Tatajia sunrise

Everyone in Taiwan has heard of the famous Alishan阿里山 sunrise, and it seems that every man and his dog have made the trip at least once. It is a great view, and a great experience but I have never seen anything that comes even close to rivaling the sunrise I was once priviledged to witness in Tatajia塔塔加.

In case you haven't heard of it, Tatajia is about 20km up the road from Alishan, and it's the usual starting point for hikers wanting to climb Yushan玉山. Most hikers camp out in a roadside car park, or pay 300元 to sleep in the bunk beds at the simple Dongpu Hostel東埔山莊. A few years ago though, I decided I would go my own way and pitch my tent up on one of Tatajia's hills. Howling winds and freezing temperatures made it a night I won't forget in a hurry. Any irritation or frustration I may have felt was soon dispelled however when the sun rose over the distant peaks. I cannot describe the splendor of that sight, the sky filled with constantly moving and changing color. I have traveled fairly widely, and I have seen many things, but sunrise that morning remains the most beautiful of them.

That was a few years ago, and I had to see if I could witness the spectacle again. So, ignoring the fact that we're still caught up in a bitterly cold winter, and the fact that Tatajia sits at an elevation of over 2500 meters, I decided I would ride my motorbike up there after work on Monday. "Don't you want to take your gloves?" my wife asked me before I left, "No, I'll be fine" I answered, but I wasn't. I was forced to buy some about halfway along my journey, but they were flimsy and woolen, and even after I put them on, I had to stop several times on my journey just to warm my hands up. By the time I got to Tatajia the pain in my fingers was ridiculous.

I set my alarm for 4am, and huddled down under 3 blankets in the Dongpu Hostel. I barely slept through the night, and when 4 o'clock came I was already dressed and heading out the door. The only problem then was that I didn't have a torch; it was probably lying at home next to my gloves. I made my way along the tree-lined paths by memory and the light of my old cellphone. I'll admit to being just the slightest bit scared.

I got to my destination, Mt. Linjhih麟趾山 and sat down to look at the stars. Tatajia is always popular with stargazers and the area even boasts its own observatory. There can't be many better places in Taiwan to come and look at the nighttime sky, and I was having a ball. The sight of a couple of shooting stars only added to the occasion.

Sunrise came at about 5.45. It was nice, but not really the thing of glory I had hoped for. With all that I'd been through to get there, I could have been forgiven for feeling disappointed, but that thought didn't even enter my head. Sunrise was nice, the night had been wonderful, and I still had a great morning in Tatajia to look forward to.

Rueifong

Not many people have heard of Rueifong瑞峰, and even less have ever been there. The tiny Chiayi settlement, so small that it could barely even be called a town, has long been overshadowed by its better developed and far more tourist-centered neighbor, Rueili.


Until a few weeks ago I had only ever heard mention of the place once while a friend was giving me directions to Rueili. He put his hand on my shoulder and looked at me in a rather stern and almost fatherly manner, “You’ll come to a fork in the road,” he said, “if you go downhill you’ll get to Rueili, uphill goes to Rueifong. Make sure you don’t go to Rueifong.”


For years, his words held a great power over me, and though I went back to Rueili again and again, I never even thought of taking that other, uphill road. A few weeks ago however, something happened. Maybe it was recklessness, or maybe it was a brochure that proclaimed Rueifong, “The home of the waterfall”, but I decided it was time to go and see for myself what was there. I’m glad I made the decision because the scenery is spectacular and must rank amongst the best that Taiwan has to offer.


One of the town’s main attractions is the Jhukeng River Trail竹坑溪步道. At just under 2km, the trail is not very long, but what it lacks in length it more than makes up for in interest. You descend into, and are quickly enveloped by dense, oversized plant life. Greens of every shade and tone surround you, while shafts of sunlight strike through the foliage over your head. The trees and bushes around you pulse and throb with the movement of animals. Mostly you see birds, some of them wonderfully colored, some of them no bigger than your thumb, they fly and hop from branch to branch, or just hover in front of you. There are also insects, strange looking reptiles, squirrels, and other little furry animals. Walk the path slowly, keep your eyes open and your voice down, and who knows what you’ll see?


