May 16-18, 2014 ---- Nathan and I lived in Taiwan 3 times for a total of 2 years, and we did quite a lot of traveling around the small country. The trip to Alishan was our last trip in Taiwan, and we kept it last because we were so busy with school the last year we were there. I had heard a lot about Alishan National Scenic Area where most tourists go to see the sunrise and cherry blossoms and always wanted to go there, but the typhoons in 2009/2010 hit the region so badly that the mountain rail was closed for reconstruction for a long time, so we kept waiting till it was reopened again in 2014.
High Speed Rail: Taipei - Chiayi
Nathan and I took a HSR from Taipei to Chiayi as it was the fastest way to get to Alishan. From Chiayi HSR station, we took a shuttle bus to Chiayi Railway Station, and then boarded a bus toward Alishan for 2.5 hours. There are many other options to go to Alishan. You can take an overnight bus from Taipei directly to Alishan, or take a regular train to Chiayi and transfer to a small Alishan Forest Rail or a bus up to the mountain. If you are at Sun-Moon Lake, I believe that there's a direct bus from the lake to Alishan as well.
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| HSR lunch box |
Tea Cloud B&B 茶雲居
We didn't stay in Alishan Township as it was too expensive. Instead we found a really nice B&B located just a half hour from Alishan National Scenic Area, and we could easily take the bus to/from there. The room we got at Tea Cloud B&B was very spacious and the view of the mountains and tea gardens were stunning. The owner was very kind to us. He would pick us up or drop us off at the bus stop as we requested. He also took us to his tea garden, YUYUPASS, and Fenqihu. His own grown tea was the best we ever had, and we bought many containers of different types of tea from him to bring home. If I ever go back to Taiwan, I will definitely try to contact him to get more tea. :-)
Alishan National Scenic Area 阿里山國家 森林遊樂區
Alishan National Scenic Area is well known for its beautiful forests and range of mountains. A lot of tourists go there during the cherry blossom season, so it is most crowded then and you should make a reservation for hotels and the narrow-gauge forest train long in advance.
Nathan and I took a public bus from our B&B to Alishan Train Station and bought a ticket to one of the stops the Forest Rail had to offer. I don't remember where we got off exactly, but it was close to where the "Two Sisters Pond" is. From there we started our adventure by hiking on Tashan Trail. It was a beautiful trail with clear signs and a well-maintained walkway. We didn't hike all the way to the end because we were afraid we would not have enough time to see other parts of the park, so we turned around and walked along the train track back to the pond.
From the Two Sisters Pond we walked peacefully through the beautiful green forest. We visited a Buddhist temple call Shoujhen Temple 受鎮宮 and had lunch at a small shops close to the temple. We tried some local-special grilled pork that was made into a flat sheet. I believed that they also added some coconut and sesame as part of the ingredients. It was quite tasty!
After lunch we continued our walk on the famous Giant Tree Trail and visited the small Japanese temple called Tsu Yun Temple.The trail to the temple was quite scenic with lots of big trees and a stunning view of range of mountains. Around the Alishan Museum, there were more tourists from China hanging around and taking photos with one of the giant trees. The museum was very small and there was not much to see. Then we continued our walk to Shenmu Train Station to board a train back to Alishan Township and have dinner there before taking a bus back to our hotel.
A full day at Alishan National Scenic Area was quite relaxing. I can't imagine how crowded it would be if we were there during the cherry blossom season.
Tashan Trail 塔山步道
Two Sisters Pond 姊妹潭
Walking in the wood...
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| 三兄弟 |
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| 永結同心 |
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| 受鎮宮 |
Giant Tree Trail
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| 阿里山神木遺跡 |
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| Alishan Museum |
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| Shenmu Train Station |
YuYuPas 優游吧斯鄒族文化部
The hotel owner recommended us to join in an evening program at YuYuPas to experience indigenous cultures in Alishan. The Tsou tribe has lived in Alishan mountain area for a long time, since even before the Dutch (and then the Japanese) conquered the Formosa. The evening program included a traditional meal and a cultural tribal performance telling the history of the Tsou tribal people's life during the reign of the Netherlands, the Japanese colonial period, and modern Taiwan. It was a great show, and I highly recommended all tourists to go there to support the tribal people.
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| A traditional tribal meal |
Tea Gardens
Alishan Tea is the best tea you will ever get in Taiwan. Our hotel owner also had a tea garden and sells high quality tea produced in his own home-factory. He drove us to see his tea garden on a hill and explained the process of harvesting tea leaves and making them into tiny bundles by hand. Nathan and I went tea tasting at his hotel and decided to buy several bottles of tea leaves to take home. We loved all of them, especially the Alishan special tea whose Chinese name I forgot. I loved how fragrant the tea was and the smooth taste it gave. Even the black tea wasn't so bitter. Highly recommended!
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| (Left) The owner of Tea Cloud B&B |
Fenqihu 奮起湖
Sine the typhoon destroyed the train tracks in Alishan, the only route that was reopened in 2014 was between Chiayi and Fenqihu. This small town is known as the Jiufen of Central Taiwan where you can find lots of restaurants in the Old Town or eat the famous "Fenqihu Lunch Box" 奮起湖便當 at the train station. Nathan and I walked around the Old Street and bought some interesting snacks as souvenirs for our friends. Close to the train station, there was a small Rail Museum showing the old steam trains used during the Japanese colonial period. Overall it was a nice little town to shop and eat before taking a long ride on Alishan Forest Rail back to Chiayi.
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| A model of Alishan Forest Rail Track |
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| Fenqihu lunch box 奮起湖便當 |
Alishan Forest Railway 阿里山森林鐵路
It is highly recommended that you take this narrow-gauge train up or down the Alishan mountains. This route was built by the Japanese in 1912 for logging. Nowadays it has been used for tourism as it gives quite unique experience to travel through many tunnels and the dense forests. Nathan and I were lucky to get the train tickets at the last minute. Our hotel owner managed everything for us, drove us to the train station and stored our baggage at his sister's shop in the Old Town so that we could freely walk around before the train departed. Our experience on the train was quite different from others. We happened to sit in a car with a drunk and obnoxious man who talked loudly the whole way down to Chiayi. Not so much fun after all....
However, it was a great experience to ride on this historic rail.
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| Taking HSR from Chiayi back to Taipei |