Taroko George

Deep in Taiwan


Eternal Spring Shrine
A Buddhist shrine blesses an uninterrupted stream of water in the region and praises the lives of more than 200 workers (military veterans) who lost their lives building the Central Cross-Island&n
convenient conversation
Taiwanese visitors inquire at the entrance to a bridge that leads to one of Taroko's many tunnels.
rocky meanders
The stony and winding bed of the Liwu River, the main watercourse of the Taroko Gorge.
river adventures
Visitors to Taroko Gorge test the clear water of the Liwu River.
in the shadow of taroko
Hiker admires a deep gorge carved by the flow of the Liwu River.
Heavenly Summit Pagoda
The six-story pagoda that stands out from the leafy vegetation of Tiangsiang, the last and largest settlement in Taroko.
The Shakadang Bridge
Another one of several bridges that allowed the continuity of the Central Cross-Island Highway, one of the few roads that crosses Taiwan from west to east.
Eternal Spring Shrine II
The Buddhist sanctuary built on the slope of Eternal Spring, crossed by the constant waterfall.
an illuminated trail
Buddha Statue welcomes visitors and worshipers atop the Tiangsiang Slope from which the Heavenly Summit Pagoda rises.
The entrance to the tunnels
Casal walks along the road of the Tunnels of Nine Turns, carved into a slope of pure marble.
The Liwu River
A small natural lagoon formed by the then small flow of the Liwu River.
The Buddhist Strand of Taroko
White Buddha statue halfway to Heavenly Summit Pagoda in Tiangsiang.
on the way to eternity
Visitors traverse a treacherous rock-hewn trail near the Eternal Spring Shrine.

In 1956, skeptical Taiwanese doubted that the initial 20km of Central Cross-Island Hwy was possible. The marble canyon that challenged it is today the most remarkable natural setting in Formosa.

The kind of road roller coaster that runs along the east coast of Taiwan's main island, between Suao and Hualien, seems to only entertain us. Inveterate cyclists report to each other and beyond that, despite its crazy terrain, Formosa is probably the best Asian destination to explore by cycling. They curse, however, this stretch between the Pacific Ocean and the rocky foothills of the Cordillera Central. Lyndall Pyckering, for example, complains to an online cyclo-community that barely had time to admire the landscape or feel the pain in his thighs caused by the constant climbs, such was the concentration he was forced to maintain to avoid being sandwiched against the walls of stone or cement, by the lorries and tourist buses that disputed the asphalt.

At the wheel but in his boss's Volvo sedan, Jack suffered a lot to prevent his job from having the same fate: “damn traffic! The government should ban heavy trucks once and for all on this coast!” We realized that this would be his protest, even if expressed in the rudimentary English we were already used to. We already trusted your experience. For this reason, we were still dedicated to the most photogenic sections of that extreme coastline, which, by the heights of Chingshui cliff, became vertical as never before. There, cliffs of mountains with more than a thousand meters plunged, steeply, into the blue sea.

A few kilometers to the south and inland, we enter the land of Hsiulin. This district has long been Taiwan's largest in terms of area. It houses six villages and has almost 15500 inhabitants, the vast majority of the Taroko ethnic group. In more recent times, the island's aboriginal ethnicities and the Taroko Gorge gained such importance that the authorities forced Hsiulin to change his name to Taroko, an ethnic term truku meaning wonderful. This is allegedly what an indigenous of this tribe uttered when he left the excavated territory of the gorge for the first time and was amazed at the ocean.

Soon we left that eastern marine vastness behind. We entered a narrow canyon, sometimes green, sometimes rocky, made of raw marble to be more precise, the reason for its other name, Gorge of Marble.

We detour 2.3 km west of the main road and come across the Eternal Spring Shrine, a fruitful and uninterrupted natural spring that a Buddhist order blessed with a sanctuary crossed by the stream. It was erected in honor of the more than 200 workers (military veterans) who perished in the bold construction of the Central Cross-Island Highway and have their names inscribed on stone plaques.

