Beautiful Formosa

Lovin’ Taiwan

by Sandra Scott

In the 16th century, when the Portuguese visited Taiwan they named it Formosa, their word for “beautiful.” The island is so green it could be dubbed the “Ireland of Asia.” Taiwan is advertised as a place that will “Touch Your Heart,” and it does. With an excellent road and rail system, Taiwan is easy to get around and English is commonly spoken. During our first visit in 2005, we rode the world’s fastest elevator to the top of Taipei 101, currently the world’s tallest completed building, and we stood in awe at the Taroko Gorge.

The design of Taipei 101 incorporates many aspects of Taiwan’s Chinese heritage. Stylized dragon heads adorn the corners, each side of the building has a large round disc recalling the ancient Chinese coin, and the building is built on eight pillars, all thought to bring good luck to the occupants.

This blending of old and new is obvious throughout the city. A clean, modern, and efficient metro system has a stop at Longshan Temple. The temple was originally built in 1738 in order to worship the goddess of mercy. Incense fills the air as worshippers pray. Visitors are free to wander around enjoying the marvelous and colorful architecture. On the other side of the city, the metro took us to the new cable car. It is over two miles long and takes visitors to a tea area on the hillside.

Even though Taipei 101 is magnificent, what man creates can not compete with what nature has created. Located on Taiwan's east coast, Taroko Gorge is stunning with sheer marble cliffs, deep gorges, winding tunnels and the Liwu River, which flows through its craggy landscape. One of the most impressive sections lies between Yantzkou and Tszmu Bridges where the road is carved into the cliff face and the sky is a narrow slit between sheer cliffs. At the Tunnel of Nine Turns the road has been closed to vehicular traffic so walkers can take a leisurely stroll, sometimes in the shadow, sometimes in the light, and gaze in wonder at the magnificent scenery. The Jueliu Precipice, which rises nearly 5,000 feet above the riverbed, rivals the Grand Canyon in size. Taroko is just one Taiwan’s many national parks and designated national scenic areas.

Taiwan is a modern industrialized country but it strives to preserve the ancient culture of the country’s nine major aboriginal groups. Not far from Taipei is Wulai, home of Atayal people. We wandered the colorful streets, shopped for native handicrafts, and enjoyed a show of traditional dances and rituals. Visitors are encouraged to join in the dancing. Wulai is home to a beautiful gushing waterfall amidst the lush green landscape, an exciting cable-car ride across the gorge, and a thrilling ride on the Wulai tramway linking Lansheng Bridge and the Wulai waterfall. The rail trams are light rail vehicles that were once manually operated and used to carry timber but now transport tourists.

In Taipei we stayed at the Grand Hotel Formosa, a Four Season property, that offers an elegant blend of traditional décor and contemporary comfort with easy access to all the metro and train station. We started each day with a relaxing breakfast while gazing out the window at the city. We ended the day at the Gallery Bar where they have the most innovative cocktails including one using a radical culinary technique called molecular gastronomy that creates tiny little balls of alcohol that burst when bitten! Just as trendy and artistic are the Mihan and Brasserie Restaurants.

This year we took Taiwan’s High Speed Train, the newest engineering marvel. Slick, smooth, and quiet it reached 180 miles per hour as we sped to the tea and coffee area south of Taipei. As great as the wonders of man and nature are it is the people that make a trip memorable. We like to visit schools when we travel but this time our guide, Mr. Samuel Liao, who volunteers to teach English in the local school brought four of his students along on our tour of the tea and coffee area. Sandy, Alva, Jimmy, and Nick got to practice their English and we learned more about tea and coffee. We really enjoying having them with us.

In 1865, Lin Feng-chih traveled to China to sit for the imperial civil service examination. After successfully passing the exam he returned home with 36 tea plants that were the beginning of the waves of sculpted tea plants that now cross the undulating hills. The leaves are picked by hand in the time-honored tradition but teapots have taken on a new look.

One of the most inspiring people we met was Teng Ting-Sou who has dedicated his life to creating innovative teapots. “I wanted to be the first teapot maker to break away from the traditional idea that a teapot must have a spout and handle,” he explained as he demonstrated his Gu-yi teapot in which the tea flows out from the bottom of the pot. Now he teaches his art to others.

In Lugu we visited the Tea Culture Museum where, Tony, our guide proudly explained more about the history of tea production and the area’s culture. “To preserve our tea tradition we teach the schoolchildren the proper way to make and serve tea.”

The area is also perfect for producing high-grade coffee. After visiting a coffee plantation we had lunch at Shan Hai Guan Coffee Grove Restaurant where we learned coffee is not just for drinking. One of the desserts was coffee-flavored yams. Years ago, on the way to work, the owner bought small thin yams from an elderly woman. Not knowing what to do with them he started experimenting until he came up with the yummy coffee-coated roasted yams. And, it didn’t stop there; his family also makes chocolate-covered coffee beans, coffee toffee, a variety of other coffee products, and developed an inventive way to brew one cup of coffee at a time.

Nearby we visited the workshop of Mr. Tsia, a ceramic artist, who had completed the delicate face of a statue when the devastating 7.3 earthquake of September 21, 1999 stuck. The statue toppled to the floor causing the face to be flattened on one side without destroying the beauty on the other side. Lives were lost and buildings were destroyed but in the aftermath the government helped the hard-hit farming area by promoting agri-tourism. The statue is a metaphor for the area pointing out the good and bad effects of an event.

We spent the night at Pine House, a modern log cabin complex that looked like it belonged in the Adirondacks Mountains. Our tour was one of the ten rural-stay village tours available to tourists; now we want to visit the other nine villages. In the evening we shared dinner with our guides and the school children during which Tracy, one of our guides, entertained us with the song, “Beautiful Formosa.” A beautiful end to a wonderful tour.

If you go: http://taiwan.net.tw, http://rural.swcb.gov.tw/top10, http://www.grandformosa.com.tw