The end of the Alishan Forest Railway is Zhoushan, at 2,415 meters the highest station in Taiwan. One train runs each day, timed to see the sunrise. Like everyone else in town (including the train crew), I stopped at the only place open fir coffee at 5:00 am: the 7-11 (1). A lively crowd boarded the train for the 6.25 km, 25 minute trip.
The mountains to the east were visible in the pre-dawn hours, the sky brightenening as 7:05 approached on this winter day. Temperatures were in the low 40s, with a light wind (1). A woman blew a whistle to shoo away a monkey (2). As soon as the sun appeared, the crowd made an audible gasp, and birds began to sing at the very moment. The crowd soon rushed to queue for the return train, while I lingered at a stall selling warm ginger milk tea.
The hike back down to Alishan followed roads, a stone path through the woods, and boardwalks. Between Zhoushan and Chaoping station, I could count the number of other walkers on my fingers. Pity, the hike offered great views and a nice walk through moist, dark woods with stately trees.
Back in town in time for breakfast. All the hotels send their guests to one place where strangers share tables, scarf down noodles and peanuts, and slurp on rice porridge.
Having observed the scenery and marveled at the engineering on the up train yesterday, I paid more attention today to the flora visible from the down train. Above 1,800 meters lies the temperate zone, the trees predominantly thick cypress and cedar. Below 1,800 meters, spindly but strong bamboo is common in the sub-tropical forest. Descending toward the coastal plane, another transition is apparent to palms and banana trees at somewhere below 500 meters (3). Of course not being as abrupt as the sign would suggest, there were transition zones where both types of trees were present, with bamboo gradually replacing cypress and cedar as we descended, with a similar bamboo-palm transition.
The stop at Fenqihu did not leave enough time for both a bento box and wasabi ice cream, so I had to choose. Bento boxes are available elsewhere, so wasabi ice cream it had to be. Back at the mainline at Chiayi, I hopped the Tze-Chiang express north to Taipei after a tasty sausage from a cart outside the station.
(1) The highest in Taiwan at over 7,200 feet, which explains why the vacuum sealed bags holding pastries all seemed like were about to burst.l in the lower pressure at elevation.
(2) While I had a coat, the locals were dressed as if going on an Arctic expedition.
(3) They do not want the monkeys to grow accustomed to the people as a source of food.
(4) While a track-side sign marks the 1,800 meter temperate-subtropical boundary, the subtropical/bamboo-palm boundary was based on my own approximate observation.
Stone path through the forest
Trains passing at Fenqihu
Sun appears over the mountains
Light filling the valley to the north
Enjoying the sun rising over the mountain. Given the latitude and the height of the mountain, it was full day as soon as the sun appeared.
Sea of clouds to the south sern from the road down
Road parallels the tracks
At Chaoping station
The broken line line to Monkey tree was damaged by an earthquake in 1921. Rebuilt in 2008, the line was destroyed again by typhoon flooding the same year.
Zig zagging down
Cedar and cypress forest well above 1,800 meters
Exchanging control of the single track line at Erwanping Station. The big loop on the station agent's shoulder facilitates handing the documents to the train engineers without the need to stop.
Bamboo well below 1,800 meters
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