Just as quickly as you were enclosed by trees, you find yourself once again out in the open. A few turns of the trail later and you are met by a massive chasm. Rock hangs over your head, and below you it falls away for well over a hundred meters. The semi-circular back wall must measure more than 150m across, and the gorge stretches out far in front of you. The path takes you on behind Longgong Waterfall龍宮瀑布, and squeezes you under the overhanging rock.


Standing here, especially after just emerging from the dense undergrowth, you feel completely closed off from the outside world. On an island where any and every tourist destination is crawling with people, this, one of the most spectacular, has no one. The lack of people however only adds the scene’s “Lost World” feeling, and though I do think it’s a shame that more people haven’t been here, I also hope that it never becomes truly popular.


Another feature of the Jhukeng River Trail are its suspension bridges. There are 10 them in total, and they’re all made to a different design. There’s something about a suspension bridge, the way they wobble and bounce under your step, they make you feel strangely adventurous, and add to that outdoors feeling. Some of the bridges on the trail bounce more than others, and none more so than the precariously hand-rail free, “Soft Bridge”.



To get to the trail, follow Chiayi County highway 162 to the 36.5km mark. Turn off onto a small side road, and almost as soon as you do, you’ll see a wooden signpost pointing you down a pathway. It’s a pretty inauspicious start to such a wonderful pathway, so make sure that you don’t pass it by.


The road to Rueifong is long and varied, and you pass by a number of great tourist destinations, and some fantastic sights before you even reach Jhukeng. If you leave from Meishan梅山, take the 162 road towards Taiping. This will take you on an incredibly twisting and turning ride. Locals call it the road of 36 hairpins, and each one is marked with a roadside sign so can count them as you ascend. Taiping太平 is a great place to stop and stretch your legs. If you’re interested in seeing the sights, then there’s an old shopping street and an interesting temple that are worth a visit. After Taiping you’ll arrive at that, now infamous, fork in the road, take the uphill route. It quietly leads you through green corridors of trees and bamboo, and from there onto some of the most amazing mountain scenery you will ever see. Another 10km later, you’ll arrive at the tea plantations of Rueifong, and after that, it’s just a hop, skip and a jump to Jhukeng River Trail.

Gukeng, Yunlin

If Gukeng古坑 in Yunlin County雲林縣 was ever famous, it was only due to its coffee. The town and surrounding area is one of the only places in Taiwan where it’s possible to grow coffee beans, and people have long been traveling from as far away as Taipei and Kaoshiung to drink the product. Until recently though, they never had a reason to stop in the town itself; people either went to the nearby Janhushan Amusement Park劍湖山, or drove straight up to Huashan華山 to try their brew there instead.

That’s all been changing over the last year, and convoys of tour buses, along with hundreds of family day-trippers now regularly make their way to the little town. They’re all heading to one place, a small park on the edge of the town, just a few kilometers outside Douliou City斗六.


The park is easy to spot, especially during festivals and holidays when parked cars line the nearby roads. When you stop and take a look around, it’s easy to see why so many people come here. The area, although small, is fun and relaxing, the perfect place for families looking to wind down and enjoy themselves.

There are three main play areas. One of them contains a massive a 2/28 memorial sculpture, and an interesting looking wooden sculpture or climbing frame, I couldn’t work out which. Rather bizarrely there’s also a wooden bridge sitting in the middle of the field, and more bizarrely still, there are about a hundred thin wooden poles stuck in the ground. People seem to like it though, and I guess that’s what it’s all about.


Another area has a large paved square, flanked on all sides by water pumps, great fun, especially in the summer. Finally, and perhaps the most popular of the three areas, is a large open field. It may not be the most exciting sounding of places, but it’s actually the perfect place for families to come together and kick a soccer ball or play games like badminton or frisbee.


Walking paths and beautifully colored trees run in between these different areas, and if you’re in need of a sit down, there are plenty of attractive marble benches where you can do just that.
There’s an imaginatively named “Honey Museum” at one end of the park. It houses a tiny exhibition detailing how honey is made, but really it’s just an excuse for a big shop selling all manner of honey-flavored foods and drinks. Try the honey ice-cream from the café outside, it’s surprisingly good.


A row of stalls and a covered market complete the list of amusements. As well as all the usual snack foods, you’ll also find the famous Gukeng coffee, and dried fruits from neighboring Meishan 梅山.


This is a family place, so if you’re looking for something with more excitement you’re probably better off going to Janhushan Amusement Park. If however, you’re just looking for somewhere pleasant to spend a few hours then this could be just the place.