Even today, Taroko Gorge and Eternal Spring Shine reserve their risks, especially if those who visit them are caught by storms or typhoons, which are very common in Taiwan.

Although he prefers this new domain to the frantic side road that brought us from Taipei, Jack is well aware of its dangers. “Be careful on this trail!”, he alerts us with an unusual drama. “Once, a honeymoon couple posed for pictures near the sanctuary when they were surprised by a landslide!”. We also found that that slope had already collapsed several times and that, since 1950, the sanctuary had been rebuilt twice.

When we returned from the walk and the rejuvenating splashes of the spring, Jack sighed impatiently behind his crumpled Taiwan Times. “I was starting to get worried” justifies his discontent, still and always in rudimentary English.

We don't want to intensify your despair. We stuff ourselves and our work packs into the Volvo and set off towards Taroko's bowels.

At 3.6 km, we reach the surroundings of Swallow Grotto, a cliff covered with small caves carved by ancient underground currents and where thousands of swallows have installed their nests.

Onwards, we find the Jinheng suspension bridge and cross the Liwu River again, which runs through the entire gorge, this time in an inevitable vertigo caused by the permanent sway of the rope structure.

As we cross it, we realize the drastic speed with its deep bed must flood again and again, as it receives the bulk of torrential rain fed by the overheated Pacific. After some effort, also the latent form of Yindiaren Rock, a huge boulder carved by erosion into the shape of a Native American chief with his headdress.

Back in road mode, we cross the Liufang colored bridge and reach the Tunnel of Nine Turns. There, Taroko's Man versus Nature confrontation takes on unprecedented gravity. At one point, the main road turns into a detour that leads to a series of short tunnels carved out of the marble, along the winding gorge and irrigated by waterfalls that plunge into the Liwu River, which is agitated there by furious rapids.

We walk along these semi-open tunnels. last reveals the true dimension of the scenario

Just 2 km further on, the capricious Liwu forces us to make a new crossing, the Bridge of Motherly Devotion.

This bridge was built by former Taiwan President Chiang Jing-guo, son of another far more famous, Chiang Kai-shek political-military pioneer of the Republic of China (Taiwan) who saw his army defeated in the civil war raging in China continent and was forced to take refuge on the island.

Chiang Jing-Guo, opened the bridge in memory of his mother, inspired by his father. Chiang Kai-shek himself had had a Buddhist pavilion built in honor of Jing-Guo's grandmother.

We beat the stone lions that guard their entrance and contemplate the huge pebbles that share the rich flow, now in the company of Jack, who once again uses one of his favorite Anglophone terms: “Crazy river, isn't it" ? ” asks us knowing by heart and stir-fry that we would confirm it.

Tiangsiang is the last and largest settlement in Taroko Gorge. It appears embedded in its threshold, with verdant mountains in the background. We glimpse the six-story pagoda of Heavenly Summit and a golden Buddha that blesses visitors, those who, like us, sacrifice themselves to climb the steep path to the Xiangde religious complex, and others who, like our plump and indolent conductor, they shunned the little pilgrimage. " Up there??! You are crazy. Marco is crazy, Sara, that's got to be it!"

We had a good laugh, we left him joking with other drivers and tour guides, and we went on our way. We were in the last canyon territory and we had no time to relax in its Wenshan thermal baths, an additional moment of leisure with which many visitors make a point of finishing their exploration of Taroko. Instead, we went back to slaughtering the legs in the name of Buddha and discovery. A long road trip followed the continuation of the Central Cross-Island Highway, to Hsitou, on the other side of Taiwan.

Fish River Canyon, Namíbia

The Namibian Guts of Africa

When nothing makes you foreseeable, a vast river ravine burrows the southern end of the Namíbia. At 160km long, 27km wide and, at intervals, 550 meters deep, the Fish River Canyon is the Grand Canyon of Africa. And one of the biggest canyons on the face of the Earth.

