Spring Break Continues

Day 7:

One of my favorite things to do here in Taiwan, is to jump on the scooter and head inland. Why inland?  The farther inland you go, the less traffic, the more nature.
Mountains. Trees. Fresh Air.

As much as I love living in Taichung, I am still a country girl. Nothing pleases me more than a view with various shades of green.

When you live in Taiwan, country is never too far away. It didn't take long till hills took over the flatness and trees  replaced grayish brown buildings. The roads became curvy and less filled with traffic.

With no specific destination, we felt at liberty to pick and choose our route. As we traveled up into the mountains, we came across a town filled with hot spring hotels. A walk across the foot bridge revealed bathing suit clad vacationers, mostly beyond the age of retirement, enjoying pools of earth warmed water.

From this point, we knew we were close to the road that was once the main route across the island. Due to earthquakes and landslides, the road is no longer accessible. Only those with special permits are allowed to travel beyond the checkpoint. We decided to see just how far we could go. It wasn't far. 

Denied access, we chose another road. Slightly remote and definitely less used, our friend, using his phone's gps, assured us it led to another road. So we rolled on. Soon we were no longer on a road, but a paved path. After a sharp incline, it no longer was a paved path, but just a trail. A dirt trail. So much for our freshly washed shiny clean scooter!

And, then the path abruptly came to an end.

By the amount of broken cement and bent rebar, a road once existed. 

After a brief break, consisting of the consumption snacks and water, as well as exploration and discussion, the scooters retraced our path back to a real road. Once again traveling up and up, we were rewarded with spectacular views of the valley below. 

Despite all our journeys during the past twenty months, I believe this road was the most remote. For thirty minutes we twisted and curved, avoiding fallen rocks, crumbling asphalt, slippery vegetation. We were alone; we saw no other cars, scooters, or pedestrians. The only other human beings were the two men rebuilding the road from a recent landslide. With a look of disbelief, the operator of the excavator paused to allow us to pass under the bucket of his machinery.  I don't know if his curious stare was caused by the presence of mere traffic upon the road, so recently impassible, or simply by the presence of westerners so far from the city. 

From across a valley, we could see houses built onto the side of the mountain. Looking up, tea field appeared.  A small house perched precariously with laundry drying on the porch confirmed that the road was necessary for someone. We were not truly alone on this remote road.  

A quick consultation with  gps revealed the road wound its way through and around the mountain, but eventually simply came to an end. We had only came one fifth of its length. With only a few hours of daylight left, we decided to proceed just a little bit farther before retracing our path back to civilization.

Relatively new cement now replaced the old crumbling road. Evidently someone cared about its condition. How in the world did a cement truck ever make its way up here?

Our exploration came to a quick end, shortly thereafter. A new gate, complete with lock, and razor sharp wire, blocked off the entire road. The lengths to keep passersby out was slightly shocking. No signs. No warnings. No visible buildings.  Just an end to our journey! 

But the views were well worth the journey!