Chingshuiyen清水岩, Changhua County

Changhua’s Great Buddha Statue may well be Baguashan’s八卦山 most famous attraction, but by no means could it be counted as the area’s only interesting site. Baguashan, or Mount Bagua, covers an area of around 22,000 hectares and is home to dozens of hiking trails and bike paths.
With the ongoing surge in popularity of hiking in Taiwan, many of these routes have had makeovers recently. Nothing has been drastically altered, but walkways have been tidied up, new signposts and information boards have been added, and car parks and bathroom facilities have been improved. Another change, and one which is especially useful, is that new road signs have been erected. Changhua County Highway 141, which runs from Linnei林內 to Yuanlin員林, has a wealth of these brown signs, all of them directing you towards the hiking trails and scenic spots that would have otherwise remained hidden in the mountains.

One such sign points to Chingshuiyen清水岩. This bustling little hiking destination is home to several short, but highly entertaining walking trails. The first paths you come to after leaving the car park, crisscross their way to and from Wufeng Mountain’s various peaks. Each peak is marked by a pavilion and a great view across the ever-interesting Changhua Plain. Rice fields stretch as far as the eye can see, and it’s not hard to see why some have nicknamed this area, “Taiwan’s granary”. Increasingly though, the fields are punctuated by industrial influences; large towns, busy highways, and the new high speed railway can all now clearly be seen.

Nice as they are, these paths are not very long and even the most occasional of walkers will complete them with little real effort, so when you get to the Third Peak, look out for the sign marking the start of the Central Ridge Trail. This undulating walkway will lead you over and around Chingshuiyen’s valleys and peaks. The route’s many trees, a result of a 1950’s reforestation project, keep the area green and full of life. Pavilions again line the route, and they help give the place a communal and friendly atmosphere.


A steep staircase at the end of the trail leads up to large, tea and pineapple plantations. The heavily cultivated plateau is wide and flat, and serves as a wonderful contrast to the wooded hills you will have just left behind.

From here it is possible to join up with Chingshuiyen’s other major hiking trail, The Ancient Trail of 18 Turns. To do so, turn left at the top of the steps and follow the path to a small seating area. It would appear that a farmer has tried to block the path at this point, but it is still fairly easy to climb over the fence and continue on your way.

The Trail of 18 Turns dates back to the 17th century and, up until the modern era of cars and highways, served as the main trading link between Shetou社頭 Township in Changhua County, and Mingjian名間 Township in Nantou. Salt was the main commodity transported along the route, and it’s fascinating to think that pathways we use today for pleasure and recreation were being used 400 years ago by merchants and workmen hauling huge bags of salt from the coast.

Chiayi Park

When you think of a park, you think of trees, grass, and a few benches; a nice little place where a family could spend an hour or two, but nothing very special. While in most cases that might be a good description, Chiayi Park is a little different.

The first thing to note is that this is no “little place”. The grounds actually cover an area, close to 270,000 square meters in size. With all that land available, it’s only right that there should be a place for everyone. One of the best points about the park is that whoever you are, and however you like to spend your weekend afternoons, you will find something to suit your interests. The park’s greatest achievement though, is that each feature is special in its own right, and could stand alone as the reason for your visit. When you put them all together in one place, you have an area of land so crammed full of interest, variety, and beauty, that to call it “a park” seems to do it a great injustice.


As you walk through the gates, Chiayi Park seems ordinary enough. It has its proper share of benches, trees, grass, and families having a nice time. The large duck pond with its fountains and bridges, and the thick rows of colorful flower beds are very pretty, but even they couldn’t begin to give you an impression of how big the park is, or of what awaits you inside.





Chiayi Park was created more than 60 years ago when Taiwan was under the colonial rule of Japan. It’s no surprise then, that Japanese influences can be seen everywhere in the park’s gardens and many pavilions. Nowhere are they more obvious though, than in a group of old Japanese style buildings that now house a museum chronicling the history of both Chiayi Park, and Chiayi City. All the museum’s exhibits are in Chinese, but foreigners would still be advised to take a look inside as the little buildings are really very pretty.


The park’s age is evident as you walk along its many kilometers of pathways. Some of the concrete pavilions and benches are starting to crack and crumble, and others have plants and trees growing over and around them. Rather than look unpleasant though, these signs of wear and tear just add to the place’s charm and romance. Perhaps the main reason why this should be the case, is that the park is otherwise so clean and well maintained.


