[TW; 2015] Solo Backpack Series | Part 3 - Luye Sansiantai Fushan Shanyuan Taitung
DAY3
Left Chishang in the morning, and bid goodbye with my Hongkong hostel mate!
Pretty Luye Train Station with many hot air balloon designs! As it is near the famous spot for hot air balloon, Luye Gaotai 鹿野高台.
As the next bus to Luye Gaotai was in 40mins time, thus decided to utilize google to find some good street food near the bus stop. And the search results were all about this 阿丁早點 A-ding Breakfast Store, so I decided to roam about and randomly search for it. Lady luck was with me in the morning; just turn left on the first street after exiting the train station you will get to see the signboard.
So I managed to snatch a vegetable dumpling and meat dumpling, and bought a warm soya milk.
So I stood at this bus stop near a vegetable stall to wait for the bus to Luye Gaotai, and had my breakfast.
The bus was rather empty, just me and an old couple.
I stopped at the last stop, where there was a great view of the plantations field from the top!
And walked to Luye Gaotai.... which was 2-3mins away
Fun activities over there like grass sliding and paragliding, but I did not try any of it as I planned to spend only 40mins in this area. If you're planning to come Taiwan during late-June to early-August, you can consider coming over here for the Hot Air Balloon Fiesta!
So while waiting for the bus, I saw a group of Taiwanese and requested them to take a photo for me. But the photo turned out quite scary so no way Im gonna to post it. Anyway they were quite nice and even offered to drive me down the mountain, however they weren't heading to the city area so not fated to take up the ride.
2. Luye Gaotai > Taitung City
On the bus I started asking the bus driver for directions and the bus stop nearest to my hostel. After long discussion with the driver I decided to stop over at Siwei Chuanguang 四維傳廣. So according to the bus driver I had to walk around 20mins to reach the hostel, but he recommended me to stopover at an art museum for a short rest.
I did not really went in, as I was abit out of place. Okay to be honest, I got judged by a group of classy people who were having lunch at the entrance of the museum. So I decided not to disgrace myself further.
Walked further down and finally reached my hostel. And... the owner wasn't in, so I waited around 10mins at the door.
She gave me quite alot of tips and some fun spots to go... after resting for a couple of mins, I'm ready to adventure!
3. Taitung City > Sansiantai Island
The hostel is a stone away to 森林公園 Forest Park, and there was a Taiwan Tour bus stop at the park!
Breathtaking scenery with cool air! And I have to climb these stairs in order to reach the island.
It took me around 10mins to complete the whole bridge to the island. Super exhausted. Due to time constraint I did not complete exploring the island. I would advise to wear comfortable shoes as I have seen pictures on the island that require visitors to climb steep stairs. And please plan around 2hours in the area, 40mins is definitely insufficient for such a beautiful place.
My second nightmare of the trip starts here... long story ahead
On the way back, there was a junction, so I remembered I came from a less crowded road, so I opted the left side of the road. After walking for 2-3mins, I realised I'm not on the right road, but I decided to continue on determined that it will eventually bring me back to the bus stop. After walking on for another 5mins, I saw the signboard back to the bus stop, happily followed it and passed by a metal house, and there was a yellow dog guarding right infront of the house.
First mistake I made was to make an eye contact with the dog, and second mistake was to look afraid, third mistake was to walk in a super fast speed.
So the dog started following me, walking in circles around me, and upon reaching the slope to the big car park it started running up the slope and dashing/leaping towards me trying to attack me for several times. I really got a shock but I told myself to continue walking on no matter what. In the car park it started dashing in a zig-zag matter and I evaded its attack which made it slipped. (I was worried whether it was injured or something due to the slip and not worrying about myself LOL)
The car park had many buses but few people lingered around, so I tried to look for help and from far I saw an old couple, and I shouted "救救我" which means "SAVE ME". But they don't seems to understand but at least I caught their attention, and I started using body language by pointing at the dog. Upon nearing them, they allowed me to hide behind them. The dog acted to be nice and started sniffing the grasses and flowers. EPIC. But so thankful for the old Japanese couple! At the moment I forgot how to say 'thank you' in Japanese, and started bowing to them, I could still dearly remember their kind smile which sort of telling me no worries. (':
4. Sansiantai Island > Fushan Fishery Reserve > Shanyuan
I think I'm really abit crazy that afternoon to decide to stop at another stop which the hostel owner personally recommended. Fushan Fishery Reserve!
