Now we had to spend lots of time on the coach travelling along the coast and into the mountains to see the most famous views in the country.
This was my favourite. Sanxiantai bridge is an eight arch bridge said to look like a dragon stretching across the sea- and it really does for once. Not very practical as it takes a lot of effort to go up and down these steps but the most beautiful bridge I’ve ever seen.
Swallow gorge is named for the birds which nest in the crevices of the caves here. The winding narrow roads and ups and downs of the mountains make this an interesting ride and we had lots of stops for short walks to admire the scenery.
The Taroko visitor centre has exhibits about the original inhabitants of this area and makes a nice stopping point but its main asset is it location with mountain views.
The eternal spring shrine or the Changchun Shrine was built to commemorate the workers who died during the road construction. First built in 1958 it has been reconstructed twice because of landslides. The spring water flows into the Liwu river.
Travelling round this beautiful place we saw many fabulous sights from the coast to the mountains but the most interesting thing was how the locals saw things. Unlike in so many places they seem to really appreciate and take care of the natural beauty around them. Many rocks are famous and have names according to their shape. Mostly we couldn’t see how they looked like a cat or a crab or whatever but it didn’t matter they still looked impressive and worth taking time to examine. By the end of our trip we had covered a lot of this small island and understood a little of the locals way of seeing things.
