Travel – Relaxed Taitung 台東 and Mochi Mania

I imagine Taitung (pronounced Taidong) would be where I would retire if I stayed in Taiwan. It’s slower pace and bike-friendly environment allows ready access to sumptuous tea plantations, rice fields, beaches and mountain roads. The air is fresh and waterways clean as the region has not been industrialized. The region hosts multiple Ironman events each year as well as surfing, hiking, hot air ballooning and paragliding to name a few as it caters to outdoor sports enthusiasts. Taitung can refer to either the city of Taitung or Taitung County. The city is relatively small but with plenty of food and lodging options and serves as a base for exploring. Taitung County is more rural and home to seven indigenous tribes, each with their own unique areas and traditions. There are many outdoor activities to do but it seems it would be best if one had a road bike, scooter, or a car to explore the region.

How to Get There and Get around

Taitung is accessible by train as it has its own station and multiple other stations in the county, but buses to Taitung do not appear quite feasible except if arriving from another destination on the East Coast.

Taitung county offers a tourist bus service that stops at major destinations and towns along the way but are quite infrequent (1-2 hours between buses). It worked fine for a single trip but it did deter us from committing to a full day exploring the region by bus. Instead, one of the days we opted for a private guided tour which was a great way to get an overview of the region and see more than we could have by bus.

Next trip, we will probably rent road bikes to tour the rural farm roads.

Taitung County

We barely scratched the surface of what there is to do in Taitung County if we had some mode of transportation, but here are some worthwhile highlights.

First and foremost, paragliding off of Luye Highlands 鹿野高台 was definitely my personal favorite on this trip. The air currents around the grassy plateau are ideal for air balloons and paragliding. The experience was super relaxing as I drifted up and around the plateau for almost 15 minutes, mesmerized by the landscape and all around. Small farm plots and tea fields appeared below along the enchanting East Rift Valley, cut though by two wide river beds and surrounded by two mountain ranges to the east and west.

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Next, the Bunong Tribe Cultural Center 鸞山森林博物館 tour was definitely worth a visit to appreciate the tribe’s land, culture, and history. The Bunong people are known as the fiercest of all the tribes in Taiwan and they held off the Japanese for over 40 years during the Japanese occupation. After surrendering to the Japanese, they were forced off their high altitude mountains (living and hunting at 1500 m) and moved to lower mountains, including Dulan Mountain, where the cultural center is located.

The tour provided our child with a fun hands-on experience of scrambling through the jungle, roasting wild boar over an open fire (best pork she’s ever had), feasting on wild foraged greens and other aboriginal foods, and pounding her own mochi (her highlight of the trip).

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We also visited Xiaoyeliu, which is pretty close to Taitung city and reachable by bus or taxi. It is a well developed park for visitors to clamber around its unique sandstone geological formations. The site, while quite touristy, is large enough for one to leave the crowds and find some solitude to enjoy the scenery.

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Taitung City

Taitung, the city, has several nice attractions and eateries worth visiting for a day. It can be easily explored by bike as the city has set up bike lanes and bike paths around the city, making Taitung one of the most bike friendly cities in Taiwan. Some places to checkout by bike with a kid include International Landmark (Seaside Park) 海濱公園, Taitung Forest Park 臺東森林公園, and then Railway Art Village 鐵道藝術村 at night. The Railway Art Village is also the starting point for a bike trail 臺東舊鐵道路廊 created from a defunct railroad. The bike trail is supposedly over 20 km long and takes one through the edge of town and out to the rice paddies—Taitung County being the rice basket of Taiwan. The night market also offers a place for seeking out local specialties. We missed going to Peinan Cultural Park 卑南文化公園 and National Museum of Prehistory 國立臺灣史前文化博物館（休館中) which are two places that showcase the region’s prehistoric roots, but we will next time.

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Taitung seems to have quite an international selection of food, especially Western and Japanese restaurants, but we opted for more traditional fare. Handmade mochi, pounded glutinous rice, with different sweet and savory stuffings was a big hit with our girl. Within two days, she had eaten six of those gut busters. Note the theme of our trip—Mochi Mania!

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Mochi aside, the Rong Shu Xia Rice Noodles 榕樹下米苔目 shop is a must visit according to both locals and visitors for Hakka-style, handmade bantiao (thick rice noodles). We would agree for the texture of their noodles, made on premise, but go early, like before 11 am. Otherwise, we witnessed a massive queue at all other times.

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That wraps up Taitung but expect a part 2 as we definitely plan to go back soon!