So there are plenty of tiny little fishes in the area where you can purchase a bread to feed them. When I visited, there was a Taiwanese tour group, so I did not purchase and simply tag along them to see how they feed the fishes.
The view was really pretty, thus I asked an uncle to take a photo for me. And he insisted I need to follow his instructions to pose. Abit back to the 80s where my mum would have pose for pictures. Really hilarious!
The next bus was like in another 1hour 30mins time, so I decided to walk along the beach to the next bus stop on foot. According to the hostel owner, this is one of the cleanest and swimmable beaches in Taiwan. But the problem was, it was very cold that day I don't dare to try the waters, and I realised there were plenty of wild dogs around the area too!
To avoid the same nightmare to occur again, I decided to speed up and tag behind a mid-age couple. And even asked them questions like where is the bus stop and etc, to sort of "inform" them my presence in case I need help.
I reached a resort near Shanyuan Beach and realised it was not open for visitors, so... there was practically nothing for me to do. And no place to hide from dogs.
I met a guard who was on patrol and told him I was chased by dogs and etc. And he was so nice to bring me to the guard office and gave me a chair to sit, perhaps I looked really pitiful. He reassured me that no dogs will dare to get close to me and went off for his patrol. So I got to experience being a guard for 1hour; meeting police on patrol, delivery man and etc. And had a nice sea view from the guard house.
Disclaimer: I do not promote randomly taking free car rides from strangers. Please do a self gauge before accepting the ride, especially females traveling alone!
Route info: Taitung's Chishang > Taitung's Luye > Sansiantai Island > Fushan Fishery Reserve > Shanyuan > Taitung City1. Taitung's Chishang > Taitung's Luye > Luye Gaotai
（台東 池上 > 台東 鹿野 > 三仙台島 > 富山復魚區 > 杉原 > 台東 市區）
Left Chishang in the morning, and bid goodbye with my Hongkong hostel mate!
Chishang to Luye, NT$49, travel time 37minsLove the paddy field with the mountain range scenery on the train!
www.railway.gov.tw/en/
Pretty Luye Train Station with many hot air balloon designs! As it is near the famous spot for hot air balloon, Luye Gaotai 鹿野高台.
As the next bus to Luye Gaotai was in 40mins time, thus decided to utilize google to find some good street food near the bus stop. And the search results were all about this 阿丁早點 A-ding Breakfast Store, so I decided to roam about and randomly search for it. Lady luck was with me in the morning; just turn left on the first street after exiting the train station you will get to see the signboard.
At first the store was pretty empty and I had lot of time to look at the menu and etc. Out of a blue, a crowd dashed into the store and started snatching the breakfast items. Then I realised that the store will close for the day after selling out their "leftovers" at this metal pan. So I joined in the snatch!
So I managed to snatch a vegetable dumpling and meat dumpling, and bought a warm soya milk.
阿丁早點 A-ding Breakfast Store, No. 20號, Section 2, Zhonghua Road, Luye Township, Taitung County, Taiwan 955It was super cheap, I remembered it cost roughly around NT$30? The steam-fried dumplings were abit oily... however very delicious! Especially the vegetable dumpling, the vegetables were sweet and contain some juicy soup. Definitely worth it!
So I stood at this bus stop near a vegetable stall to wait for the bus to Luye Gaotai, and had my breakfast.
(click photo to enlarge)
The bus was rather empty, just me and an old couple.