Nantou, Taiwan

In the Heart of the Other China

Nantou is Taiwan's only province isolated from the Pacific Ocean. Those who discover the mountainous heart of this region today tend to agree with the Portuguese navigators who named Taiwan Formosa.

Iriomote, Japan

The Small Tropical Japanese Amazon of Iriomote

Impenetrable rainforests and mangroves fill Iriomote under a pressure cooker climate. Here, foreign visitors are as rare as the yamaneko, an elusive endemic lynx.
Taiwan

Formosa but Unsafe

Portuguese navigators could not imagine the imbroglio reserved for the Formosa they baptized. Nearly 500 years later, even though it is uncertain of its future, Taiwan still prospers. Somewhere between independence and integration in greater China.
Residents walk along the trail that runs through plantations above the UP4
City
Gurué, Mozambique, Part 1

Through the Mozambican Lands of Tea

The Portuguese founded Gurué in the 1930th century and, from XNUMX onwards, flooded it with camellia sinensis the foothills of the Namuli Mountains. Later, they renamed it Vila Junqueiro, in honor of its main promoter. With the independence of Mozambique and the civil war, the town regressed. It continues to stand out for the lush green imposing mountains and teak landscapes.
Skipper of one of the bangkas at Raymen Beach Resort during a break from sailing
Beach
Islands Guimaras  e  Ave Maria, Philippines

Towards Ave Maria Island, in a Philippines full of Grace

Discovering the Western Visayas archipelago, we set aside a day to travel from Iloilo along the northwest coast of Guimaras. The beach tour along one of the Philippines’ countless pristine coastlines ends on the stunning Ave Maria Island.
Duo of giraffes crossing paths above the savannah, with the Libombo Mountains in the background
safari
KaMsholo Bush Safaris, eSwatini

Among the KaMsholo Giraffes and Co.

Located east of the Libombo mountain range, the natural border between eSwatini, Mozambique and South Africa, KaMsholo has 700 hectares of savannah dotted with acacia trees and a lake, habitats for a prolific fauna. Among other explorations and excursions, we interacted with the largest of species there.
Faithful in front of the gompa The gompa Kag Chode Thupten Samphel Ling.
Annapurna (circuit)
Annapurna Circuit 15th - Kagbeni, Nepal

At the Gates of the Former Kingdom of Upper Mustang

Before the 1992th century, Kagbeni was already a crossroads of trade routes at the confluence of two rivers and two mountain ranges, where medieval kings collected taxes. Today, it is part of the famous Annapurna Circuit. When hikers arrive, they know that, higher up, there is a domain that, until XNUMX, prohibited entry to outsiders.
shadow vs light
Architecture & Design
Kyoto, Japan

The Kyoto Temple Reborn from the Ashes

The Golden Pavilion has been spared destruction several times throughout history, including that of US-dropped bombs, but it did not withstand the mental disturbance of Hayashi Yoken. When we admired him, he looked like never before.
Aventura
Volcanoes

Mountains of Fire

More or less prominent ruptures in the earth's crust, volcanoes can prove to be as exuberant as they are capricious. Some of its eruptions are gentle, others prove annihilating.
Australia Day, Perth, Australian Flag
Ceremonies and Festivities
Perth, Australia

Australia Day: In Honor of the Foundation, Mourning for Invasion

26/1 is a controversial date in Australia. While British settlers celebrate it with barbecues and lots of beer, Aborigines celebrate the fact that they haven't been completely wiped out.
Aswan, Egypt, Nile River meets Black Africa, Elephantine Island
Cities
Aswan, Egypt

Where the Nile Welcomes the Black Africa

1200km upstream of its delta, the Nile is no longer navigable. The last of the great Egyptian cities marks the fusion between Arab and Nubian territory. Since its origins in Lake Victoria, the river has given life to countless African peoples with dark complexions.
Beverage Machines, Japan
Lunch time
Japan

