We’d threatened to walk along the meandering seashore of Keelung County before, but spied an opportunity and made the best of it. The weather was abysmal last time we visited so we did a scout by car and planned to get back one day. The small car park at the start of the walk held another small treasure across the road, a trail that wound its way through some impossibly steep looking slopes before descending again just a few hundred metres from the starting point: next time! The walk was as pleasant as we’d hoped and we admired the craggy outcrops of rock and the deep colours of the China Sea as a foreground to an unusually diverse set of sea craft bobbing up and down in the light swell. Just about at the end of our walk we spied the unexpected “Mykonos” in its 3 stories of “Greek” glory. This is a must return visit in summer when the umbrella deck up top will have endless views of the coast. As it was we took advantage of a coffee and cake and even though we might have a little trouble with the all Chinese menu, we’ll be sure to give it a crack next time.
Sunday’s sensational weather was another lure to get into the great outdoors, so after a leisurely morning of sleeping in and slowly breakfasting, we hit the road. Our destination was Ilan County, about an hour’s drive away, the hitherto unremarkable flat plain of endless housing, shops and typical Taiwanese city living. The jewel in Ilan’s crown is the town of Jiaosi and more particularly the waterfalls and mountain trails of Wufongci (Five Flags).
We were quite dazzled by Jiaosi’s charms on the way in and the way out of the waterfalls. It is a really bustling metropolis, full of hot spring hotels of every persuasion, budget right through to 5 stars. It had a really good vibe and we would never have guessed. Our normal practice is to whizz through with scarcely a glance on the elevated expressway heading south to Nan Ao, dismissing Ilan as a horrible slum…how wrong we were!
We wended our way through the backstreets of the town, ever higher and heading west into the mountains from which our expressway tunnel had just burst. The countryside was fresh and gorgeous, the sights and smells particularly different. After parking down the hill a few hundred metres we made our way through the obligatory alley of specialized stalls, little eats and local curiosities. One couple were selling what appeared to be the engorged roots of some mysterious plant, painted up to (supposedly) resemble certain animals…weird! Another man had a huge photo of his father as a backdrop to his local honey stall: but Dad was covered head to toe in bees. Places like these do tend to set the scene for something special to come!
The first two drops of the waterfall were very spectacular and although not at full flow, the crescendo of water dropping from a great height, the spray-making rainbows shimmering near the base and the clean fresh feel of the place were quite dazzling. They’ve done a surprisingly tasteful job of the viewing platforms and pagodas as well. Garish colours were non evident and the simple red sloping roof of the little pagoda was a great entrée to the waterfall itself. The highest drop was off limits to visitors unfortunately, due we think to building works or repairs to the stairs and paths. Not to worry an excuse to re-visit and also the reason we discovered another trail and a picturesque hidden church higher up the mountain.
We kept walking higher and higher after being disappointed with the closure of the high trail and discovered a delightful Christian church, completely circular and set amongst manicured grounds with panoramic views all the way down the valley and out to sea. It was most impressive and Cass spied a road winding away ever higher at the rear of the church. It quickly petered out into a rough track and was on an incline all the way. We walked along here for about 45 minutes, all the while wondering where it was going and meeting parties of folk coming back down the trail, all kitted up with packs and supplies and most of them a fair bit older than us! We thought if those old tools could do it, so could we! (That reference was for you Xris). As it turns out we didn’t find anything more than a path that just continued and continued, but we enjoyed the bush walk, the amazing views and the serenity immensely.
The car then navigated its way back to Tienmu, contending with a mild traffic jam in the 13km tunnel and delivering us safely home in the early evening. I think we’re both ready to face another week of work after all that outdoor activity. I’m still reading “The Portrait of a Lady” just a little at a time at night so it will be ages before I finish it and Cass has been captured by the large feline beast in “
The White Tiger”.
