Taiwan

Dapu - rural township in Chiayi county and Siraya National Scenic Area

Dapu (大埔鄉) is a rural township in Chiayi county. Mostly it's famous for nearby located Siraya National Scenic Area (西拉雅國家風景區), and Zhengwun reservoir. And - what's not mentioned in tourist guides - in this area specific flower can be found which according to traditional chinese medicine can be used in case of cancer. Our friends decided go there just because of this flower, and we joined the trip.
  

View Larger Map



Dapu in fact looks like any other small sleepy rural township in southern taiwan, except the fish restaurants densely scattered over small streets. You can see such fish signs everywhere in Dapu, it's a close proximity of reservoirs, which allows local people to do this business. Before going Siraya Scenic area, you can stop by and have a lunch in one of the restaurants.



Notice the elections advertisement right side on a pole. At the time I took the photo campaigns are heating up, and such photos are sticked at every possible places - even a smallest mountainous roads will have some face sticked to anything where it is possible to stick. Note also, how this guy keeps the hands - it's a traditional gesture for almost everyone on those advertisements. It means bai tuo bai tuo - please please.



Abandoned old house is a good place to park motorbikes.



Taiwan sometimes really is contrast country. You will and always meet those terrible driving style blue trucks along the island, but such a painting?



One of those restaurants are cooking fish just on a road:





Interior also is pretty common for small rural restaurants - round tables, easy chairs and big painting on a wall.



When you go to Siraya Scenic area, go check in at visitor center - entrance fee should be paid.



Small exhibition here - painted rocks.



Ask host to offer you their special Taiwan coffee - it's really fresh and good, and they are really proud of it and will be happy to offer it to try.



Zhengwun reservoir.



The Siraya National Scenic Area is located at the crossroads of Tainan County's Jianan Plain and the western mountains.



Because this extensive area connects high mountains with a plain, there are many intersecting streams and rivers. These result in great varieties of different landforms, creating a landscape that includes natural waterfalls and cliff-side springs.



The Siraya National Scenic Area is a major farm produce area. A large variety of fruits and other products grow year-round, making the Siraya National Scenic Area true to its name of "A Land of Abundance".



In recent years, under governmental direction, the agricultural products of all counties and towns have been integrated, promoting local special products in each area, "one specialty for each village or town".



Mountainous and lonely roads are also interesting to explore - it gives a feeling of how this remote area looks like besides traditional tourist routes.





That's the flower I talked before. It is said that it can cure cancer.



Closer look on 薑黃 - or, possible english translation may be turmeric (according to yahoo translator).



薑黃 can be found everywhere in this area, just park somewhere on a road, and you will sooner or later see it.



Careful driving is necessary on those mountainous roads, that's truth.



Interestingly enough, that Dapu outskirts have also such atypical to southern taiwan community of houses - mostly those are summer houses and owners come here to stay at weekends and holidays.



This house is on sell now - in USD about 30,000 as local man told us. Big advantage of this house of course is a beautiful view, clean mountain air and SILENCE! Yes, SILENCE what's absolutely is a deficit thing in Taiwan. If you plan to stay in Taiwan for a long time, remember that if you live in more or less big township (i am even not talking about Kaoshiung, Taichung or Tapei) you will never have silence. Never. Motorbikes are always awake, someone is talking loud, small blue spam-trucks are advertising something at 9 a.m at saturday morning and so on. Dapu is silent. But then again, be so kind and drive miles to closest 7ELEVEN.



but again - how about SILENCE, and such a view from your bedroom at morning?



However, surprise surprise! Blue trucks along with motorbikes like mosquitoes are also here. Everywhere in fact. Just not in cloud alike capacities like in a cities.



one more house from this community.



Sunset at Dapu outskirts are calm and warm. I would be happy to live here.

Fencihu village, Alishan National Scenic area in Chiayi county, Western Taiwan

Fencihu owes its existence to the Forest Railway. At 1405m above sea level, it\'s very close to the half-way point between Chiayi and Alishan. Back in the old logging days Fencihu was the major center for repair and for maintenance on the railroad. For this reason, the population of about 800 is almost entirely Han Chinese, many of whom are Hakka (Hakka people have always had an affinity for working on the railroad).
There are several things that Fencihu can be proud of, and all of them are located quite close to each other, so it will not take much time to see all there.
First - it's a specific type of bamboos, that Fencihu claims to have very rare.





What's specific with those bamboo? They are (as written in annotation to them) square type, and not round, like usual ones. Well, I am a last person to be familiar with bamboo, I tried to shot those so, that can see the square form of them - well - for me it still seems pretty round one.