The Beverage Machines Empire

There are more than 5 million ultra-tech light boxes spread across the country and many more exuberant cans and bottles of appealing drinks. The Japanese have long since stopped resisting them.
Vairocana Buddha, Todai ji Temple, Nara, Japan
Culture
Nara, Japan

The Colossal Cradle of the Japanese Buddhism

Nara has long since ceased to be the capital and its Todai-ji temple has been demoted. But the Great Hall remains the largest ancient wooden building in the world. And it houses the greatest bronze Vairocana Buddha.
Swimming, Western Australia, Aussie Style, Sun rising in the eyes
Sport
Busselton, Australia

2000 meters in Aussie Style

In 1853, Busselton was equipped with one of the longest pontoons in the world. World. When the structure collapsed, the residents decided to turn the problem around. Since 1996 they have been doing it every year. Swimming.
Devils Marbles, Alice Springs to Darwin, Stuart hwy, Top End Path
Traveling
Alice Springs to Darwin, Australia

Stuart Road, on its way to Australia's Top End

Do Red Center to the tropical Top End, the Stuart Highway road travels more than 1.500km lonely through Australia. Along this route, the Northern Territory radically changes its look but remains faithful to its rugged soul.
Efate, Vanuatu, transshipment to "Congoola/Lady of the Seas"
Ethnic
Efate, Vanuatu

The Island that Survived “Survivor”

Much of Vanuatu lives in a blessed post-savage state. Maybe for this, reality shows in which aspirants compete Robinson Crusoes they settled one after the other on their most accessible and notorious island. Already somewhat stunned by the phenomenon of conventional tourism, Efate also had to resist them.
ice tunnel, black gold route, Valdez, Alaska, USA
Got2Globe Photo Portfolio
Got2Globe Portfolio

Sensations vs Impressions

on Stage, Antigua, Guatemala
History
four days in Antigua, Guatemala

Hispanic Guatemala, the Antigua Fashion

In 1743, several earthquakes razed one of the most charming pioneer colonial cities in the Americas. Antigua has regenerated but preserves the religiosity and drama of its epic-tragic past.
Peasant woman, Majuli, Assam, India
Islands
Majuli Island, India

An Island in Countdown

Majuli is the largest river island in India and would still be one of the largest on Earth were it not for the erosion of the river Bramaputra that has been making it diminish for centuries. If, as feared, it is submerged within twenty years, more than an island, a truly mystical cultural and landscape stronghold of the Subcontinent will disappear.
Northern Lights, Laponia, Rovaniemi, Finland, Fire Fox
Winter White
Lapland, Finland

In Search of the Fire Fox

Unique to the heights of the Earth are the northern or southern auroras, light phenomena generated by solar explosions. You Sami natives from Lapland they believed it to be a fiery fox that spread sparkles in the sky. Whatever they are, not even the nearly 30 degrees below zero that were felt in the far north of Finland could deter us from admiring them.
José Saramago in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain, Glorieta de Saramago
Literature
Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain

José Saramago's Basalt Raft

In 1993, frustrated by the Portuguese government's disregard for his work “The Gospel According to Jesus Christ”, Saramago moved with his wife Pilar del Río to Lanzarote. Back on this somewhat extraterrestrial Canary Island, we visited his home. And the refuge from the portuguese censorship that haunted the writer.
Balestrand townhouse, Norway
Nature
Balestrand, Norway

Balestrand: A Life Among the Fjords

Villages on the slopes of the gorges of Norway are common. Balestrand is at the entrance to three. Its settings stand out in such a way that they have attracted famous painters and continue to seduce intrigued travelers.
Mother Armenia Statue, Yerevan, Armenia
Autumn
Yerevan, Armenia

