Taroko, Taiwan

I am sure that a thousand pictures could not capture the absolute magnificence of this mystical and spiritual place. I tried my best..but there is just no way to reconstruct the ever-present mist, the unending height of the mountains and gorgeous veined marble that lines the mountains and rivers. The water is so blue that it looked surreal to me.  The picture on the right is the Pacific Ocean..only the other side of it! Taroko is a gorge and is situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. It was established as a National Park in 1986. It lies within the Central Mountain Range. Many of the peaks tower over 984 feet in elevation. There are many trails carved through the mountains and during the two days Rachael, Anthony and I were in Toroko we walked on at least four of them. We hiked up hill and down, exclaiming at every turn at the natural beauty that is so unearthly. The original inhabitants of this land were there almost 2,000 years ago. The Aboriginal Taroko culture is still alive today. More trails were built during the Ching Dynasty in 1874, and more during the Japanese occupation. The building of trails was tremendously dangerous and many people lost their lives during this construction. The Central Cross-Island Highway was built during the years of 1956 to 1960. This highway is a series of terrifying twists and turns with sheer drops to the rocky gorge below. The picture to the right is from the Shakadang Trail. The picture on the left is from the Baiyang Waterfall  Trail. Along the way we had a little encounter with a Baboon! 

There are many Buddhist

 shrines throughout the trails that were both beautiful and spiritual. We were amazed at the quiet and serenity that each one projected. 

The rocks and sides of the mountains are made from incredible marble of white, black, brown and green hues, each decorated with veins of other colors. I could not believe the beauty of Taroko and the culture of the Aboriginie people who have lived there, thriving in the mountains, for thousands of years.