Note: ‘Isla’ is actually Spanish, ‘Ilha’ is Portuguese.

Ilha Formosa – Part I of II

When I first came to Taiwan at the age of 7, the predominant thought that I left with was the heat and humidity. While this has been reinforced since my immigration back 18 years later, I have further learned that Taiwan is one of the most picturesque places that I have experienced in my travels. During my second week in Taiwan, I had the opportunity to circumnavigate the island with a few friends, and was able to experience the history and natural beauty that the island has to offer.

The trip began at Taipei Main Station (where an underground mall resides) to catch the High Speed Rail that runs the length of western Taiwan reaching top speeds of approximately 200 mph. We headed to Tainan, one of the most historic cities in southern Taiwan in less than 2 hours where we ate an abundance of authentic Taiwanese food ranging from seafood to flavored ice with fruit (ideal for any summer day). And yes, there was rice, and yes, there were noodles. Tainan is also famous for the Confucius Temple, which was built in 1665 in order to “educate young talent and revive scholarship” and was used to “sow the first seeds of Confucian culture” in Taiwan. It later became known as the First Academy of Taiwan. Another popular attraction in Tainan is Anping Fort, built by the Dutch in the early 1600’s. Taiwan was of particular interest to the early Europeans as a point of trade in Asia.

Anping Fort

After Tainan we went to the Kaohsiung countryside to Bopai, a small town among the mountains where we stayed at a hot spring resort and went rafting. Walking down to the river, the waters weren’t terribly rough, but the highlight was when we hit a parabola-like trough along the river that essentially dropped 4 or 5 feet down and lipped back up. While our raft survived unscathed, the raft behind us wasn’t so lucky. Looking back, we saw other raft turn perpendicular to the river as it sped into the trough. Coming back up the crest of the rapids, the raft lost total control, one side rising above the other just in time for gravity to take over and dump all of its occupants (8-10 people) into the river. It was pretty cool to see I’ll admit. Our raft was later blamed for the ordeal that took place to which I still don’t know why.

That night we took the regular train east to Taitung, a coastal city in southeast Taiwan to catch some rest before we took a boat to Green Island in the morning. Like most train rides that I’ve taken thus far, it provided a good opportunity to see the countryside, which is abundant in mountains, tunnels, small towns, fisheries and rice farms that make up the landscape.

The boat ride to Green Island took about 45 minutes and after landing we immediately rented scooters to use in exploring the island. We first visited Green Islands’, now closed, political prison established by the KMT during Taiwan’s period of Marshall law. The prison was used to house anyone that spoke against the government and many were either tortured or killed during their time their.

Green Island Political Prison

Thankfully, as a tourist, I was not subject to such conditions and could appreciate the novel rock formations, vivid blue sky and azure waters, clear enough to view the coral under the what seemed to be motionless surface. We later took the time to stop and enjoy a small beach at the base of a steep hill where a working lighthouse notified passing ships of the shoreline. The sand at the beach was composed of little pieces of coral, surrounded by jagged sharp coral that was intermingled with spotty pools of water.

Further exploring the Island via scooter, we visited a deer reserve, and hiked lookouts where we could see cotton ball and wispy-like clouds lacing through the mountains of Taiwan, 20 miles away. Riding along the snaking coastal road at 30mph, I was refreshed with the crisp sea air and ocean spray. On one side of the road was the continuous battering of blue waves and bubbling foam against the shore, further shaping and molding unique rock formations through constant erosion. On the other side there was a steep cliff composed of jagged rock dotted with vegetation and small trees near the base, increasing in density as it crept upward to the abundant and intense sunlight that bathes the Island daily.

Before eating dinner, we took the scooters back to the beach to watch the sunset over Taiwan as the sky achieved an incredible range of colors. Reflecting off the water creating a mirror image of the sky, the only identifiable mark establishing the horizon was Taiwan itself.

That night we ate at a BBQ place where we paid a fixed sum and was all you can eat. Given the apparent popularity of the restaurant it was presumed to be pretty good. We chose from an assortment of raw meat and vegetables that we cooked on charcoal grills, which were built into the table. It had been a long day and we really couldn’t ask for anymore than an all you can eat buffet for cheap. We got our money’s worth.

After dinner we went back to the hotel to get a few hours of sleep before we woke up at 4am to catch the sunrise at the salt water hot springs on the Island, one of three in the world. Our early morning efforts were rewarded with an explosion of reds, oranges and yellows as the sun rose above the Pacific Ocean.

Sunrise

The Hot Springs

A couple hours later, we went snorkeling along one of the reefs. We used a concrete pathway that is perpetually inundated with small waves and water to walk about 70 meters out toward the ocean and coral life. Stepping off the concrete pathway into the warm water and pushing away, my eyes were immediately met with hundreds of colorful fish as I broke the surface. There were small schools of fish swimming all around in numbers ranging from 5 or 6 to 30 or more. Following a few individuals I would see them zip in and out of holes in the coral, sometimes hiding among the cracks seeking protection from predators, or me for that matter. The coral formation was interesting given that it would be relatively flat and then immediately drop-off, creating a narrow canyon 20-30 feet deep, where fish would investigate the coral walls and swim along effortlessly. Looking in the distance I could see the refracting sunlight as it penetrated the ocean surface, giving a new dynamic in color to the coral and the fish. Needless to say, it was cooler than the raft flipping in Bopai.

Concrete Pathway

After snorkeling we took the ferry back to Taiwan where we boarded another train to go north along eastern Taiwan to the city of Hualien. It is here that I was able to fully appreciate the mountain terrain that I had only seen from a distance on the train, as I experienced river tracing and Taroko Gorge. This will be highlighted in “Ilha Formosa Part II” in the next few days.