Chiayi Park’s greatest asset is the massive Shanzihding Botanical Garden. Shanzihding is so large, and contains such a great wealth of trees and plants, that when you walk around inside you completely forget that you’re still in the city. The tall trees that tower over your head, and the bushes and plants that grow closer to the ground are perfect places for wildlife to thrive. I was lucky enough to see the most unusual bird. It was fully 40cm high, appeared to be flightless, and was hunting for grubs on the ground. The irony is that it’s only here in the city that you’d get to see something like this; the forest recreation areas in the country are just too busy.




The biggest landmark in the park is the 62 meter high Chiayi Tower, also sometimes known as the Sun Shooting Tower. The latter and more colorful of these two names is a reference to an old aboriginal myth, one which is depicted in a huge bronze sculpture in the middle of the tower. For 30元 you can take an elevator to the top of the building. The small fee is well worth it, as the view across the small city of Chiayi is surprisingly good. Another interesting view is the one you get through glass panels set in the floor. If you’re brave enough, you can stand on top of the panels and look straight down to the ground floor 10 stories beneath you.





With other features like a Confucius Temple, an old Alishan steam locomotive, and a children’s play area, coming here can easily turn into an all day experience. Whether or not you’ve got a whole day to spare though, if you live even remotely close to Chiayi, it’s about time you paid a visit to Chiayi Park.

Meishan, The Great Gorge 梅山大峽谷

The natural world contains innumerable different treasures. All of them are special, from the highest mountains right down to the seashore with its ocean sounds, beaches, and cliffs. My favorite places in nature though, are rivers, and rugged, boulder-strewn rivers at that.

I like them so much because, to me, they have everything. The banks of the river provide natural homes to the scores of animals, birds, and insects attracted to the area. The rocks and boulders that litter the river bed and its flood plain make for the perfect playground; if you’ve never jumped up and climbed over riverside boulders, then you really should give it a try. If you do prefer something more relaxed though, the rocks also make for a great picnicking spot. What makes mountain rivers so fascinating though, is the fact that they constantly evolving. With each heavy rainfall, boulders and logs are moved, washed in, or washed away, and the environment never looks the same from one year to the next. If all that isn’t enough for you, the scenery is usually pretty good too.

Meishan, The Great Gorge梅山大峽谷 is a quiet and out of the way destination in Chiayi County. It contains nearly everything I love about nature, and is certainly one of my favorite places to visit. The sandstone walls of the gorge are contoured with years of heavy erosion. They are beautiful when seen from afar, but when you get close and look at the lines and patterns running through the rock, they really come alive.



In various places, streams running down from the surrounding hills, pour over the rocks and down into the river. Some of the water collects in small pools which become a real haven for all forms of animal life. Tadpoles or frogs, along with crabs and snails can be seen in the water. Marvelously skittish dragonflies in shades of electric blue or bright scarlet fly and buzz above the surface. There are also a wide variety of colorful birds that bob, dip, and swoop through the gorge.


Getting down to the river’s edge is fairly easy, and from there you can walk along the sands of the riverbank, and see you the chasm in all its glory.




To get to Meishan, The Great Gorge, leave Meishan town on the 162 road. Drive past Taiping太平, stay on the 162, and head on towards Rueifong瑞峰. About 9km after Taiping you’ll come to a sign advertising The Great Gorge. From there, simply follow the sign down the side road. You’ll arrive at a small holiday resort which marks the entrance to the gorge. The resort is home to a few very charming cottages which would be ideal for families or couples. Children will also enjoy the on-site butterfly and insect farm.


It will take you about 3 hours to get to the gorge from Meishan, so it’s quite a long drive, but it’s also spectacular. The views of the Central Mountain Range are amongst the best that I have ever seen.

The Big Buddha of Baguashan, Changhua

From the top of Baguashan八卦山, about 30 minutes south of Taichung台中, a huge statue of the Buddha watches over Changhua City彰化巿. The black statue, visible above the many downtown high rise buildings, is truly magnificent.



