Weekend 3: Sunday

Hello Wulai.

Despite its renown for waterfalls, I must admit I've never been to Wulai before. We took the MRT->Xindian->bus->Wulai. When we got off at the Wulai station, we were pretty tempted to take a taxi since A) the orientation of the map made it very confusing which way to go; and B) the taxi drivers were very aggressively persuasive in their solicitations.

In the end, we decided to go on foot since taking a taxi wouldn't be as fun as hiking, which in retrospect was the absolute right thing to do. If we had taken the taxi, we would have missed all the smaller waterfalls along the hiking trail up to Nedong (內洞) Park.

First thing we came across was the Wulai Old Street. However, we were so early most of the shops were still closed. We decided to go up to the famous Wulai waterfall first.

Whaaaat? A hot spring tap in 7-11? This just shows how extremely cool 7-11s are in Taiwan. I really should stop being surprised at how multi-functional these tiny convenience stores are.

The coolness factor aside, what's the purpose? Washing hands? Ramen noodles? Drinking? I probably should have asked the convenience clerk.

Wulai mini-train. Back in the Japanese colonial days,
the tracks were used to haul coal. Nowadays, they've been converted to haul tourists.

The train ride was pretty fun. It was only about 5 minutes long but it's one of those "must-do's." I enjoyed it, especially the little tunnel on the way up.

 The famous Wulai waterfall.

On the way up to Nedong, we came across this. I really love how stylized these benches are. The mice (?) are my favourite. There were also goats, dogs, and tribal heads.

To think, had we taken the taxi, we would have definitely missed little details like these. :D :D :D



Almost to Nedong. Look at all the smaller waterfalls along the trail!

Fun fact: "Wulai" is derived from the Atayal phrase qilux ulay meaning "hot and poisonous". Thank you wikipedia!

Gorgeous!

People were brewing and sipping tea right next to the waterfall. What a way to just relax and interact with nature. Very zen atmosphere.





All along the trails were small waterfalls like this one with names like "Father waterfall"; "Mother waterfall"; "Grandfather waterfall"; "Grandmother waterfall;" etc... you get the idea.





We've finally arrived. Nedong Park.
And the first thing that greeted us was this "Beware of wasps" sign.
That, combined with the fact that we had sign up for insurance prior to entering the park, was somewhat worrisome. (I'm happy to report that no wasp was sighted in the duration of this trip.)




So being the brilliant person that I am, I suggested taking the harder, more mountainous route (the one in grey.) Serves me right. Ended up climbing seemingly endless stairs and suffering a tremendously embarrassing fall.

No, these people are not walking up the stairs. They're walking down backwards. Apparently, it's easier on the knees this way. I think I agree after trying it out. Less force of impact on the joints.

A bunch of people walking backwards down the stairs. Quite a scene.

After an hour or so, we finally heard the rushing of water...


Beautiful. Awesome. Worth every sweat.
I hope these pictures do the view justice (though I'm pretty sure they don't.)
It's a very different feel from Niagara Falls. Can you imagine coming across this deep in the forest hundreds of years ago?

Isn't this water fountain one of the coolest you've ever seen? The water was so nice and  cold, a cooling relief after the treacherous hike. You know you want one in your backyard. I know I do.

Spoiler Alert: BUGS!

(Left) This little dude landed on my hand for a good five minutes before flying away. Unfortunately, I wasn't dexterous enough to grab my camera  to take a picture but luckily he came back for me to take this shot.

(Right) A huge praying mantis about the size of my hand. This is what I love and hate about the tropics. Some really beautiful/cool insects, but they're HUGE (almost unnaturally so).

Lunch and back to civilization. Needless to say, we were starving after the hike. So when we saw a huge line at this sausage stand, we lined up too. Can you say "herd mentality?"

It was a really good sausage. A good combination of lean meat and fat. Unlike their western counterparts, Taiwanese sausages tend to be a little on the sweet side, which I prefer. If you're ever in Taiwan standing in line for a sausage, don't be surprised to find people peeling raw garlic as they wait. It's pretty common to enjoy your sausage with a side of raw garlic. I like mine plain tho. 

Rice steamed in bamboo. A classic aboriginal meal. It's glutenous rice with chestnuts (yum!), mushrooms, and beans. It doesn't have any additional flavouring. The best way I can describe it is that it's plain but delicious.

 

Bye Wulai. Until next time.