Day 10: Time Out in Taroko I

We said goodbye to TS Hotel and the helpful TS Hotel staff, took a taxi across town, and dropped some of our luggage and shopping off at Tango Xinyi, the hotel we would be checking into when we returned from Taroko National Park.

Then we took the subway back to Taipei Main Station, from where we caught the train to Hualien, the city nearest to Taroko.

for SGD $40 two-way, an excellent ride

Hualien train station

Down the East Coast we went, arriving two and a half hours later and emerging to find our ride to our hotel waiting for us. It was Jonathan, the manager of Leader Village Taroko and the man whom I had been corresponding with. We had a couple of minutes to look around, while Jonathan located the other guests he had to pick up.

near an air force base probably

there - the mountains of Taroko

we didn't need a taxi

And then we were off.

the hotel logo

In the van, Jonathan announced that the ride to Bulowan, where the hotel was located, would take 45 minutes to an hour. Bulowan was a terrace above the gorge, which meant that we would be right smack amongst the mountains. That was one of the reasons why we had chosen to stay at Leader Village Taroko. The other was the fact that the hotel was staffed by aboriginal people which we thought would certainly add local flavour to our stay.

As Jonathan explained, he was the only member of staff who was Han Chinese. In his own words, he was the only one with small eyes. He was also the only one not from the area. Everyone else had roots in the Taroko area and lived in Hualien county.

we stopped at a 7-11 in Hualien, last one before leaving "civilisation"

At the hotel, we claimed our room.

Cabin A26, on the left

comfortable mattresses, with inbuilt heating coils, yay!

hey a TV, with only local channels and somewhat fuzzy reception, but a TV nonetheless

good enough

most importantly a hot shower

The room seemed comfortable enough and the setting was as spectacular as we hoped it would be.

set in a "bowl"

Before we set off exploring, a late lunch was in order.

the view from the restaurant area

mashed potatoes, boiled fern tips and pickled chilli - the equivalent of the ubiquitous saucer of peanuts served in Singapore's Chinese restaurants

This added an aboriginal touch to an otherwise typical Chinese meal.

noodles with picked vegetables and pork

noodles with vegetables

After lunch, we pottered around. The hotel was amply adorned with evidence of the aboriginal talent for wood carving.

Outside, we were reminded of the hotel's very lovely location.

look at that

there used to be an aboriginal village here

This wasn't going to be a sterile hotel stay, that was for sure. This was the great outdoors.

animal-friendly!

friendly hotel doggie

Still, civilisation has a way of creeping up.

Christmas decorations!

We wandered along the hotel's very own Bamboo Trail (really a very short path just behind the cabins) and then down to the Meander Core, located on the lower terrace of Bulowan, for a quick lookaround.

road leading to Leader Village Taroko

a taste of what was to come

plumbeous water redstart

more birds to expect

nature at its prettiest

This being our first day in the area, we didn't dare wander too far. We returned to our cabin and spent some time out on our porch, just enjoying the peace and quiet.

nightfall

And then it was dinnertime.

the dining area

Dinner was a set menu imaginatively named "Wild Boar Meets Eiffel Tower". No prizes for guessing which cuisines were involved.

salad

millet wine

grilled wild boar, poached chicken, soup, glutinous rice and more

chocolate cake and passion fruit

We thoroughly enjoyed the wild boar and, oddly enough, I couldn't get enough of the mashed potato!

After dinner, Jonathan announced to the guests that there would be a cultural performance and a night walk. We imagined one of these song and dance acts put together especially for tourists, with the performers bussed in from some big hotel, merely going through the motions. We contemplated retiring for the night, except that the night walk sounded interesting. And then Jonathan explained that the performers were going to be the staff members themselves. Even the dishwashing lady (Xi Wan A Yi) would be performing if she could finish her duties on time. All the staff at the hotel already doubled up as receptionists, drivers and so on, but performing allowed them to showcase and preserve their cultural traditions. The only thing was, this was the low season, which meant that not many staff members were on site, hence it would be a “small” performance, he apologized. No problem, Jonathan, bigger isn't always better!

And so it was that we found ourselves seated on chairs in a semi-circle in the middle of the reception area. There were no more than 10 of us that evening. Our host was this personable young man who had helped us with various enquiries earlier. The evening’s proceedings began with a short introduction to the area’s tribal history and the proud announcement that the people of Taroko Gorge had just been officially recognized by the Taiwanese government as the Truku, separate and distinct from the Atayal with whom they shared some similarities in culture.

After teaching the audience some Truku greetings, he and another staff member proceeded to showcase their music and musical instruments.

playing the equivalent of a jew's harp

a bamboo xylophone

singing a tribal song

It was a small intimate performance that was both entertaining, not least because of our host's self-deprecating humour, and warm. Xi Wan A Yi though did not make an appearance till right at the end, when the entire staff plus Jonathan and the owner of the hotel gathered to sing us a song.

the owner right in front

He had a story to tell too. He explained how the hotel was part of his mission to help the aboriginal tribespeople of the region. Since the colonial onslaught had driven the tribe out of Taroko, he saw the establishment of a hotel on the site of a former tribal village as a means to bring the people of Taroko back to their land. As a business venture, the hotel had foundered at first. With the current partner, the Leader Village hotel chain, the hotel was surviving.

