Taitung 台東

Taitung County 台東縣 also known as Hou Shan 後山 by many of the locals, is the 3rd largest county on Taiwan with a 230 km coastline. Taitung was the last part of the island to be colonized by Han Chinese immigrants late in the 19th century and remains sparsely populated with a population of 250,000 today. Taitung County is home to Bunun, Paiwan, Rukai, Amis, Beinan, Yamis and Gamalan aborigines. The county also includes Green Island and Orchid Island. Orchid Island is home of the Tao people (Taiwanese aborigines closely related to the people of the northern Philippines) and has become a popular tourist attraction despite the government-operated Taiwan Power Company's nuclear waste dump on the island.

Taitung Railway Art Village 鐵花路

Old Taitung Railway through "downtown" Taitung City transformed into park with biking/walking trails,restaurants and creative enterprises.
The old depot area.


Some wild(?) legumes between the old tracks.

After the railway was moved out of the city in 2001, the city converted the station and length of the railway through the city into a park, Taitung Railway Art Village 台東鐵道藝術村.

A glimpse of Taimali looking inland from a huge washed out area where the impact of Typhoon Morakat was especially devastating.
Train on the reopened track, which was covered in debris from a vast torrent of water, rock, trees, and mud came through.

Dongyuan 東源

inland wetlands and lakes dot the area
Dongyuan Forest Recreation Area, a particular favorite of bicycling and eco tourists.
History of Dongyuan and the local Paiwan community
Wild ginger, reeds and grasses make up an important habitat for the local wildlife.
Nice footbridge across the boggy parts of the wetland.
Where the plant life is managed to create a channel.
Ying-he-huan?


Points of interest in the Dongyuan wetlands area
Advertising for places farther down the road.
We enter Hsuhai and note their banners.

Xuhai 旭海

Fine meal at Pandora Coffee Shop in Hsuhai.
Eagle and Ah-tse
Check out the walls documenting the visits of many travelers.
Mini museum of ethnic kitsch.

Well-appointed courtyard
Definitely the most eye-catching place in the whole town.
Eagle and Ah-tse
Edge of Hsuhai town
Friendly and healthy pup greets us.
The roof of structure in front of the place Eagle and other volunteers had been staying has been blown down by the most recent typhoon.
River that runs adjacent to the village empties into the sea here.
Eagle expressing his frustration with his accommodations
Eagle playing superman.
More dog cuteness
Nice address
Another view of the road through Hsuhai.

A-lang-yi Trail 阿朗壹古道

The last part of the road to the security check point before Ah-Lang-Yi Historical Trail
Eagle doing some explaining.
Map of describing the freatures of the trail.
Fishing.
View of the rock beach area from the road.
Better part of the road.
The road deteriorates and people make camp on the road - students testing missiles from Pingtung University

The 8-kilometer A-lang-yi trail follows the last island's last remaining section of of coastline without paved roads and concrete wave breakers. Before it's establishment in Qing dynasty, the trail was the conencting path between Xuhai 旭海 village in Pingtung county and Anshuo village in 安朔 Taitung county. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications has long sought to connect in this last section of missing coastal road which would reduce travel time between Kenting and Taitung by 40 minutes. Environmentalists that the road would cut out wildlife's connection between the land and ocean.

This stretch of beach known from its many round, flat rocks.
Accusations of "fake" environmental groups and falsehoods.
A jeep passes us to venture out onto the smooth rock area, probably to pick up driftwood.
We give up on driving and start walking to the Green See Turtle nesting area.
Some garbage, but not nearly as much as other coastal areas.
Convoluted rock forms
Ah-Tse, Eagle's joyfully calm companion, walking down the access road that cuts through the forest
The beach can be seen through the strip of coastal forest.
Taiwan Hai Tong.
An occupied and cultivated area in the forest not far from the beach.
Lintou, a native plant in the same family as the pineapple.
Remnants of cultivation
River leading out of the mountains to the sea.
The river is deep in some places after the typhoon, but we find a shallow flat area to cross.

Walking on curved stones is challenging.
Nature's works of art
Eroded sand dunes.
the beach and softer sand is disappearing.
Previously all a sandy beach area
Stones mingle with driftwood debris
Checking out natures carving.
Naturally poised rock
Final stretch of beach before the turtle nesting area.
Tropical coastal landscape
Small iridenscent lobster thrown up during the storm.
Beach and forest near nesting area
Area along the coast where the turtles have been known to nest.
Urchin, also tossed up in the storm
Small frog on the beach among the driftwood.
Driftwood clogs the beach, probably preventing the turtles from coming ashore.
Conservation rules, and piles of collected, but not cleared trash
Philip and Eagle investigate.

Nantian 南田

We meet one of the main Paiwan clans of Nantian Village.
Housing quality in the area is extremely uneven. This is one of the better places, where we saw goats.
Another nice looking place, supposedly a guest house.
Paules' studio, above and behind which she is building a larger, airier structure with rooftop use.
Tammy, Paules, and a younger brother.
Eagle in foreground, Paules' son behind.
KB or something like that. Had just roled in some dead animal to make himself more attractive.
Paules, her younger brother (middle) and older brother (right).
The clans decisionmakers including Paules' older brother (village chief, pointing) and mother to the right of him.
Church and truncated bridge to road from expansion.
Village chief and Paules' son.
Nearby coastline seen from lookout point above the main village area.
Coastline, looking back toward main village area.
Highway 26 and nearby marine fisheries.
Previous village location further south along Highway 26.
Some heart-to-heart with the village chief.
A small alluvial plain and wetlands that feeds into the ocean.
the village chief tells me about how the current community of Nantian was formed.
End of Highway 26, beginning of A-Lang-Yi Historic Trail.
Another wide, seasonally flooding river feeds into the ocean at the beginning of the trail
Talk about nuclear waste.
Eagle and Ah=tse take in the view.
Tough times for the village chief, damned if you do/don't
Coastal vegetation (revegetations?)
this stretch of beach is famous for its stones

As gentle beaches are lost to changing current patterns and more intense rain events, the coastline forest has declined.
Back to the village for a rest before heading back to Taitung.
Buildings in the area.
Where we stayed at the older brother's house
The half-bridge
Heading out of town - also a place owned by the older brother
A sister-in-law of Paules runs this karoake restaurant seemingly popular with the locals
Traditional structure built with public money on private land that we might be able to use for future projects.
Attempts to "beautify" the area with the goal of?
Marine fish pond
Local township office with government /police administrative functions.
A simple but attractive place

In 2009 the Ministry of Economic Affairs identified Taitung County’s Daren Township (達仁) as the target site for storing low-radiation nuclear waste. The selected county and township governments where the site is located would receive a NT$5 billion (US$146 million) “Friendly Neighbor” payment from Taiwan Power Co as compensation. Nantian Village (南田), Paiwan Village Chief Chang Chih-hsin (張志信) said that more than 60 percent of the villagers supported the plan because of the compensation and employment opportunities promised by Taipower.

National Museum of Prehistory 國立臺灣史前文化博物館

Prehistory Museum exhibition of contemporary aboriginal art (batik).
Display of a journal reporting Taiwan/Formosa and aborigine topic
Another beautiful batik piece telling a Tsou story.
Art and legend