on the road – 2024 年的太魯閣跨年之旅 Taroko national park［Eng Subs］［日本語字幕付き］
Clearwater Cliff. East-West Cross-Island Highway Sign. Taroko Visitor Center. White Poplar Trail. Plum Garden. Taiwan Power Company Tianxiang Recreation Center. Xiangde Temple. Jiouqu Cave. Yuewang Pavilion Suspension Bridge. Green Water Trail. Bulowan Terrace. Cola Community. Aying Sister Beef Noodle. Wei Sian Homestay. Xincheng Catholic Church. 48 Highland. Song Garden Villa. Qixingtan.
Tianxiang Taiwan Power Leisure Center. Taroko Jiouqu Cave. Xincheng Catholic Church. Cola Community Stroll. Taking advantage of the New Year holiday break, avoiding traffic on Friday, we headed to Taroko. We took the Suhua Highway passing Chongde. Turning left, we reached the Clearwater Cliff. We took a look at Taiwan’s famous Eight Scenic Beauties.
Today, it’s a bit overcast, but it’s not raining. There are quite a few tourists. Many from around the world, Koreans, Japanese, Southeast Asians, Europeans, and Americans. But relatively, there seem to be fewer Taiwanese. This East-West Cross-Island Highway archway was built in 1960. It commemorates Taiwan’s first East-West Cross-Island Highway.
Coincidentally, before this year’s Double Tenth National Day, due to aging and color fading, the management repaired and reinforced the archway. Therefore, what you see here is the newly renovated style. We parked the car at the Baiyang Parking Lot. From here, we walked to the entrance of the Baiyang Trail inside the tunnel.
It’s just a short distance. But this time, we only walked a little over a kilometer. By the time we reached the second tunnel, there was a notice of trail closure due to falling rocks. The trail was temporarily closed. Can only turn back here. No chance to proceed.
In front of the tunnel, a group of Southeast Asian tourists is seen. Already wearing various raincoats, getting ready to experience the spiritual enlightenment of Shuilian Cave. We can only ask the tour leader to take a picture here. Spent the night at Taiwan Power’s Tianxiang Recreation Center. Its location is
Beside the Tianxiang Youth Activity Center, behind the Tianxiang Catholic Church. Not very conspicuous, but there are no signs explaining it on-site. The venue is quiet, and the surroundings are silent. The space behind is full of fallen leaves. This is accommodation for Taiwan Power employees, and a restful hostel. The price is relatively affordable.
Although it’s not a novel style, cleanliness and hygiene are impeccable. No visible dust as far as the eye can see. Our room, number 2, is on one side of the lobby. To the left after entering is However, on this Friday, it’s still a workday. The entire building has no other guests.
We have to walk to the end of the corridor for showering and using the restroom. In the deserted corridor, there is a bit of suspicion and unease. In the morning, dispelling the haze, there are no more dark clouds in the sky. Apart from the birdsong and floral fragrance in the mountains,
There is only the sound of our footsteps on the sandy path. What I anticipate most during travel isn’t famous mountains and rivers. Actually, it’s such a clear morning. A morning is like a cup of pure, impurity-free water. Transparent and refreshing. Exiting the hostel, going downhill, on this side is the Tianxiang Plum Garden.
Of course, there are plum blossoms all around. There are also some blooming Camellia japonica. There are some Chinese-style restaurants here. and a 7-11. We got breakfast here. We crossed the Pudu Bridge. And leisurely walked towards Xiangde Temple. Passed the Liwu River main gate on this side.
A woman is sitting on the steps ahead, and in front of her, there’s a begging bowl. I offered her some coins. This place is all about ascending stairs, which might require elders to rest for a while. But the scenery is beautiful,
And you can see the stream on the other side through the plants. There are sights to see near and far. Few tourists, pleasant temperature, walking here is like being in a fairyland. There are two relatively large statues here. One is the White Robed Guanyin, which is still under renovation today.
As we passed by, workers on the scaffolding were discussing construction matters. The other is the Main Hall (Daxiong Baodian). Next to it is the King of Jizo, shining brightly, quite majestic. In front of the Main Hall, an elderly lady asked me to take a photo for her. I saw she spoke English,
So I asked where she’s from. She said her whole family is from Canada, and she is a Buddhist. But only she walked to the temple. Thinking of the steep stairs ahead, her body should be considered strong. Now, our car is parked at the Green Water Station.
Later, we’re waiting for the 310 Taroko Line. After that, we have to go two stops to Jiouqudong. So, we need to manage our time. The road is so narrow, so when both sides need to pass, for larger vehicles, they might need to notify in advance. Jiouqudong is located in the Taroko Gorge,
700 meters long. Walking along the high mountain and deep valley, you can enjoy the rapid scenery of the Liwu River. The terrain on the cliff such as faults, joints, folds, and rock plants, are breathtaking. Originally, this trail was part of the Central Cross-Island Highway. After the Jiouqudong Tunnel opened in 1996,
It was converted into a recreational trail. It preserves the original tunnel and mountain walls, showing the construction techniques of that time. Fissures near the trail are clearly visible, representing rock fractures due to crustal movement. At 2:30, we were back at the entrance of the trail.
We planned to take the 310 bus to Swallow Grotto later. But after waiting for half an hour, the bus still hadn’t arrived. So we had to go back to the parking lot at the Green Water Trail Station. Since we hadn’t had lunch, we ate a lot of snacks here.
Then we walked to the Yuewang Pavilion Suspension Bridge, about 700 meters away. The reason for building this suspension bridge was after the Taroko Campaign in 1914. Japanese police, in order to strengthen governance over the Taroko tribe, constructed it. At that time, it was called the “Rock Central Bridge.”
