What Lonely Planet said: If you want to see Taiwan's natural environment raw in tooth and nail, visit a national park. If you want to see how humans have tried to make a go of settling on landslide-prone mountains and battered escarpments (as spectacular as they are to merely gaze upon), come to the Alishan National Scenic Area. From a starting altitude of 300m in the west at Chukou, the 327-sq-km scenic area quickly rises to heights of more than 2600m. The great diversity of climate, soils and landscapes allows for the growing of everything from wasabi and plums to high-mountain oolong tea, the latter some of the best in the world. From the Tsou aboriginals, the original settlers, come foods you've never heard of, such as bird's-nest fern, tree tomatoes, ai yu jelly and millet wine.
I was there: September 23, 2010
Camera used: Canon EOS 40D
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| A cool, misty day on the mountain |
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| Alishan Railway station |
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| Food and souvenir stalls in Alishan |
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| There's daily performance of songs and dance at the train station |
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| The host is a very good singer |
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| There is a famous song about Alishan. The song says Alishan's ladies are as beautiful as water and the men are as strong mountains |
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| Wood sculpture at the station |
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| Me! |
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| The train service to the forest starts just after the show. The carriages are made of cedar wood. It smells great! |
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| At the Shenmu (Sacred Tree) Station |
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| A sacred trees trail start at the Shenmu Station |
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| Small creek near the entrance of the trail |
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| Mist and tall trees give it an aura of mystery |
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| One of the giant sacred trees that met their ends |
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| The train service uses narrow-gauge |
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| The ride is short with great views of forests and mountains |