I first saw it about five years ago, soon after first arriving in Taiwan, and the sight gave me a real thrill. Part of the reason was that magnificence, but it was also because the statue seemed so symbolic, not just of Taiwan, but of the entire Far East. The Buddha is a uniquely Asian figure. More than that though, the juxtaposition of the sprawling, fast-paced city, together with a wholly spiritual image, is very characteristic of the region. In recent years Asian countries have experienced rapid economic growth, and yet they maintain their religious traditions. What better example of this phenomenon than Changhua City’s skyline? Finally, the statue has a grandeur mixed with an unmistakable sense of serenity that cannot fail to impress you.

The exact dimensions of the Buddha are hard to pin down; depending on which guidebook you read it’s either 23 or 30 meters high. Either way, that’s very big, so big in fact that you can actually walk around inside the monument. The interior is separated into various different floors, each one containing a series of life-size statues that tell the story of the Buddha.

The giant statue is seated on top of a huge lotus flower. Interestingly enough, the year after the site was completed Taiwan had the largest levels of rainfall it had known in many years. Locals said that the gods were sending the all the rain to provide enough water for the huge flower.


The Buddha is situated towards the front of a grassy courtyard. In front, steps lead down to two large guardian lions, and in front of them is a semi-circular walkway and vantage point. This is a great place to stand, on one side you have the great statue, and on the other you have an excellent panorama of Changhua City. At he back of the courtyard is a large and rather ornate temple.



After enjoying all this, it’ll be time to take a look at the surrounding area. Baguashan, or Mount Bagua is a actually a series of hills that run almost 30km from Changhua in the north, to Ershueiニ水 in the south. To the rear of the statue is a sort of road-side park. There’s a great variety of people here, from athletically minded seniors getting a bit of exercise, to hand-in-hand romantic couples out for a stroll, to young families just enjoying the day. The atmosphere is warm and relaxed, and it’s a great compliment to the much busier statue area.





The whole site makes for a great afternoon, and it’s one place I will make a point of going back to again and again.

Guanziling 關仔嶺

I once believed that the hot springs of one area were much the same as those of another, and that when you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. It seems I was mistaken. With waters ranging from milky white, to blue, green, muddy and clear, not only do hot springs look different, but the minerals they contain, and healing properties they possess, also vary from region to region. Taiwan, more than most other countries, is actually particularly blessed with a wide variety of different kinds of springs; some of the most famous lie in Tainan’s Guanziling關仔嶺.

Guanziling’s naturally cloudy-white water is very rare, and can only be found in two other places in the world. The color comes from the mineral rich clay deposits which lie underneath the town. The springs are said to have healing properties, but what really makes them famous are their apparent beautifying attributes. The water, and more especially the mud, leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth, and has been dubbed as a natural cosmetic.

When you’re finished soaking in the tub, you’ll find that this is one spa town with a lot more on offer than just its hot springs. The town center has a couple of parks and is pleasant enough to walk around, but for the best that the area has to offer, you’ll have to drive just outside the main town. The first site you arrive at, the Water and Fire Cave水火洞 is perhaps Guanziling’s most famous. The underground springs contain huge amounts of methane which rises to the surface where it ignites and burns. At the Water and Fire Cave, the gas bubbles up through a pool of water. Despite the fact that the resulting flames are now fairly weak and less than a meter high (they used to burn as high as 3 meters into the air) the overall effect seeing fire rise out of water remains both interesting and unusual.

A few meters further along the road is the attractive Temple of Azure Clouds碧雲寺. In both its situation, and design, the temple is really very pretty. It sits in front of, and is overshadowed by a large, almost monolithic outcrop of rock, and the colorfully painted statues and carvings inside the temple complete its aesthetic allure. Another feature is the “Rice Cave” which lies just outside the main temple gate. The story goes that the cave, actually just a small hole in the rock, would naturally produce rice, enough for all of the temple’s people. One night though, a monk got greedy and took rice from the hole all night. From then on, not a single grain has been found in the cave.

The Rice Cave

Finally there’s the intriguingly named Big Fairy Temple 大仙寺. This huge temple complex with its large gardens, pagodas and shrines makes for a superb picnicking spot, just what you need after a long day’s sightseeing.

Hot springs, a natural marvel, and beautiful temples set amongst some gorgeous mountain scenery, it could only be Guanziling.

Getting there:
From Shinying to the south, or Chiayi to the north, make your way along Highway 1 until you reach route 172. Take this road past Baihe白河 and on to Guanziling.