This month Jia Ching took me to Taiwan! My first visit to this famously charming island included some leisurely time spent on both east and west coastlines and an urban tour of five cities across Taiwan. We went down to the beach, and up to the mountain tops and ate everything delicious we could find in between.
I’ll begin my musafira chronicle of our Taiwan travels with the weekend trip we took to Taroko Gorge, near the city of Hualian on the east coast.
Arriving by train from Taipei in the late afternoon, my eyes were greeted by lush sweeping landscapes of endless rice paddies leading into the foothills of Taiwan’s steep mountain peaks. We checked into the lovely B&B we booked just north of Hualian at the opening of the Taroko Gorge and began to take in our surroundings.
As we were about to head out the door for a sunset bike ride along the beach, we learned of the massive earthquake and tsunami that had just devastated Japan. I stared out our bedroom window at the Pacific, which looked close enough to touch. I could hear my heart beating. Soon enough, the government issued a tsunami warning for the Hualian area and the wonderful B&B staff quickly evacuated us further above sea level to the nearby visitors center, until the tsunami threat vanished as quickly as it came.
A calm ocean breeze welcomed us down from the mountain. I was so grateful for our personal safety, and that the laid back town we just arrived in was untouched by destructive waves that were simultaneously transforming Japan.
Tracking events unfolding in Japan during the following hours and days, it has been surreal. I cannot believe my eyes. I get a sinking feeling every time I think of how quickly everything changed. And now more than ever I have an overwhelming appreciation for the majesty and power of the world we cannot control, and I return to the coast with a new sense of awe.
We dedicated our next two days to appreciating our surroundings to the fullest. Lucky for us, our host Teyra and our guide Ruan both have nothing but love for the place and made sure that we saw Taroko Gorge from every angle.
Due to the inevitable impacts of landslides, monsoons and earthquakes in Taiwan, the gorge has been transforming and safe access to all areas is limited. However, there are still plenty of paths to follow and plenty of vistas to enjoy on any given day in the gorge.
Our first full day in Taroko Gorge ended with a simple and satisfying early dinner in an aboriginal-run restaurant just outside Hualian. The aboriginal people, called the Taruku, have been living in this part of the island for hundreds of years and continue to play a major role in the local community through business and local government, while maintaining and promoting Taruku cultural, historical and linguistic traditions.
Actually, we learned from our host that Taroko Gorge is named after the Japanese mispronunciation of Taruku - just one small example of the many remaining legacies of Japan’s fifty-year occupation.
On our last morning, we enjoyed an early morning ride before breakfast followed by a leisurely trip to the smooth pebble beaches of Hualian. Dozing off on the train back to Taipei later that afternoon, I felt so very lucky for so many reasons.
