A River Runs Through It

The Taroko National Park is home to a natural gorge which has had significant historical and logistical implications to the country as a whole. The Liwu River finds it source in the valley as it meanders it's way towards the Pacific and the city of Xincheng.  The valley highway provides the sole means of traversing the island from coast to coast by motor vehicles. The only other alternative is by circumnavigating by boat. The treacherous road has had a colourful history and was originally built on the backs of retired military personnel who were let go after the second world war. At any one time there would have been between 5000 and 6000 men involved in the construction, by means of  blasting dynamite and manually hauling, shoveling and carrying the supplies in and out on their backs. The road, when opened initially, only allowed for travel in one direction at a time. You can see the original road gate which Jennifer is standing beside. As we wind and swerve our way up the gorge, the sheer cliffs and deep drops to the riverbed provide for ample opportunity to marvel at how difficult a task it would have been to build this means of transportation. We were allowed to hike a portion of a trail along the road but had to wear helmets in the event of falling rock. In all there were more than 250 documented souls and many more others who were undocumented who lost their lives during construction. Their memories were recognized by the building of the Eternal Spring Shrine on a cliff side, beside a spring which never ceases to flow. Typhoons are a constant threat to the numerous bridges which traverse the gorge back and forth and are destroyed on a regular basis due to the shear volume of water that can engulf the gorge during typhoon season. Reconstruction is a constant factor in the maintenance of the road to make passage safe.

The drive back up the coast was just as perilous and was compounded to a degree, as our driver David was always live streaming and watching Taiwan Today on his phone at the same time as swerving and swaying the switchbacks. It is a treacherous road and the views down the coastline are breathtaking but the government is making a valiant attempt at tunneling through the mountains and widening the roads. However it will take years to complete and in the meantime the drive will be a great thrill ride for anyone who wishes to sit on the edge.

Farewell from Chiahsi

Sayonara