How do I describe Taroko Gorge? Well, it is one of those places that make you stop and stare, after which you begin to be grateful that you were born in this awesome planet. After the exhausting trip characterized by what seemed like endless walking and non-stop snapping of photos, I realized that the said place is just full of rocks, huge rocks, which has sort of become the defining attribute of the place. What seems to be a river has become a narrow stream of water, that is apparently the result of the dam controlling the water’s flow.
I was supposed to follow the guide provided by the Taroko tour map I got from the visitor’s information office. According to that map, I should have started at 9 AM and ended at 6 PM. I woke up early at around 7:30 AM to prepare, but laziness got the best of me once again, and so I woke up around an hour later and decided I would just take the 10:30 AM bus. Besides, what difference would an hour and a half make when some of the attractions are actually closed. I found out that an hour and a half makes a lot of difference, especially when you are so good in making bad decisions on which paths to follow, and when to ride the bus.
TWD250
is the cost of an unlimited day pass for the Taroko tour bus. The catch is that
they come in intervals of an hour, which means you would have to walk to some
of the destinations if you are in a hurry, or if you finish one earlier than
expected. Good preparation and planning would be ideal if you plan to maximize
this unlimited bus deal. If you do not want an unlimited pass, you could still
use the bus and pay the fares computed by distance, which are also provided
there on the map.
The
first bad decision was to skip the Taroko Archway in favor of the Visitor
Information Center. The timetable says that the two are just five minutes away
from each other by bus. On foot, maybe triple that and you have 15 minutes
distance, which is not so far. I never saw the archway again until we got home,
and only while I was on the bus. I was supposed to backtrack from the Visitor
Information Center to the archway, but I ended up going straight to Shakadang
Bridge via a tunnel, because I kind of lost my sense of direction. Anyway, the
archway is just an archway, and the magnificent view of the river/stream below
is duplicated and even outdone by many similar formations en route to Tianxiang.
Shakadang
Trail was close because of rockfall which left some paths blocked. You could
still hang out on the bridge and take pictures. It is a pity because they say
that this is one of the more popular spots here at the Taroko Gorge, along with
the Tunnel of Nine Turns, which was also closed for the same reason.
Nonetheless, I still had a good, albeit exhausting time exploring this natural
park because its beauty is evident everywhere you go. As I would love to say, Lord of the Rings-ish.
The
next bridge connects leads you to a temple on top of a hill. The climb is not
that long but exhausting anyway. There is a hanging bridge which would have
been interesting to cross, if not closed for the very same reason as the others.
You could still cross the short tunnel after that, and end up in what seems to
be the most photographed area of Hualien, that temple thingy with a mini
waterfall under it. Once you get past the short tunnel, there would be an
entryway to the left, which leads you to a viewing deck, a Buddha altar, and a
tunnel by the cliff that leads to the temple itself, which turned out to be a
gazebo, a worshiping area, and a bridge. I do not know if they are actually
used as worshiping places. It seemed to be just a plain tourist spot.
What
followed had to be the longest walk I have had in weeks, or even months. You
see, I should have just followed the itinerary on the guide. Besides, they know
the place better than I do, right? Oh well, stubbornness rules, but in fairness
to myself, at least I have a had a really good exercise for my legs, which they
badly need, as in. One thing I would recommend though is to avoid this. AVOID
walking to and from the Eternal Spring Shrine/Shakadang to Buluowan and vice-versa. You are in for one heck of a long hike, and the time you spend doing so
could be used for exploring some other sites, unless you need the exercise. Excuses!
And
so, how and where did I end up? I ended up at Buluowan but not after a few hours
of walking. I was counting kilometers like crazy because at least there were
markers all over the road. Every time I get to finish a hundred meters I feel
so relieved and I keep on telling myself that I am close to my destination,
where a double cheeseburger with large fries and coke would be waiting for me.
I think I walked around five kilometers in total, or more, or less. Who cares.
All I knew was that I have never had such a long walk recently. Upon reaching
Xipan Dam, I rested for a while and started walking again. Not far away from
that spot is a helmet borrowing station for motorcycles. There you see the sign
for the hotel at Buluowan, and another road signage with a spoon and fork and 2
KM.
2
KM? Are you kidding me? It appears that Buluowan is a detour high up the hills,
and a 2 kilometer hike was needed to get there. The road leading up reminded me
of Albay’s Lignon Hill, only that this one was 2 kilometers long. Shit. Let us
cut the story short because I do not like to relive the torture. I walked until
I got there at 2:50 PM, which is ten minutes before the Taroko Tour Bus headed
to Tianxiang gets there. I maximized the ten minute leeway to get some snacks,
in the form of Pringles creamy cheese. I already had a bottle of water with me.
They had food with rice in it but it did not seem appealing. And there I
thought I was collapsing in hunger? I only had a sandwich that morning. It
turns out that I can control my hunger more than I give myself credit for. The
bus to Tianxing took around 20 minutes, considerably less than the two or three
hours it took me to walk for a distance that around thrice as far.
Another
discovery? As I looked at the map at Buluowan service station, I found out that
had I walked a bit more, I would have seen a 500 meter trail leading up to the
said area, a trail that is especially made for pedestrians. Then I knew why all
the locals on motorcycles were looking at me with a weird expression on their
faces. I could now draw a thought bubble on their heads saying, “This path is
for motorists, idiot.”
There
area couple of sights to see at Tianxiang but the ones that you should not miss
are all on one hill where you find the Buddhist Temple, a pagoda which seems to
be the highest point in the area, and some giant Buddha statues. You could
climb up the pagoda. There is no warning by the entrance saying otherwise. I
just did not because the place is already around 500 meters above ground, and
imagining myself falling from that height all the way down to the gorge is
already painful, and that is just my imagination at work, what more real life?
Anyway,
that area was the most peaceful place. No wonder they build those temples on
hills like those, it would really be easy for you to find tranquility in there.
I wanted to stay long, but because the bus would leave in half an hour, I had
to cut it short. I simply love that place at the temple area.
And
so my Hualien trip ends here. Paragliding next time, maybe. I love nature
trips, but I am missing the city already. I do not know if I should head to
Taitung or Kaoshiung, or just go back to Taipei. I am bored. I need a large
modern mall.
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