Thursday, October 25, 2012

Return to Jiufen


I’ve been to many places on this island, but returning to the same area never fails to offer a new adventure.  I recently returned to the northern town of Jiufen with my cousins and their friends.  I had been once before on a day trip with some friends, but this trip was an overnight escapade.  

After an hour’s drive to the coast, we arrived at the base of Jilongshan, the tallest peak in the area.  While we waited for the whole group to arrive, we took in the sights of the Remains of the 13 Levels.  This haunting structure is what’s left of the old copper-smelting refinery.  When I first saw it, I thought (hoped?) it was an old prison.  It’s pretty creepy-looking. 

Spooky copper refinery leftovers


We hopped back in the car for a dizzying drive up through the mountain roads (and alleys) to find our hotel.  How people orient themselves to these twisting, turning, narrow “streets” is beyond me.  But we found our way (thanks to GPS), ate dinner, and settled in to the hotel.

Old Streets of Jiufen

Our cute little hotel


The next morning, I set my alarm for very-early-o’clock and went out to see the sunrise over the mountains.  Unfortunately, the sky was quite overcast, so mostly I just watched the night turn into day, without actually seeing the sun.  Ah, oh well.  The little town was so quiet and peaceful -- a big change from Taipei.

Good morning

Sun coming up over the hills


I went back to bed for a couple hours, then set off on a solo hike, while most of the rest of the group went shopping on the old streets.  I didn’t have a map to speak of, so I pretty much just wandered around for two hours, taking whichever street, alley, or path I thought looked interesting.  I quickly came upon a Junior High School at the top of a rise above town.  I discovered a trail that led to an old set of entry doors that were bolted shut, but the view from the top was beautiful.  And the set of steps leading from the school back down to the town seemed to go on forever.  Made the college-days climb up Bascom Hill seem like nothing. 

This shows MAYBE 1/10th of the stairs up to the school.
I couldn't fit them all in one photo...


I walked on, taking hundreds of pictures and enjoying the quiet solitude and clean air. 

Mountainside homes

Old house

Jilongshan in the background

Wandering around town

Jiufen

Front yard

Tunnel leading to Songde Park

I stopped here to listen to the monks chanting

Path

Almost made it to the top

Jiufen home


With the whole group together again, we visited the Gold Museum and Ecological Park in Jinguashi.  I had been there before on my previous trip, but sure enough, I discovered several different things I did not see the first time!

We went to the Crown Prince Chalet, which was built to accommodate the royal Japanese family in the 1920s.  From the grounds, we could see Keelung Mountain and Teapot Mountain, as well as a view of the town below, which was once the most crowded residential area in Taiwan.  

View from the grounds of the Crown Prince Chalet


Next we headed for the Gold Museum.  Since I had already taken the tour and touched the mega-sized gold bar, I opted for another “short” hike up to see the Jinguahsi Shinto Shrine.  Way up high on the slopes, having climbed maybe 7 million uneven stone steps, I looked out over the Ecological Park from the beautiful temple ruins. 

Jinguashi Shinto Shrine

Temple ruins

Windy


This trip was special because I got to travel with my cousin Cody, his wife Emily, and their son Austin.  It has been so incredible spending time with family way over here in Taiwan, especially family that I never get to spend time with back in the States.  But this trip was also special because it reminded me that no matter how many places I have visited in Taiwan over the last 14 months, there will always be something new and wonderful to discover when I return to Taiwan in the future!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Pingtung - Rukai Villages


In honor of 10/10 - the National Day of Taiwan - we had the day off!  I was lucky enough to be invited to Pingtung with my roommates to visit family.  Pingtung is the southernmost county in Taiwan, and home to the aboriginal tribe of the Rukai people.  My roommates, Abi and Muni, and their family are part of the Rukai tribe.

We took an overnight bus to reach Pingtung City and were taken to the home of Abi and Muni’s parents.  The family, and many others from the tribe, have relocated out of the mountains from remote Ali Village.  Ali was greatly damaged during Typhoon Morakot in 2009, leaving villagers displaced, homes destroyed, and roads inaccessible.

After a quick nap, we drove up into the mountains to the village of Shenshan, which translates to “God’s Mountain.”  And it was beautiful!  The drive up the narrow, winding mountain roads was made slightly more nerve-wracking by all the construction crews working on repairing the damaged sections washed out in the latest round of typhoons.

In Shenshan, the Rukai tribe was holding a multi-day sports competition between area villages.  We spent some time cheering on the Vedai team in men’s volleyball and at the track meet. 


Team Vedai (the red guys)

Kids' relay race

Adults' relay race -- check out the barefoot runners!

Me and my favorite cheerleader, Kiki :)

We walked around Shenshan, taking in the views and wandering the narrow village streets. 

Shenshan Village

Traditional home (with a nontraditional roof)

Festivities

Village road

Marriage mural

Wall

Shenshan


A quick car ride further up into the mountains, we arrived in Wutai (Vedai) village.  Wutai means “far place” - and for good reason.  It is remote.  Really far up there.  Like.... I didn’t even see a 7-Eleven. 

Wutai

Wutai

"Far Place" sounds about right


We stopped for lunch at the Wutai church, where the pastor invited us in and brewed some locally-grown coffee to share with us. 

Wutai Church

Wutai Church

The Pastor brews up some local coffee


Revived and buzzing from caffeine, we wandered off through the streets of Wutai.  The tribal culture is strong here, and most of the homes are decorated with tribal carvings and paintings.  Many of the walls and structures are built with the traditional stone-slab method.  The village was beautiful, peaceful, and so different from life in Taipei. 

Streets of Wutai

Stone-slab wall with carvings telling tribal stories

Wutai

Hunters returning with their kill -- wild boar and bear

Remains of a traditional home


Our trip was very short -- we were in Pingtung for less than 24 hours -- but with my personal tour guides, I feel I got a real insiders experience.  And I learned one word from the Rukai language.  It means both “hello” and “goodbye” -- sa bao

Clockwise from top left: Muni, A Mei, Stacy, Abi, and Anna
My traveling partners in crime :)