The Yuewang Pavilion Suspension Bridge was the later name. I felt a bit scared walking on it. Because the handrails on both sides were lower than I expected. The exposed height made it hard for passersby not to notice the rocks on the Liwu River and the water flow. For those afraid of heights,
It’s better to be mentally prepared before crossing. Originally, I wanted to complete the entire Green Water Trail. But just as we were about to start, we found a notice. Possibly due to landslides or falling rocks, the most beautiful part of the trail, the cliff section, was closed off.
So we couldn’t walk much further. A large section in the middle was impassable. So for now, let’s walk a bit, and when we reach the impassable part, we’ll turn back. As a result, the closed section was even further than I thought. Here, as soon as we saw a small cave,
It was sealed off. Green Water Trail. We can say that it’s equivalent to not seeing anything. Because we didn’t walk on the cliff or through the mountain cave. We only walked about 300 meters before turning back. The only thing that gave me a sense of the Green Water Trail
Is probably this clear pool. TADA~ The only green feeling on the Green Water Trail is probably this clear pool. As a result, the Green Water Geological Museum has also been removed. It seems to have been abandoned for quite some time, inside there’s dust, and it feels old. We arrived at Bulowan here.
But the Bulowan Suspension Bridge is already closed after 4:30 PM, so we can’t go in anymore. We drove to the place where we will stay tonight. We parked our car here first. We’ll find dinner around here first and then drive over. This place is really beautiful. And there’s a little bit
Of the taste of cooking with firewood. An infinitely open and refreshing sky. This belongs to Hualien’s sky. This belongs to the mountain’s sky. Right here. There aren’t many places left to eat. Should we pay now or after we finish eating? Alright, thank you. Hey, what are you guys playing?
Is that a water fountain? Water fountain~ Yeah. Water fountain, oh, water fountain. This community is called the Cola Community. The actual address is in Fushih Village, Xiulin Township, Hualien County. It belongs to the Taroko tribe. The tribe’s name means mountain pepper. It is derived from the place where mountain peppers grow abundantly.
The first residents who moved here were from the Kalugivu tribe. The Chinese translation of Kalugivu is “Cola,” and the ancestors of the villagers originally lived upstream of Shakadang Creek, on the west bank of the triangular cone mountain. One of the small societies belonging to the old Shakadang society, Gereliyixiaoshe.
After the Taroko Campaign in 1914, they were relocated here by the Japanese authorities. This morning, we came to the Xincheng Catholic Church. This place wasn’t originally planned as a sightseeing spot. We just came to see it because it’s near the hostel. It turned out to be our favorite place on this trip.
As a result, this place became our favorite spot on this trip, whether it’s daily life scenes, landscaping, the rich historical atmosphere, Or the little cat napping on the stairs Brings a sense of leisure and healing to travelers The new town was originally the home of the Taroko tribe
And the communal residence of the Nanshi Amis tribe During the Japanese colonial period The Taroko tribe, due to an incident with a girl Being mistreated by Japanese soldiers Provoked the anger of the tribe Assisted by Han messenger Li A-long Planned by the leaders of the Huhuhshe, Hakulana
And the leaders of the Bosilin community led their men Successfully annihilating 13 Japanese soldiers This incident became known as the New City Incident Simultaneously, it was a crucial milestone In the Taiwanese people’s anti-Japanese actions Also leading to the subsequent Taroko Battle In memory of fallen military and police personnel
The Japanese government built a memorial hall here in 1914 Later, a shrine was built on the original site After the Japanese returned to Japan post-World War II Part of the shrine’s construction was damaged Entering the era of the Republic of China Swiss priests Established a kindergarten around the shrine The priests’ residence
And a chapel themed around the Bible’s Noah’s Ark In 1970, a Catholic hospital was completed here And retired in 1998 On this day, we visited the 48 Highland again Matsuo Villa However, these places left less of an impression on me Comparatively, it seemed a bit plain Inserted into this four-day, three-night journey
It appeared relatively ordinary So, I won’t go into too much detail here Just show a few scenes On this night, the weather became colder We brought dinner back to the lodging early I organized the photos and videos From this trip Outside, it was filled with the sounds of karaoke
And the wafting aroma of barbecue While waiting for the fireworks in 2024 I couldn’t wait and went outside again Taking a walk in the neighborhood Unexpectedly, the atmosphere outdoors and indoors were completely different The street can be described as desolate Could it be that the intermittent sounds Are all emanating from indoors?
Originally, I thought After experiencing the enthusiastic and crazy New Year’s Eve last night Everyone would sleep in a bit later No one would be up so early In the pitch dark of the early morning Here by the seaside at Qixingtan Wanting to see the sunrise
Turns out, it was different from what I expected The narrow coastal road Was densely packed with cars Even some tourist buses came in Probably another 20 minutes Until the sun comes out Not very certain about the current weather conditions The sun will probably come out in about 20 minutes
But not very sure about the current weather conditions There was a slight drizzle just now In the distance, there were still twinkling stars So, this 4-day, 3-night Long-awaited Taroko trip Will come to an end here It’s a bit unfortunate that some trails are closed due to falling rocks
But it’s also the first time Experiencing an overnight stay in a community near Taroko The simple community and the vast natural environment Are truly special Next time, let’s explore other areas
好幾次想來太魯閣走走都沒辦法實現。這次趁著跨年之際，終於抓到機會來訪一次。走了一些過去沒有探訪過的地方。愜意、療癒，而且美麗極了。
這次如願嘗試了附上英文字幕，但由於影片的時間比較長，使用了 AI 產生字幕，可能沒有辦法很精準的矯正語意，希望還行，這個部分往後再看看有沒有更好的方式。