightly. Being a tourist I didn't mind and was about the squeeze through the door myself when a guy held me back explaining I shouldn't get on the train. What miss all that fun? He was very insisting that I wait for another train that was announced to come later to pick up the passengers that the first train couldn't handle. So we watched more people squeeze in. Then the announced that the second train was cancelled. So, after all it was now our turn to push our way in. Each restroom had four people just so that everybody would fit. Like the sardines we stood for an hour tight next to each other until the train rolled into Tainan. I am sure people were glad that I got off there.

It was dark already and there wasn't much more to do than to look for a place to stay. I stopped by a youth hostel but they informed me that they no longer act as a hostel but are now a study center. Nonetheless, they called another place for me and checked the availability. They were surprised that I really wanted to walk there as it was 30 minutes on foot. I just smiled and informed them that a half hour hike is a piece of cake. I set out to walk to the western part of town. I wasn't walking for more than a couple of minutes when a scooter pulled up next to me. It was a guy from the study center. He just motioned that I should jump on his scooter. Once again, the Taiwanese are taking friendliness to the limit. I hopped on and enjoyed my first scooter ride. Weaving in and out of traffic, a lot of fun. In five minutes we were there and I got a great room.

Thursday, 4/6/1995:

While walking through streets and allies I got a lot of kicks out of the slogans that Taiwanese manufacturers put on the scooters. English slogans are popular on anything: T-shirts, cars, bags and scooters. The funny thing is that they usually make no sense or have minor mistakes. Sample slogans are "It's new. It's only. It's now.", "All we have giving you is best function" or "Ridding on the wing."

In the afternoon I met a young guy. He had a date at 5pm and nothing to do for the next three hours, so he insisted of being my personal guide. He explained the architecture of the temples to me. He taught me that no nail or glue is used in traditional buildings and that columns and roofs in temples are simply placed on top of each other and that the only thing that holds the pieces together is gravity. This is supposed to be earthquake safe. I don't understand it but there must be something to it, since the temples are still standing. He also explained the artifacts, sculptures and religious meanings of the gods depicted in the temples. Very educational.

In the evening I continued my trip north. The train ride to Touliu wasn't packed but still no room to sit. At the train station I met up with Ting again. The evening followed the usual routine. Find a hotel, go out, stroll around, have dinner at street vendors, hit the sack.

Friday, 4/7/1995:

Saturday, 4/8/1995:

After this spectacular show we headed back to where everything started: Taipei. This would complete the loop around the island. The train ride was several hours long and is was already dark when we got to the central station but the day was far from being over. Friends insisted that we stay at their place. Once again, friendliness seems paramount. They were also kind enough to take us to a night market in Taipei. There are several night markets in Taipei and life doesn't start before 9pm there. It's like a bazaar. You can by about anything: phones, stereos, watches, clothing, medical drugs and herbs, make-up, and of course food, food, and more food. I finally got a chance to try Stinky Tofu, a dish I hadn't sampled yet. It's good despite the smell. By midnight I was so stuffed. I had too many dishes. With the full stomach I dropped into bed like a rock.

Sunday, 4/9/1995:

General Remarks

The lack of rules and regulation manifests itself in the driving habits as well. The number one rules seems to be "Anything goes." I have seen people drive against one-way streets, cars are being passed on the left or on the right whatever seems more convenient. Driving on the wrong side of the street is quite common. When a car approaches instead of going back to the right side one can also go the slow lane of the on-coming traffic. As bad as it all sounds, it all makes sense as everybody drives in a tolerating manner. If a car comes at you in a one-way street, a mutually agreeable solution is found and someone pulls over wherever possible. Nobody insists on their rights and it all works out pretty well. It is pretty funny though, that when people line up in front of a red light, someone will use the lane for the on coming traffic to pull up into the pole position instead of waiting in line. Then when the light turns green, they quickly merge into the correct lanes before getting hit by the on-coming traffic. Car pooling is strongly encouraged. I was told that on certain days, cars must have four passengers to be allowed to go onto the freeway. Talking about the number four. Often four people ride on a scooter. No that true resource sharing. According to their religion drivers throw ghost money out the window to please the road ghosts and to prevent accidents. I don't think they have a god for littering. Anyway, traffic is a little bit scary but I got used to it quickly, accepting it as normal. It was easy for me to accept it as I never had to drive any vehicle myself. That might have changed my opinion.

Overall, Taiwan is a nice vacation destination. It often reminded me of Hawaii. In particular, the rain, the rain forests and the tropical fruits. It can be a cool place for hanging out at the beach as well as for hiking. The friendliness of the people easily makes up for the language difficulties.

Appendix