Thanks. Likewise!
Well,it is great to know you all have a great time today.
I am just curious is there any hike or dinner or BBQ or any event
will take place around Miaoli (maybe in xinzhu,taichung probaly)?
I live in Miaoli .All those events are far from me .
Np pics?
Come on, spill the beans. Was there a swim? A trace?
I’m content that I didn’t go as my permit problem has been solved (I think). In any case I am out of here on Tuesday and if all goes well I will be in Tibet on Thursday.
I went for a few hour walk in the hills around Mucha. Did the temple loop up to Zhangshan Si down to the road then back up to Zhinnan Gong. Glad I did. Met Mr LIn, a templ volunteer who took me on a tour of the temple and then chatted with me for a coupl hours on temples, Daoist gods and myths, and the works of his son, a temple architect (who knew there was such a thing).
Did you know Zhinan Gong got so big and wealthy from donations from gold miners working in Jinguashi and Juifen? Since Lu Tong Bin is the god of gold miners would come here, to the holiest of Lu Tong Bin temples (it seems the god himself chose this location) to enter the dream chambers and aks the god to tell them where to find gold. Mr Lin’s father was a miner and he found a fair amount of gold which is why his son, the Mr Lin I met, was able to go to middle school at a time when there were only 15 in all Taiwan.
Another interesting temple story is that the black buddha was donated by a Thai prime minister about 20-30 years ago. During one of the many Thai coups, the PM came to Taiwan and prayed at the temple that he could be restored to power. He was and in thanks had the beautiful copper and gold Buddha made and shipped to Taiwan.
Mr Lin’s son as I said is a temple architect and for the past 11 years has been working on a temple in Yunlin County that is being built with all tradition materials and techniques. In other words, built with wood and stone and by hand. Should be ready by next year. Looks very beautiful so far.
Anyway, as much as I would have liked to have gone with you guys today, I felt it was well-worth missing out for this serendipitous meeting. [/quote]
MM:
It sounds like you learned a lot from the estimably informative Mr. Lin.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any pictures of the hike, because none of us took a camera.
The water in the Jiajiuliao Creek was quite high and fast after last night’s heavy rain, so we didn’t do any river-tracing. But we did go down to the waterfall pool for our lunch, and I (of course) had a swim there. The others considered it too cold to join me in the water (though Kate inadvertently took a wee bit of a dip while we were making our way down beside the fall).
Congratulations on solving the permit problem, and bon voyage and the best of luck for the next two months. See you on the trails and rivers in July!
Wisher:
Taiwan is such a tiny island that coming from Miaoli up to Taipei is nothing at all - not much different to dropping in on your neighbour in the Australian outback and other sparsely populated parts of the world. So we’ll expect you to come and join us for at least one of our outings this summer, and I’m sure we’ll be able to make it memorably worthwhile for you. 
I’m glad you enjoyed it. I had a really good time, too. We were lucky there was so little rain, and the temperature was very comfortable. Seeing those monkeys and the blue magpies at the end was a special bonus.[/quote]
Monkeys? Blue magpies? Tell us more!
Wish I wasn’t so jet-lagged; sounds like an enjoyable day you guys had. I definitely want to join the next hike.
We saw them both at the same time. First we heard a barking sound, which Urodacus reckoned might be a monkey - and a few minutes later, his sharp eyes picked out a troop of them feeding in the hillside canopy directly across the river. And while we were watching them, I spotted the magpies out the corner of my eye, down nearer the river on the right (one clearly displaying itself, the other almost hidden in the foliage) . It was a wonderful tableau, and we got a long and clear view of both. Also, a few steps further on, we saw a pair of large, beautifully red-plumed birds that I can’t identify. If only we’d had a camera with us!
Urodacus is a naturalist, and a great font of knowledge to have along on a hike.
The hike sounded great and the area sounds amazing as well. Is it easy to find? I don’t have a scooter yet, but do want to start getting out and finding cool places like this to hike and walk and swim. Do I need a guide to find it or would general instructions do?
Was thinking about finding it this week if I can…
[quote=“CanadianBryson”]The hike sounded great and the area sounds amazing as well. Is it easy to find? I don’t have a scooter yet, but do want to start getting out and finding cool places like this to hike and walk and swim. Do I need a guide to find it or would general instructions do?
Was thinking about finding it this week if I can…[/quote]
Get yourself to the Eslite bookstore on Dunhua and buy Taipei Day Trips I and II. Best books in Taiwan for day hikes around the north. In glorious step by step details.
The hike is #23 in TT2. The shorter route.
That’s how I first found this place, and many others.