With that, we were told to reassemble in ten minutes for the night walk. We took the opportunity to ensure that we were nicely suited up; temperatures were indeed falling. Armed with powerful torches, Jonathan and our host took us on the Bamboo Trail and round the grounds of the hotel. We didn't see very much that night...

just a toad

and a spider or two

But with the staff sharing about the trees and plants in the garden and the cold night air, it was an adventure nonetheless for us city folk, albeit a very small scale one.

Just when we thought the night was over, we discovered that the reception area had been set up with traditional tribal toys, for us to play with.

hoops - creative use of liquor bottles

"fishing" - carved wooden shapes

this got tougher and tougher, the shape of the bottles, we think, being critical

six-legged race!

After numerous tries, we had to admit defeat. We would have failed miserably at tribal life, so we thought it best to retire quietly.

Back in our cabin, we realised that we had made a silly mistake. We had left the windows of the room open, to let in the fresh mountain air, and now the room was freezing. A good night's sleep would only be possible after a hot shower and with heated mattresses. Thank goodness we had both!

Day 11: Time Out in Taroko II

Our agenda for the day was to explore Taroko National Park. For that, a good breakfast was necessary. The hotel had a buffet spread laid out.

congee with the usual accompaniments, fried bee hoon, even mantou

After that, we hung around waiting for our driver to appear.

jing - a hotel that reminds its guests to keep quiet is, in our opinion, an excellent one

On our behalf, the hotel had arranged a tour of the park. The hotel itself provided drop-off and pick-up services to the start of and from the end of specific trails. Jonathan himself occasionally acted as a hiking guide. This being our first trip to Taroko, we decided to do the touristy thing and adopt the hit and run approach instead, so as to get a good feel of the park as a whole. Perhaps we would have the opportunity in the future to explore the trails in greater detail. Anyway Mr Fang's services would set us back 2800NT (S$140), not too bad for a whole day tour.

Mr Fang turned out to be a retiree turned tourist taxi driver. Reeking somewhat of cigarette smoke and perhaps a little less personable than Mr Yang, he was nonetheless similarly professional. He had a comprehensive itinerary planned out and many nuggets of information to share.

a view of the Liwu River

Our first stop, a quick drive from Bulowan, was Swallow aka Yanzhikou Grotto, one of the narrowest points of the gorge. The attractions were the many potholes in the walls - not made by swallows surely? - and the rushing water beneath. Mr Fang instructed us to take our time walking through the tunnel flanking the gorge.

Swallow Grotto - the potholes

At the other end, Mr Fang was waiting for us with the car. Our next stop was Jinheng Bridge.

according to Mr Fang, named for the architect who died crushed by rocks

It was apparent to us that the road system of Taroko, with its many tunnels and bridges, was an architectural and engineering wonder. The walls of the gorge, like that of Jhuilu Cliff, went up to 600 m.

manmade wonder

manmade wonder

Of course these were overshadowed by the natural wonders.

splendour falls on marble walls, a Taroko specialty

let's not forget the birds! - plumbeous water redstart

We were off to a good start. Mr Fang sped us to our next stop.

Cihmu (Loving Mother) Bridge - in memory of Chiang Kaishek's mother

From where we were, the scenery was breathtaking.

Next up was the Lyushui Trail. This time, Mr Fang hopped excitedly out of the car. He grabbed two torchlights from the glove compartment of his car, and announced that he would personally lead us on the trail. The torchlights were for a short section of the trail that was in pitch darkness - it really was pitch dark in there - cutting through as it did the rock itself.

Lyushui Trail

at last, a real trail

Many of the trails were actually created by the tribes, before the opening of Taroko. Without roads, the tribal people traversed the mountainous landscape on foot, cutting trails that hugged the mountains. A little later, we would drive past from below and realise how high up the Lyushui trail was.

that's where we were

The Lyushui Trail was one of the highlights of our day. It was one of the few moments when we came anywhere close to hiking, and experiencing Taroko as the tribes did, and not just sightseeing. We even managed to see some birds, notably Muller's barbet, minivets, and the Formosan Yuninha.

Lyushui Trail - birdwatching spot

Sadly, the part of the trail that was open to the general public was relatively short. To proceed beyond that point, Mr Fang said, we had to apply for a permit. That was important for safety reasons. Apparently every now and then, someone, most famously a young American some few years back. went missing in the park.