台灣好行 Taiwan Tour Bus - Rift Valley Route, http://www.taiwantrip.com.tw/Besttour/Info/?id=17I think they do have those unlimited rides ticket, but after doing some maths, it was more worth it for me to tap the metro card. The bus driver was rather friendly, he acted like a tour guide and started introducing some crops to us.
I stopped at the last stop, where there was a great view of the plantations field from the top!
And walked to Luye Gaotai.... which was 2-3mins away
臺灣熱氣球嘉年華 Taiwan Balloon Festival, http://balloontaiwan.taitung.gov.tw/I decided not to walk back to the bus stop I alighted previously and waited for the bus nearer to the slope. And I was standing beside this bus stand, a black dog started barking at me, then I recalled seeing it resting near the bus stand 10mins ago. So I walked slightly away from the bus stand and it stopped barking at me.
So while waiting for the bus, I saw a group of Taiwanese and requested them to take a photo for me. But the photo turned out quite scary so no way Im gonna to post it. Anyway they were quite nice and even offered to drive me down the mountain, however they weren't heading to the city area so not fated to take up the ride.
2. Luye Gaotai > Taitung City
On the bus I started asking the bus driver for directions and the bus stop nearest to my hostel. After long discussion with the driver I decided to stop over at Siwei Chuanguang 四維傳廣. So according to the bus driver I had to walk around 20mins to reach the hostel, but he recommended me to stopover at an art museum for a short rest.
Super cute panda! And I realised I reached the Taitung Art Museum!
Walked further down and finally reached my hostel. And... the owner wasn't in, so I waited around 10mins at the door.
The owner was quite friendly, as I booked a bed without a private toilet, but I'm the only person in the hostel that day and she felt it will be more convenient for me to stay in a room with toilet, so she "upgraded" my bed.Angels Fish Hostel, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Angels-Fish-Hostel/1451155855160260, NT$500, Payment on the spot
She gave me quite alot of tips and some fun spots to go... after resting for a couple of mins, I'm ready to adventure!
3. Taitung City > Sansiantai Island
The hostel is a stone away to 森林公園 Forest Park, and there was a Taiwan Tour bus stop at the park!
台灣好行 Taiwan Tour Bus - East Coast Line, http://www.taiwantrip.com.tw/Besttour/Info/?id=40So I took the bus to the last stop Sansiantai Island! And I had only 40mins to explore this place...
Unlimited ride ticket for NT$299
Breathtaking scenery with cool air! And I have to climb these stairs in order to reach the island.
It took me around 10mins to complete the whole bridge to the island. Super exhausted. Due to time constraint I did not complete exploring the island. I would advise to wear comfortable shoes as I have seen pictures on the island that require visitors to climb steep stairs. And please plan around 2hours in the area, 40mins is definitely insufficient for such a beautiful place.
My second nightmare of the trip starts here... long story ahead
On the way back, there was a junction, so I remembered I came from a less crowded road, so I opted the left side of the road. After walking for 2-3mins, I realised I'm not on the right road, but I decided to continue on determined that it will eventually bring me back to the bus stop. After walking on for another 5mins, I saw the signboard back to the bus stop, happily followed it and passed by a metal house, and there was a yellow dog guarding right infront of the house.
First mistake I made was to make an eye contact with the dog, and second mistake was to look afraid, third mistake was to walk in a super fast speed.
