WuLai, my Favorite Place in Taiwan


   I lived in HsinTien for about a year before I ever bothered going down south to this popular tourist spot.  Part of reason is I thought if it was a tourist spot I'd hate it, but while there are a few cheezy places much of the area remains unconquered mountians.  I started off going swimming there, I found a perfect little place where few people came.  There was a rock shaped like a chair in the middle of the river, and  a wide swimming area in front.  It was hard to get to the rock, though I found an easy path few others know.   I started exploring more in the mountains and found a couple of nice walking and climbing paths.  I even found a remote swimming hole way up in the hills where almost no one goes.
  
The scene to the rear of my rock-chair at my first swimming hole.
  My rock-chair.
  Me in a natural archway on the way up to DaLi Shan (Big Knife Mountain). 
  Coming down DaLi Shan.  Just a few minutes later the path lets out into a tacky park.
  After passing through the park you come to this beautiful waterfall. 
  Near my second swimming hole is this log bridge.  This path is more popular so it has these luxuries.
  The inlet to the swimming hole.  Water comes in to a natural basin and is held on by rocks on the other side.
  Just above the decent to the swimming hole I found this shrine to the Virgin Mary and....
    ...this Daoist shrine.  I explain them more on my Ritual Page.
WuLai Shan, the first half of my favorite hiking trail.  The second half continues up and then down DaDong Shan.  This was taken from a distance while exploring a new trail.
  Coming down DaDong Shan.  There are two ways down.  This is the easy one, a government built pathway with stairs.  It is much faster but duller, and it jars the body to go down so many steps.  This is on the exact border of XinDian (HsinTien) on the left and WuLai on the right.
  The other way down DaDong is much more difficult, even dangerous in places.  It is a seldom used and much less clear path that goes steeply down the mountain.  The vegetation is thick and it is a strain on the body.  This is a bamboo forrest near the end of it.  I always know if I can find the forrest I will find my way out.  Once I got lost before getting here and I had to find my way out in the dark, but once I got to the bamboo forrest I was okay.
 
Flowers that had just bloomed on top of DaDong Shan.



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