A Capital between East and West

Heiress of the Soviet civilization, aligned with the great Russia, Armenia allows itself to be seduced by the most democratic and sophisticated ways of Western Europe. In recent times, the two worlds have collided in the streets of your capital. From popular and political dispute, Yerevan will dictate the new course of the nation.
Miniature houses, Chã das Caldeiras, Fogo Volcano, Cape Verde
Natural Parks
Chã das Caldeiras, Fogo Island Cape Verde

A "French" Clan at the Mercy of Fogo

In 1870, a Count born in Grenoble on his way to Brazilian exile, made a stopover in Cape Verde where native beauties tied him to the island of Fogo. Two of his children settled in the middle of the volcano's crater and continued to raise offspring there. Not even the destruction caused by the recent eruptions deters the prolific Montrond from the “county” they founded in Chã das Caldeiras.    
Solovestsky Autumn
UNESCO World Heritage
Solovetsky Islands, Russia

The Mother Island of the Gulag Archipelago

It hosted one of Russia's most powerful Orthodox religious domains, but Lenin and Stalin turned it into a gulag. With the fall of the USSR, Solovestky regains his peace and spirituality.
female and cub, grizzly footsteps, katmai national park, alaska
Characters
PN Katmai, Alaska

In the Footsteps of the Grizzly Man

Timothy Treadwell spent summers on end with the bears of Katmai. Traveling through Alaska, we followed some of its trails, but unlike the species' crazy protector, we never went too far.
Tombolo and Punta Catedral, Manuel António National Park, Costa Rica
Beaches
PN Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

Costa Rica's Little-Big National Park

The reasons for the under 28 are well known national parks Costa Ricans have become the most popular. The fauna and flora of PN Manuel António proliferate in a tiny and eccentric patch of jungle. As if that wasn't enough, it is limited to four of the best typical beaches.
Madu River: owner of a Fish SPA, with feet inside the doctor fish pond
Religion
Madu River and Lagoon, Sri Lanka

Along the Course of the Sinhala Buddhism

For having hidden and protected a tooth of Buddha, a tiny island in the Madu lagoon received an evocative temple and is considered sacred. O Maduganga immense all around, in turn, it has become one of the most praised wetlands in Sri Lanka.
Train Fianarantsoa to Manakara, Malagasy TGV, locomotive
On Rails
Fianarantsoa-Manakara, Madagascar

On board the Malagasy TGV

We depart Fianarantsoa at 7a.m. It wasn't until 3am the following morning that we completed the 170km to Manakara. The natives call this almost secular train Train Great Vibrations. During the long journey, we felt, very strongly, those of the heart of Madagascar.
Creepy Goddess Graffiti, Haight Ashbury, San Francisco, USA, United States America
Society
The Haight, San Francisco, USA

Orphans of the Summer of Love

Nonconformity and creativity are still present in the old Flower Power district. But almost 50 years later, the hippie generation has given way to a homeless, uncontrolled and even aggressive youth.
Casario, uptown, Fianarantsoa, ​​Madagascar
Daily life
Fianarantsoa, Madagascar

The Malagasy City of Good Education

Fianarantsoa was founded in 1831 by Ranavalona Iª, a queen of the then predominant Merina ethnic group. Ranavalona Iª was seen by European contemporaries as isolationist, tyrant and cruel. The monarch's reputation aside, when we enter it, its old southern capital remains as the academic, intellectual and religious center of Madagascar.
ice tunnel, black gold route, Valdez, Alaska, USA
Wildlife
Valdez, Alaska

On the Black Gold Route

In 1989, the Exxon Valdez oil tanker caused a massive environmental disaster. The vessel stopped plying the seas, but the victim city that gave it its name continues on the path of crude oil from the Arctic Ocean.
Full Dog Mushing
Scenic Flights
Seward, Alaska

The Alaskan Dog Mushing Summer

It's almost 30 degrees and the glaciers are melting. In Alaska, entrepreneurs have little time to get rich. Until the end of August, dog mushing cannot stop.