You won't miss them. Because upon arrival you will need spend some time to find parking space - if you can at weekend - it will be a lot of cards there, and probably the first free space will be not so close...



and then there is still one way down to Fencihu train station and Old Shopping street, and it goes through those square bamboos:

 
Once you go down, soon you will see the train station itself:



and once you cross the railway to opposite side...



Now, just go down the steps, and you will be on so called "old street".

Crowd of shoppers and a lot of snacks waiting there for your wallet.



I had a feeling, that there is nothing "old" on this street. Why they call it old street? But what they for sure have - a habit to ignore you at all, in case they see you do not want to buy anything:



Elbowing through crowd further....



You can find egg seller:






Those cucumbers are sweet. Not like those salty ones in Europe and especially Russia, and eastern side of Europe. I miss them sometimes here.



Trading of useless items goes on:



More food:



And now comes most interesting on this street. That's a kind of... well, it's a pie, I am not sure, we can call it pie at all, and this pie has an ice cream inside. Ice cream pie? Here some native English speakers - if can correct me I would appreciate a lot. How they make it - I made a some photos, and even video.





35 NTD - not that much, considering, that it's for tourists, not locals. Also see the dough preparation there.



This guy in photo above does sales, marketing and cooking same time. Can you?



Outside on a street, still a lot of places to spend money:



Dried fruits:




Again eggs, but cooked in different way:



What I can't get, why they needed make on "old street" as they call it, such a huge and intrusive 7-ELEVEN? Now there is already no old street. But, seems no ones cares, except me. I tried make photo so, that it's not visible, but still the green logo is seen at the end of street. I guess next step for pure bliss here would be a McDonalds.



Did I mentioned that Starbucks in Alishan National Scenic Area have national flavor? Take a look:



That's 木耳  - mu er, or tree mushroom, sometimes called Jew's ear:



They are frequently found in dishes here in Taiwan, for example I featured them in post about Miaoli:  Miaoli, Western Taiwan - Hakka cuisine & dancing dragons heaven

and you will notice it cooked:



then you can go back, upstairs, to buy - you guessed it - eggs again, just more different way of prepare:



Interestingly enough, that those white ones are cooked already, and ready for eat. Inside they are brown, not why as one would might guessed.

Together with eggs can take also meat:
 


Hungry now? Then let me show you also this:



In those bamboo, there is rice inside.



It's worth to visit this place, even if you have no time to take and old walking trail, called Fenchihu - Rueili historic Trail - next time I will take it personally, so I will be able to share photos.

Thank you for your time you spent for this post!

Ruifeng village in Alishan tea mountains area, Chiayi county, Western Taiwan

On the way to Alishan Forest Recreation area, there is still a lot to see and stop by. One of such places are Ruifeng village. The village of Ruifeng is about 2km north of Ruili (as the crow flies), and at least on paper, the population of 999 persons (entirely Han Chinese) makes it slightly larger than Ruili. In reality, Ruifeng is very spread out -- there is scarcely a "town" but rather a collection of farmhouses. The "downtown," if that's what you want to call it, is almost exactly at 1000m elevation. Ruifeng is heavily forested, boasts a few hotels, and is a generally pleasant place to hang out. However, pleasant views there are in my point of view the mountains, with a tea growing up.
Statistics says, that 999 people lives there, so mostly the housing typical for rural areas in Taiwan - here some of them:

There is no 7-ELEVEN or other branded store, but this shop has everything you may need, even the drugs and coffee maker.

Also bigger than you might expect, temples in Ruifeng (there are 2 of them - one, the first one, is just in front of this shop:

Locals here are mostly engaged in tea growing business:

...since tea are virtually on everyone mountain, which is not covered by trees. Stop by and take a pictures how tea is grown up.

Meishan Township, Chiayi county, Western Taiwan

Meishan Township (梅山鄉) is a subdivision unit of Chiayi County, Taiwan. And Chiayi county has one of biggest attractions in the Western Taiwan - Alishan National Scenic Area. However, you can get there, if you do not pass the Meishan.

Here is a visual impression, where this county are:

You need come there at morning, then you will catch the quite active morning market. Here is what grabbed my camera attention:

Selling various fish, though, no customers there.

Rou Yuan - meat balls - famous in western taiwan.

Selling bamboo...

Yes. Those are the terribly driving, furiously behaving blue trucks scattered allover the Taiwan, to scare you all the time.

It's busy morning in Meishan, even in saturday.