Somewhat reluctantly we left Tianxiang to head south to Yuli. We chose Yuli because it is on Highway 9, the inland road, and because from there we could drive up to Yu-Shan National Park. It was also close enough to Tianxiang that we didn’t have to rush to get there. We wanted to use Highway 9 to see what was there, even though we plan on getting a train through the same part of the country later in the week. With the car we could stop where and when we wanted.
Bypassing the centre of Hualien we headed south through the East Rift Valley which is a very wide plain between the inland and coastal mountains. There are numerous small towns along the way. The whole area is very green, like all of Taiwan, it would seem. We took a couple of detours out of sheer curiosity. Once we got to Yuli we had lunch and then headed to our AirBnB hosts’ house just outside town, surrounded by rice paddies. We were their first ever guests but I doubt we will be their last. The accommodation and our host couple were lovely.
Once we had dropped off our gear, and got acquainted with the property we headed inland towards Yu-Shan National Park. There is an entrance not far from Yuli, and there you find the beginning of the Batongguan Historic Trail (built by the Japanese a hundred years ago to control the local indigenous population who didn’t like being ruled by the Japanese). This trail goes over to the Western side of the park, and takes about 6 days and covers about 65 kilometres. You need a permit to go past the first hut, and you need to book your space in the hut. Stopping to see a waterfall on the way, we went in as far as the second suspension bridge (about 40 minutes) where they were in the process of building a new bridge to replace the existing one. That, and the reduced weight limit signs, filled us with confidence as we crossed.
It was hot, sweaty work walking in the forest, but the views made it worthwhile. There were signs advising how to react if you see a Black Bear and how to avoid seeing one. I was keen to see one but the Kraut wasn’t. We didn’t see one. We saw a few bugs though. Still no snake.
That evening we went into town for dinner and ended up at a Hotpot place. The menu was available in English, which was helpful and also entertaining. Among the items on offer were the following:
- Alligator (sadly not available)
- Deep Fried Fish Lips
- Sheep Bacon Hotpot (from “Newziland”) I had to google sheep bacon
- Chief Special Lamb Hotpot (from “Newziland”)
- Lemon Lamb Ribs (from “Newziland”)
I settled for the Black Pepper Tenderloin Beef, which was fine. The Kraut shared my meal, eating most of the vegetables as she wasn’t in the mood for meat. She also said she wasn’t hungry but ate more than me!
We really enjoyed our time in Yuli, thanks in no small part to having a great place to stay. We have paid more to stay in places which are nowhere as good.
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The Kiwi & The Kraut 