TAIWANDERING
round even when the rains and typhoons come. This is the place where we can enjoy the beauty of rocks and water. The color of the water is always the same whole year. The water looks very inviting that some visitors want to take a dip into the water during summer to ease the scorching heat. This is very popular. The Shakadang stream is the last tributary of the main river, the Liwu River. It is 16 kilometers long and the walking trail is 4.4 kilometers long but only 1.5 kilometers is open to visitors because the trail was ruined by a storm two years ago,” says Lin, a retired teacher.
One of the crown jewels within the park is the Swallow Grotto, the spot where a swarm of swallows descend during spring and summer to “swallow” all the insects. It is one of the narrowest, deepest, and most extraordinary areas in the gorge. The minerals in the river turn marble into different colors—black, gray, and white.
“Taroko Gorge is very accessible. You can take a day trip to Taipei and back by car for about three hours. By train, two hours. We have a super highway from Taipei to Yilan then after that you go through the mountains. Marble mountains. Stunning scenery,” Lin noted.
One cannot miss the colorful temple— Eternal Spring Shrine—a significant landmark in the Central Cross-Island Highway, a memorial to workers who perished while constructing the highway. “The names of the dead are inscribed in stone inside the shrine. The water (that flows near the shrine) never stops. I’ve been here for years, I have never seen the water stop,” Lin attested.
Taiwan boasts of 268 mountain peaks, which are all over 3,000 meters in elevation. About 27 of these are found in TNP.
“Our jade mountain (the highest peak in East Asia) does not produce jade. It is shining when it is covered by snow and it is 4,000 meters (3952 meters) in altitude. So if you want mountain climbing, Taiwan is an ideal place for you,” Lin suggested.
The park is also home to about 31 mammal species, 144 bird species, 13 amphibian species, 28 reptiles, 16 aquatic species, more than 900 insects, 353 moth species, and 302 butterfly species.
Hualien is also home to dolphins and whales. It holds the best record for cetacean sightings (90 percent) in Taiwan since 1996, according to our guide from the Turumoan Ecotour. Turumoan is the old name of Hualien. Among the commonly spotted dolphin species in Hualien are the long-snouted spinner, Risso’s, Fraser’s, Pantropical spotted, and the Bottlenose dolphin. Those occasionally seen in Hualien are the sperm whale, short-finned pilot whale, and the killer whale. When dolphins are not playful, the guide says they could be mating. A bit of trivia from our guide: dolphins show their affection by either swimming belly to belly or fin to fin. Aging dolphins are those with gray spots on their bodies.
What attracts cetaceans to Hualien is the Kuroshio Current—warm and clear with high salinity—which passes very close to the shorelines of Hualien and the 6,000-meter ocean depth provides a rich habitat for various species. This is the reason many migratory fish follow the Kuroshio current and venture close to the coast of Hualien attracting a host of predators like dolphins and whales, which swim close to the shore in search of food. A word of caution: This whalewatching tour is not for the seasick.
During the Japanese occupation, most of the farmer immigrants from the island of Shikoku brought their Buddhist religion (Shinggo-ku) to Taiwan. “In the island of Shikoku there are 88 different temples. People who believe in this kind of religion visit each of the 88 temples like a pilgrim route,” said Chen Yi-Jheng, the director of the Ching-hsiu shrine, a miniature version of the Shinggo-ku religion, where all 88 temples are built in one fenced property making worship easy in one visit. The shrine was built to comfort immigrants who faced a lot of difficulties when they first moved from Japan.
At the end of World War II, when most of the Japanese were deported to Japan, a few opted to stay and now number about 200 in Hualien who come to the shrine not only to pray and meditate but to celebrate Japanese festivals and teach locals the Japanese language. At the shrine’s entrance, the visitor is taught how to perform the ceremonial “purification” rite.
Arriving at lunchtime at the Matai’an wetlands in Guangfu township allowed us to taste the hotpot dish of the Amis tribe, one of 16 indigenous groups legally recognized by Taiwan. This dish is not cooked in a pot over fire, rather by the heat of marble stones taken only from the Taroko Gorge.
The fish from traps laid down along the river nearby is chopped into pieces and dropped in a large bamboo that serves as pot with enough water for the broth. In a pit of charcoal, fist-size Taroko marble stones are heated, dipped in water to wash the ashes off, and once ready, dropped into the bamboo pot. It stays there until the fish is cooked. Watercress is added before serving. With only salt to taste, the hot pot is tasty, the fish sweet and the soup refreshing.
The organic vegetables, which the Amis grow in their backyard, are familiar to Filipinos—okra, squash, fern (pako), mushroom, bean sprout, cabbage, patola, and chicharo. The only difference is the preparation. Taiwanese have low salt diet. But there are condiments to suit one’s taste.