When it was time for lunch, Mr Fang seemed most pleased to find out that we preferred to eat at one of the local eateries, a xiao chi place, at Tienhsiang, rather than at the nearby five-star hotel. I think he liked the idea that he would be able to have lunch with us at the same place. Well, not quite with us, since he chose to eat at a neighbouring table, chatting with the staff of the eatery, rather than at our table.

more fern tips and the bamboo shoots we could not get enough of

fried fish

glutinous rice

meatball soup

After lunch, we did drop by that five-star hotel where we had declined to eat. It had lovely grounds...

... and a herb garden. Parsley...

... sage ...

... rosemary ...

... and thyme

of course, there was a bird or two - white wagtail

After that, Mr Fang took us on what felt like a whirlwind tour, a notable pavilion here, an important bridge there. Despite the rush, we were left in no doubt of the park's scenic grandeur.

we were on this bridge, gulp

looks like the giants had a game with these

time and time again, the marble walls themselves became nature's canvas

After a series of minor sights, we finally reached one of the park's most wellknown sights.

Jiucyudong (Tunnel of Nine Turns)

Unfortunately, a busload of Chinese tourists had disembarked just after us. Needless to say, it was a quiet walk no more. We paused only to take some photos and then tried as best we could to stay sufficiently ahead of them so as to not to have to suffer the loud comments and even louder dressing. We could only wonder how the marble cliffs and limestone walls were reacting to that much cigarette smoke.

Back in Mr Fang's car, the mad rush of the day was taking its toll on us. We caught ourselves dozing off in the car and were only too glad to see a tourist rest stop at the next sightseeing spot, Changchun aka Eternal Youth Shrine. Perhaps we could buy a coffee. Hence we were most pleased to see that the rest stop not only had toilet facilities, it had a snack bar.

the abundance of marble was evident

I emptied out the change in my pockets, about 100NT or SGD$5 in coins, which HM took to buy us a cup of java while I snapped some shots. Barely five minutes later, she called me in despair. The cup of coffee, which she had just been served, cost 150NT or SGD$7.50. I had to trot back to the carpark, look for Mr Fang and interrupt his smoke break so that I could retrieve my wallet from my bag. It turned out that the cup of coffee was no ordinary cuppa, made with Eternal Youth spring water no less. Spring water or not, it was an unexpectedly expensive cup of coffee.

The shrine itself was perched picturesquely on a height.

like a Chinese ink painting... or the setting for a wuxia pian!

bridge leading to the shrine

inside a grotto on the way to the shrine

Eternal Youth, referring to the many lives that had been lost in the opening of Taroko

Our last major trail of the day was the Shakadang Trail which ran along the Shakadang River, in its characteristc shades of green and turquoise.

We couldn't get over how clear the water was. And, this being the last trail, Mr Fang gave us a whole hour to explore the trail. Whee! It was nice to be able to walk a distance, not just hop, skip and jump.

finally...

Some of the highlights of the Shakadang Trail:

interplay of water and rock

a Formosan rock monkey

yet another plumbeous water redstart

you don't say...

back at the start

All too soon, the hour came to an end. It had been a most pleasant walk which, we agreed, if we ever returned to Taroko would be high on our priority list.

On the way back, Mr Fang had us pop by the Taroko National Park Headquarters where there was an exhibition on the park and a video screening in the theatrette. Beautiful as the images of Taroko in the various seasons were, I fell asleep. And then our tour was over.

Back at our hotel, the dinner menu was Tribal Dinner. Despite the change of moniker, it looked remarkably similar to our dinner the night before.

salad again

millet wine again

lamb, instead of wild boar, and pork belly, instead of poached chicken

a different dessert - lemon pie with wedges of tangerine (from the hotel's garden)

It was a tasty and hearty meal nonetheless. After dinner, we were happy to stay back for another performance. Our host this time was a different member of staff.

a skull in hand

While our host of the previous night was all banter and quick charm, this one was quieter but had stories about hunting and tribal life to share.

and he was a better singer and musician!

As he explained, being able to sing was important for boys in the tribe. Many of them, like him, were shy and found it easier to express their feelings and impress the girls through song.

And, to prove the point that song and dance ran in the blood of tribal people, who should put in a special appearance but...

Xi Wan A Yi

She treated us to a simple but melodic rendition of an old Chinese song.

And, like the night before, the evening's performance ended with the entire staff taking part. In the absence of the owner, Jonathan did the honours, explaining about the hotel's mission to help re-establish the Truku people's presence in Bulowan and leading the chants and songs.

To those of us who had been on the walk the night before, Jonathan invited us to join the group again; our young host would be leading the walk and he, unlike our host and guide the night before, had real experience out in the field, hunting with his elders.

While we waited for everyone to suit up, torches to be located and so on, we had a look at the hotel's art gallery:

sketches of traditional tribal life

That night, we heard the bark-like call of a muntjac or barking deer, and spotted flying squirrels in the trees, their red eyes glowing in the light of our torches.

making a second appearance

Moltreche's green tree frog - a protected species in Taiwan

All too soon, the walk came to an end. It was time to retire to our cosy room; we now knew better than to let in the cold air.