It is just over 100 miles from Tainan on the west coast to Hualien (our next stop) on the east coast.

They are separated by the Central Mountain Range. There is only one way through that range, and it has been called one of the most beautiful places on earth.

It is the Taroko Gorge

The mountains here are solid marble, which is why the sides of the gorge are so steep.

For centuries the gorge was virtually impenetrable to outsiders, but inside it was home to the Truku (Taroko) tribe.

During the Japanese occupation, the Japanese decided to explore the gorge and sent a small goup of soldiers in. The tribe, used to having the place to themselves and never having seen foreigners before, did what all sensible tribesmen would have done. They cut off their heads

The Japanese weren’t happy. They were used to being the people who committed such atrocities. They sent more soldiers in. This time with their own long knives. A short and very bloody confrontation (a nice word for it) occured which, as you might have guessed, resulted in the Truku tribe losing their land.

But it wasn’t until the 60’s that the road through the gorge was built. So now there is a connection between the two coasts.

Or there was.

A 7.4 earthquake on April 3rd 2024 changed everything. The gorge suffered tremendous damage with boulders the size of four storey houses tumbling down the sides of the gorge, demolishing everything in their path. The destruction was devastating, and two years later it is still impossible to drive through. But just a couple of months ago the eastern gate opened for the first time allowing a limited number of visitors a day to drive the first few miles into the gorge. We are about to be two of those.

And this is why we are heading to Hualien. But instead of driving 100 miles through the gorge, we now have to return to Taipei and then travel down the east coast. A total of 250 miles.

We have hired a car and driver to take us into the gorge.

He arrives in an extremley large SUV. When he gets out of the car we understand why. He too is extremely large. Not fat, just large. He is blessed with large features, a nose that leaves little room for anything else on his face, and the most enormous hands. Let’s just say he is not attractive and leave it at that.

But you know me! I can’t.

His hair was black in his youth. Today, some thirty years later, it is even blacker. His eyebrows too are an unatural shade of black, and move up and down on his forehead like caterpillars searching for food.

He introduces himself, but I am not concentrating. I am mesmerised by his eyebrows. So I spend the next 5 hours with him without knowing his name. But for the sake of the blog I will call him Hung. That’s a good Chinese name and it might be appropriate.

We get in his SUV and begin the 30 minute drive to the entrance to the gorge. Within seconds and with absolutely no introduction, he begins a political rant about Trump. His English is good but his pronounciation is not. It is really hard to understand him, and I make little effort to do so. We are happy to be away from US politics and the last thing I need is a lecture about how dangerous Trump is to world peace. We are frighteningly aware of that already. So I say nothing. I don’t engage at all. But I don’t need to. He is too busy ranting.

After 15 minutes he pauses for breath and then starts on Taiwanese politics. Not something I am particularly interested in.

Outside the SUV, the weather is as bleak as the conversation. It is grey and ominous with huge black clouds dumping torrential rain all around us. If it continues like this we will not be able to see much of the gorge.

But just as we turn a corner the rain quietens down and there in front of us is the entrance to the gorge

Hung stops the car, and I walk to the bridge where the view is everything I had hoped for.

Hung stays in the car. I guess he can’t get his hair wet. The dye would run down his face, making him even less attractive.

I am happy to be away from the man and would rather not return, but if I want to see more, I must.

And to be fair to Hung (something I find very hard ), from now on he is all about business and tells us a lot about the gorge and the earthquake.

We can only drive in for a few miles and then we must turn around and come back. The gorge is famous for its beautiful hiking trails but most of them are still closed. He tells us about a couple of the best ones that have re-opened and asks if we want to walk them.

We would if it would stop raining.

But he explains we have to decide now. Traffic in and out of the gorge is strictly regulated. A handul of cars are allowed in every two hours. Other than that the road is closed. He has booked a slot for us to enter at 11am.

We must also leave at an alloted time which also only happens every two hours. So we can either book our leaving time for 90 minutes later or for 3 1/2 hours later, so we must make a decision now. We decide not to do the hikes. The weather is miserable now, if it gets worse it would be really unpleasant.

We have to drive through a tunnel to get into the gorge.

By ten to eleven the line has started to form. There are only 25 cars allowed in, so we are grateful to Hung (damn it) for having arranged our slot. He explains that this is how it has to be because of the major road works that are still on going. If there was more traffic the work would never get done.

The road is an engineering marvel

with dangerous overhangs

It is amazing that any of the road was left in one piece. But there is work going on everywhere

Occasionally we see a rock that has just fallen onto the road. It is a little nerve racking. Hung tells us he holds his breath when he is driving through here. I hope he doesn’t hold it for too long!

We were told on entering the gorge that stopping was not permitted anywhere. Hung ignores them and stops whenever there is a good view. I am slowly warming to him, as long as we sit in the back and I can’t see his eyebrows.

There are several swing bridges across the ravine to allow hikers to get from one side to the other. Many were destroyed but a few survived. Here are two of them

Deciding not to go on a hike was definitely the right decision!

Everywhere you look there are still clear signs of the damage the earthquake did

And the work that is being done to restore the valley

But elsewhere there are incredibly beautiful spots that somehow were completely spared

I guess having a shrine or two helps.

All too soon we reach the spot where we have to turn around and return. It is where the only hotel in the entire gorge was built.

Somehow it survived intact.

Sadly 18 people died during the earthquake.

The people staying in the hotel were safe. But it was over a week before they were able to be evacuated.

Hung turned the car around and we all held our breath.

The only sound was the Fabulosity Meter. It just wouldn’t stop.