A 10-minute ride away is the Shin Liu farm run by an Amis couple who turned to backyard farming after retiring from teaching. Their set meal has six dishes and it is good for sharing—fresh organic salad in herb balsamic dressing, grilled salted plapla, baby shoots with chicken soup, herbed chicken wings, six-grain sticky rice, and mushroom and chicken dish. The meal depends on what produce is available in the backyard at the time of visit. The lady owner who once taught Mandarin and Math served the meals in her wet pants from catching plapla from the pond nearby minutes ago. Tea was served as a welcome drink.
Like the Ifugaos, the Amis pound their rice each meal. still
The Amis tribe chief, Huang Fushun, gave us a tour of the vast expanse of the 177-hectare Matai’an Wetland Ecological Parkat the foot of Mt. Masi where he said some of the wood used in the walkway came from the Philippines. Taiwan stopped its logging operations in the ’90s. In one of the lotus ponds, we discovered a “frog dog,” an amphibian that croaks like a barking dog.
Here, the Amis developed their own indigenous way of fishing, which guests try out for fun. Hollowed bamboo is used for catching fish without scales. Tree branches and twigs are traps for shrimps while palm leaves are traps for fish with scales. These traps are laid out in dikes and other water tributaries.
The wetland is also a magnet for migratory birds, which stay longer because of the marshy habitat. The wetland has fern trees, camia plant, rattan, leaves that are used to wrap dumplings, and hundreds of plant species. At night, Huang says the fireflies are a delight to see. The Amis tribe is identified through their colorful sequined bags worn across the body. Another popular tribe, the Taroko, reside in the mountainous townships of Sioulin, Wanrong, and Jhuosi also in Hualien. They, too, are like the Igorots/ Ifugaos of Northern Luzon, with tattoos, adept at woodcarving and weaving, and wear similar tribal attire. They also play the “kubing,” a jaw harp made of bamboo popular among Maguindanaon and other Mindanao tribes.
Since the main economic activity in Hualien is agriculture, locals swear by the sweetness of Hualien pomelos on account of the soil and the weather. Taiwan has lots of sunshine, which is good for tea— red and green.
A 2015 survey on the national happiness index shows that Hualien is the happiest place to live in Taiwan because of the high satisfaction levels of its residents based on work-life balance, living condition, education, natural environment, and the performance of its local officials. With its rural setting, Hualien has a relaxing atmosphere, a good hideaway for those who want a leisurely break from the busy life.
When visiting night markets, go on an empty stomach to enjoy the eats, some of which are new to the palate—crunchy, pickled mangoes, all kinds of barbecue, milk tea, nougats, vegetables, and fruits. There are games, too and street musicians who open their guitar cases for donations.
Ka-Zu cracker is a signature dish in Hualien, which is a mixture of shrimp, pineapple, and melon in sweet cream. Once cracked, the biscuit-shaped dome is used to scoop the mixture that tastes like a warm fruit salad with shrimp.
At the end of a tiring day, we soaked and relaxed at the hot spring villas of Ruisui township in the Tropic of Cancer.
MOFA protocol officer Wei ting (Daniel) Hu says there are two places in Taiwan where one can find the Tropic of Cancer monument—one in Ruisui and the other in Chiayi (west coast of Taiwan).
Those living in the Tropic of Cancer (one of three imaginary lines running across the Earth—the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn are the other two) experience something cool. Chang, the head of an organization of hot spring owners, says there are two occasions in Ruisui when everything has no shadow. This is so because the sun is directly above the Tropic of Cancer on June 21 when summer begins in the Northern Hemisphere and Dec. 21 when winter starts.
There are 13 hot spring villas in the township. The onsen (hot spring) culture of the Japanese who occupied Taiwan for 50 years had a great influence on Taiwan.
Chang who dabbles as resort owner and chef says the hot spring sourced from a volcano “is good for the skin.” The smell and color of the water is a result of the alkaline carbonate properties of the spring water, which is rich in iron. Through oxidation, the iron particles in the water turn yellowish in color and have a salty taste. Because of its appearance, others call it the “golden” hot spring, which is claimed to be good in relieving stress and fatigue.
There are public hot spring baths where you can choose the water temperature that suits you. But there are also villas where one can enjoy a hot bath in the comfort of their room if they wanted some privacy.
There are hotels, too, like Chang’s Jui-Sui hotel, where guests can choose from either the public bath, which has three pools with different water temperatures, the private villa, which has a private pool and a wooden view deck for large groups or the private bath, which can accommodate one or two.
There is a dormitory type of accommodation for the budget traveler. Price ranges from NTD700 to NTD 2,000 for an overnight stay. “No TV. Just pure relaxation,” Chang assures.
Jui-Sui’s view deck is perched on a hill with century-old trees, in whos shade you can savor your buffet meal. It offers a postcard-pretty view of the mountains beyond, shielding the plains planted with coffee, tea, dragon fruit, and organic vegetables—a spectacular view you will remember long after you’ve left.
Daniel says Hualien sites can be explored by car, scooter, motorcycle, or bike, which are readily available at rental shops at reasonable prices.