Short walks in Taroko Gorge

Swallow Grotto

I had the idea of starting early to go to Taroko Gorge National Park, perhaps taking the second bus out by waking around 0600.  But for some reason, I woke at 0515 without the alarm and decided to take the first bus at 0630.

My first stop around 0730 was the Swallow Grotto (Yanzikou).  Swallows live in these gorges, giving this area its name.

One is supposed to get a free helmet (to protect against minor rockfall) at the previous stop for this section but I had been told it’s currently safe.  It would have added perhaps an hour if I had done that, hopping off at the previous stop and then waiting for the next bus to continue.

The grandeur of the scenery wasn’t new to me as I had been here during my teens.  But the engineering of Taroko Gorge is the other wow-factor.  How roads, mining trails and access trails to hydropower facilities were carved into the rocks.  And how these various roads and trails have been converted to hiking trails for the public to enjoy, with all the necessary retaining and safety features.

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Tunnel of Nine Turns

Continuing on the bus, I got to the Tunnel of Nine Turns (Jiuqudong) around 0900.  This was an old highway that’s now a walking trail.  While it offers a look into the gorge below, it doesn’t have a natural feel because of the retaining that was constructed when it became a walking trail.

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Tianxiang and Baiyang Falls (not)

I got to Tianxiang around 0940.  It’s pretty crazy that by this time I had done 2 short walks and 3 bus rides and was already at the end of the bus route.

My intention was to do the longest hike of the day, to the Baiyang Falls where there is a cave with a water curtain.

The trailhead was less than one kilometre uphill on the road, until a tunnel on the left-hand side.  At the tunnel, there was a sign saying that the trail was closed but it wasn’t blocked off.

At the other end of the tunnel, it was a gravel trail.  The day was getting warm.  I had started with long pants and a pullover and that felt really comfortable.  By now, I was down to a single layer on top and had zipped off my trousers at the knee.

After about a kilometer on the trail, I came to a locked gate.  Yep, the trail is closed due to rockfall.  I’m not going to see the best part of this walk.  Damn!

I returned to Tianxiang.  With time to kill, I walked towards the temple which was located in the opposite direction but didn’t proceed to climb up to it.

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Tianxiang had been a waste of time.  It did allow me to refuel myself at the 7 Eleven as I had finished the food that I had brought with me already.  By the way, food is supposedly scarce inside the park but there are a few options at Tianxiang and a pretty good place at Swallow Grotto.

Eternal Spring           

It was around 1120 when I hopped on the bus in the direction in the direction of leaving the park.  I was about 4h ahead of schedule, with 2h due to starting early, 1h due to skipping the free helmet rental pick-up and another 1h from trail closures and catching buses that were not on the timetable that I had used.

I looked at my plan for tomorrow and decided that I could stop at Eternal Spring.  Getting off the bus there around 1145, I looked across the river to the shrine with a cascade below it.  High to one side was another shrine-looking thing, which may have been the bell tower.

I did the walk to the shrine by crossing the bridge and walking in the partially-open tunnel that had been cut into the rock. There was a Buddhist shrine with three figures in the cave along the way.

At the pretty shrine located above the cascade, I saw that the rest of the trail was closed due to rockfall.  It’s supposed to be the steeper and harder part.

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At 1230, I called it a day.  For the first time today, I had a significant wait for the bus for about 30 mins.  At 1300, I finally boarded one which got me back to Hualien around 1400.

The only place I wanted to do in the park was Shakadang Trail.  Over 2h is needed for this and with transport and waiting, it would be too long a day especially when I started at 0630.

I relaxed for the rest of the day before retiring early.

The Hualien area

The area is home to many indigenous Taiwanese. They resemble my fellow-countrymen from Borneo and the Philippines. There are also many churches around.

Outside the metropolitan areas of Taiwan, eg. here and in Lukang, things are a bit ramshackle. Shacks are built here and there, eg. for storage and minor farm work, using planks, old roofing iron and canvas.

In western countries, things would be more purpose-built. Asians invented recycling and reusing before it was fashionable, driven by cost savings rather than the environment.

People horde a bit of “junk” outside their homes, hoping for them to become useful or perhaps sell it for scrap one day, eg. racks, signage, furniture, pots. I should be used to it growing up in Malaysia but perhaps I’ve lived in a western throw-away society for too long now.