Day 6: Alishan - Chiayi
It was said on TV that the typhoon might land in the south the day after tomorrow, so we should have no problem going to Alishan. So I took the bus in the morning and arrived on the mountain road after more than two hours. The most admirable thing here is that the toilet facilities on the island are very complete. Even the unknown mountain top has a toilet room, and the door is an open-air washbasin. There are no dry toilets on the entire island.
Alishan is a famous tourist area in Taiwan. It is a must-go place for mainland tourist groups. There are bustling groups everywhere, with accents from all over the country. It feels a bit mainland, and there is a familiar sense of distance between people.
One advantage of Taiwan is that the price level is the same no matter whether it is on the mountain or in the car or in the car. This makes us tourists feel relaxed when spending money.
The main reason to come to Alishan is to experience the small train. The railway was built by the Japanese back then, mainly to transport cypress trees grown on the mountain to Japan. Juniper is straight, long and hard, making it suitable for all kinds of wooden buildings. Due to a major earthquake decades ago, the railway on the mountain was disconnected from the mountain, and the current railway is for sightseeing.
There are only two railway lines. The best way is to go up the mountain from the railway on one side, walk to the station on the other side and get down by car. The marsh flat line we sat on up the mountain has a relatively high end point, and it should be easier to go downhill when walking to the end point on the other side. The small train going up the mountain is made of solid wood, very small and cartoony. Although it has been at least 80 years old, the wooden carriages and wooden chairs are as new as new, spotless, and my daughter can't put it down.
It takes only ten minutes to drive up the mountain. When we go down the mountain, although the sun is still so strong, the wind in the mountain is still very cool, and the more we walk, the more comfortable we are. After these days of journey, I still feel a little tired. Halfway through the journey, I found a bench to take a nap. Although it took more than ten minutes, I woke up feeling refreshed and full of energy.
When you go down again, you will see a magnificent temple dedicated to traditional gods. The wife came with interest and wanted to ask for a lottery, and the daughter also expressed her willingness to follow. When I walked into the temple, I found that the belief here is relatively pure, not polluted by commerce, and people in the temple will explain when I don’t understand, and all expenses are voluntary. The wife and daughter learned a procedure, burn incense, ask for a lottery, and ask someone to interpret it after 15 minutes. The wish my daughter made was interesting, and it turned out to be a fancy slime. The old gentleman who unwrapped the sign was stunned on the spot. I devised a line for him: This little benefactor, explain it to me first, is Shi-lai-mu a goddamn stuff?
The train going down the mountain is a traditional carriage. When we arrived at the foot of the mountain, we heard that the typhoon might arrive tomorrow, and the mainland tour groups canceled their trips to the south. We originally wanted to visit Fenqihu to see the old street with the longest history, but this time it must be yellow. And it is possible that the rest of the itinerary will be ruined. When going down the mountain, the bus was gone, and we didn't have a chartered car, so we couldn't go down the mountain. Is it possible to stay here for one night and leave tomorrow? If a typhoon comes, just go back to Taipei?
On the way down the mountain, I chatted with a backpacker from Hangzhou. He just graduated this year. He took advantage of the gap between graduation and work to go backpacking alone, fulfilling his wish for many years. This time he chartered a car from Chiayi and went back at night. He said that there must be vacant seats in the car. Although the road is far away, only RMB 50 yuan is enough for one person. According to him, chartered cars in Taiwan are very reassuring. You can find people to carpool directly at the train station, the price is very cheap, and there will be no problem of ripping off customers.
