10/14/10 - 10/16/10 (luzhou)
Jon Carr
Luzhou - Alishan - Luzhou
One of our favorite detours from big city life in Asia is to seek out mountain towns. The weather is considerably cooler and the scenery often more spectacular. Alishan Forest Recreation Area is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Taiwan and was just the mountain town we were seeking after several weeks in the big city of Taipei. Grace and Arnold purchased train tickets the day prior and helped us plan the logistics for our five hour trip. The first leg consisted of a three hour train ride to the southern city of Chiayi. From there we caught a two hour local bus that snaked up the mountains to Alishan. Alishan has a unique culture that is completely built around the sunrise. The whole town is geared toward 5:20am when the local train departs from Chaoping station and ascends to Chushan summit. Upon arrival the passengers jockey for position on the large concrete viewing deck. The locals aggressively compete with megaphones to lure the many tourists into their hawker stalls while providing some historical context of the area. Depending on the weather and a little luck, around 6:20am the sun makes its first appearance along the distant mountain peaked horizon. It is something straight out of the Patagonia logo.
We originally planned to stay for three nights, but upon arrival to the town center many of the locals were surprised we would be there longer than a night. The town center was very small and had a similar feel to that of a ski resort village. Two primary staircases cut through the hillside and each was lined with many accommodations and restaurants. We easily covered the highlights in 20 minutes. The hub of the town turned out to be the local Seven Eleven where you could buy everything from bus tickets to noodle soup. At the top of the staircase was the Chaoping train station that ran several lines throughout the day to many local attractions. Twice a day at the Chaoping station, a local Taiwanese aboriginal tribe puts on a show that highlights traditional dance and customs. Annie was inducted into the tribe by being paddled several times with tall grass as the tribe chanted in their native tongue.
We took the train two times to view the sunrise with the first day as a dry run. The sunrise was cloud covered but it did allow me to find the perfect position for an epic second day. The locals said it was the best of the week. Feeling satisfied with a solid time lapse, we decided to leave a day early and caught the local bus back to the train and made our way back to Taipei.
Alishan was a beautiful detour but I must admit that the sleepy town made us miss our new Taiwanese friends and big city lifestyle.
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