Taiwan has been much in the news of late, and it’s safe to say that the prime focus has not been the excellence and surprising variety of the island’s scenic train routes.
I shall return to the bigger picture, but for now I am soaking in a scene of quite stupendous beauty at the small mountainside railway station of Jhangnaoliao. This, it has to be confessed, is a rail-lover’s dream. We have just ascended 500 metres along a narrow gauge track affording ever more breathtaking scenes of thick tropical vegetation, banana plantations, dragon fruits, pineapple plants and an array of trees, the most famous of which here is the camphor.
Along the way – thrillingly involving numerous bends, wooden bridges and tunnels – we’ve had glimpses of the mountain peaks that lie ahead and the sun-dappled valley we left behind barely an hour ago.
Now for the techy bit. Jhangnaoliao, one of only two switchback stations in Taiwan, is on the line that runs from Chiayi to the Alishan National Forest, a glorious area of towering cypress trees, some more than 1,000 years old, and the source of wood of such quality that when Taiwan was under Japanese rule (1895-1945), it was decided to build a railway line up the mountain for logging purposes – despite the huge logistical difficulties involved.
Hence the switchbacks – points at which additional track is laid to enable a train to change direction to continue its climb. Jhangnaoliao is also the point at which, looking up, you can observe trains navigating the Dulishan spiral loop, an extraordinary criss-crossing array of circles that weave their way up a particularly steep side of the mountain.
We are about to make that ascent ourselves, but I want to savour the moment – along with an extremely tasty mountain pepper sausage bought from a stall at the station that also serves as a popular stopping off point for hikers.
I am travelling on the Vivid Express, a relatively new addition to the fleet of trains plying the Alishan Forest Railway route – almost solely used for tourist purposes since a 1991 ban on logging – covering some 86 kilometres and ascending to a height of 2,216 metres (7,270 feet).
Although the carriages are of vintage stock, they have been completely repurposed for a modern age – and a modern travelling demographic (all age groups are on board). The exterior and interior design plays with the colours of Taiwan’s collared bush robin – dark blue and orange for the male; light yellow for the female. There are spaces for people to sit facing each other and a row of “observation” seats which – joy of joys – can swivel 360 degrees (no more worries about sitting on the “wrong” side).
Train rangers on board provide a running commentary, and while this is in Mandarin Chinese (Taiwan’s most widely-spoken language), the accompanying illustrations speak for themselves – and a pointing gesture needs no translation.
A fuller translation of the Chinese name for the Vivid Express would be “lively and vibrant train full of joy and happiness”. Which as I ride it, it is – apart from one teenage girl determined to look miserable and stare at her mobile phone for as much of the journey as possible. Some things are the same the world over.
In the course of just under a week, I took several train rides in Taiwan. These spanned a bullet train – travelling at 300kph – two “limited express” trains reaching speeds of 130kph, and another slower, more scenic journey on board the delightfully named Breezy Blue Express, a train which loops around the southern tip of the island travelling from the laid back resort town of Taitung to Fanglio via the southernmost point of the rail network, Fangshan.
As the name suggests, this ride involves long coastal stretches – starting with the Pacific and crossing to the Taiwan Strait – and, inevitably, this being Taiwan, plenty of mountain scenery in between. Cameras were always poised for yet another spectacular vista. And during this journey, wanting to fit in with fellow passengers (almost all Taiwanese, Chinese or from elsewhere in Asia; very few westerners), I posed for a picture making the ubiquitous peace sign.
In Taitung, before boarding the Breezy Blue, I luxuriated in hot water baths reminiscent of the onsen found in Japan – a country whose influence in Taiwan remains pronounced today, giving the island such a distinctive identity, with cultural and behavioural traits that reflect both of the neighbouring great powers that historically have held such sway over its fortunes.
And still do, one rather more than the other. A walk in Taitung Park – billed a serene green space – was somewhat marred by a constant stream of low-flying fighter jets overhead, part of regular manoeuvres carried out by the Taiwanese air force necessitated by the very real threat to the island’s continued independence and western-style democracy in the wake of mainland China’s increasingly bullish statements about “reunification”.
So would you fight if it came to it, I asked Mr Kou, who was driving me around Taitung. “No, I would surrender,” he said. “We are definitely going to lose, so why fight? Anyway, I don’t worry about it; whoever’s in charge I will still drive my car.”
And eat crispy scallion pancakes – a delicious concoction involving eggs, flour, spring onions and basil – just NT$40 (£1) from a Taitung street stall recommended by Mr Kou ahead of my journey on the Breezy Blue.
Oh yes, I ate well in Taiwan – particularly during strolls through the incredibly lively night markets of Chiayi and Taichung, where in addition to skewers of flamed pieces of steak, beef noodles and “bubble tea” containing chewy tapioca balls, I braved another speciality – stinky tofu, a fermented variation of the bean curd which tastes better than it smells, though I won’t be racing to buy it again.
I sensed the industry and creativity of the island – where the moniker “Made in Taiwan” long since refers to highly sophisticated semiconductor chips rather than the lower end items originally associated with the term.
I appreciated the genuine friendliness and keenness to connect displayed by many Taiwanese I met – and their appreciation of the fact that I had chosen to come: affirmation that there is still life – and a very good life, at that – to be sampled on Ilha Formosa (Beautiful Island), as the Portuguese in the 16th century so famously described it.
Above all I experienced adventure-rich days on an island where the railway system works, where passengers are respectful of one another (“Excuse me, sir, but would you mind talking a little more quietly,” a train guard asked me on one journey) and where through a series of scenic train journeys, you can experience the sublime fusion of ocean and mountain and, at the same time, the frisson of travelling on the edge.
Essentials
Adrian Bridge was a guest of Regent Holidays (0117 453 7243) on a tailored version of its Tour Taiwan by Train itinerary, which includes a mixture of local, scenic and high-speed train journeys and overnight stays en route including Taipei, Sun Moon Lake and Alishan. A 12-night package including international flights, B&B accommodation, train journeys and transfers, and some guiding costs, from £4,770 per person. The itinerary can be customised.
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