So the dog started following me, walking in circles around me, and upon reaching the slope to the big car park it started running up the slope and dashing/leaping towards me trying to attack me for several times. I really got a shock but I told myself to continue walking on no matter what. In the car park it started dashing in a zig-zag matter and I evaded its attack which made it slipped. (I was worried whether it was injured or something due to the slip and not worrying about myself LOL)
The car park had many buses but few people lingered around, so I tried to look for help and from far I saw an old couple, and I shouted "救救我" which means "SAVE ME". But they don't seems to understand but at least I caught their attention, and I started using body language by pointing at the dog. Upon nearing them, they allowed me to hide behind them. The dog acted to be nice and started sniffing the grasses and flowers. EPIC. But so thankful for the old Japanese couple! At the moment I forgot how to say 'thank you' in Japanese, and started bowing to them, I could still dearly remember their kind smile which sort of telling me no worries. (':
TIP: Please do not travel to mountainous areas alone, if you are really that adventurous, at least read through wikihow page; http://www.wikihow.com/Handle-a-Dog-AttackIf you have noticed, I did not have any lunch that day, so quickly brought a hotdog and drink from the convenience store near the bus stop.
4. Sansiantai Island > Fushan Fishery Reserve > Shanyuan
I think I'm really abit crazy that afternoon to decide to stop at another stop which the hostel owner personally recommended. Fushan Fishery Reserve!
So there are plenty of tiny little fishes in the area where you can purchase a bread to feed them. When I visited, there was a Taiwanese tour group, so I did not purchase and simply tag along them to see how they feed the fishes.
The view was really pretty, thus I asked an uncle to take a photo for me. And he insisted I need to follow his instructions to pose. Abit back to the 80s where my mum would have pose for pictures. Really hilarious!
The next bus was like in another 1hour 30mins time, so I decided to walk along the beach to the next bus stop on foot. According to the hostel owner, this is one of the cleanest and swimmable beaches in Taiwan. But the problem was, it was very cold that day I don't dare to try the waters, and I realised there were plenty of wild dogs around the area too!
To avoid the same nightmare to occur again, I decided to speed up and tag behind a mid-age couple. And even asked them questions like where is the bus stop and etc, to sort of "inform" them my presence in case I need help.
I reached a resort near Shanyuan Beach and realised it was not open for visitors, so... there was practically nothing for me to do. And no place to hide from dogs.
I met a guard who was on patrol and told him I was chased by dogs and etc. And he was so nice to bring me to the guard office and gave me a chair to sit, perhaps I looked really pitiful. He reassured me that no dogs will dare to get close to me and went off for his patrol. So I got to experience being a guard for 1hour; meeting police on patrol, delivery man and etc. And had a nice sea view from the guard house.
5. Shanyuan > Taitung City
Maybe I looked really pitiful; there was this staff driving back home, shall name him Mr D, he offered to drive me back to my hostel. Without hesitation, I hitched his car back to the city. Mr D was a very friendly guy that loves to make friends with people all over the world, but from our conversation it seems his wife sort of disapprove his friendliness. He wanted to treat me dinner but his wife called him, and maybe he somehow recalled his wife disapproval face, so he changed his mind. HAHAHA. I wanted to get his contact, like add as friend on FB or LINE, but I recalled about his wife, so... I don't even know what is his name. But THANK YOU MR D for the ride!!! I can't imagine waiting at the bus stop alone in the dark mountainous area with dogs, fearing I would miss the last bus too.
Disclaimer: I do not promote randomly taking free car rides from strangers. Please do a self gauge before accepting the ride, especially females traveling alone!
Did some laundry in the hostel and headed out to for dinner. Wanted to walk to some famous stall, but there were too many dogs on the street, that I decided to just get grab some food and quickly head back to hostel.
This stall was just 2mins walk away from hostel...
^^I bought fried tempura and fried chicken
As the fried stall was the only stall visible around the hostel, I decided to challenge myself and walked down on some random street to find other stall. After walking for 10mins, I found a stall selling rice and noodles!
^^Minced meat rice but the stall owner was quite nice to give me lots of side dishes for free
It was abit scary to walk alone on Taitung street, dogs barking, weird guys standing around, I was looking out for open shops that I can run to if anything happens. Thankfully I managed to reach hostel safely.
And the hostel owner was quite friendly to check and make sure I'm back safely. After telling her my "adventurous" dinner story, she told me I could have called her up and she could drive me to get my dinner. Really nice of her!
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