On August 24, 2011, the first stop on our three-day trip to Hualien was the almost mythical mountain retreat of Mukumugi.
Mukumugi lies in Tongmen Village, Xiulin Township, Hualien County. Its name is a transliteration from the Truku language, recalling how the first Truku people to settle here praised this mountain landscape in their own tongue. Rich in natural scenery, it was also nicknamed “Little Taroko.”
At the time, visitors needed a mountain-entry permit to enter the Mukumugi ecological corridor, with admission limited to 300 people in each morning and afternoon session. We had asked Chunyue Travel Agency to arrange everything the day before, so a van was waiting when we walked out of Hualien Station at noon ^.^
Everything we had read online said Mukumugi was about a twenty-minute drive from downtown Hualien. It turned out that twenty minutes only got us as far as the checkpoint…
Good thing our permits were already sorted out ^.^
Once inside, Mr. Tseng—our tour leader, driver, and guide all rolled into one—took us along the eastern section of Provincial Highway 14. The better-known western section runs from Caotun toward Qingjing Farm, with Highway 14A continuing up toward Hehuanshan. The eastern section began in Wenlan Village and extended into the mountains; it had once been considered as a possible route for the Central Cross-Island Highway.
And this was the eastern starting point of Highway 14…
Hmm…possibly the narrowest provincial highway in all of Taiwan @.@'"
Before long, we reached the confluence of the Mugua and Qingshui rivers.
With steep mountains rising on both sides, “towering peaks” suddenly felt like a very literal description.
Mr. Tseng first drove us to Longjian Power Plant, which was the end of the passable eastern section of Highway 14 at the time. We were not there to tour the plant, though. We had come for the locally famous Longjian ice pops!!
They had a soft, fine texture, and after coming all this way, of course we had to try one ^.^
Next, Mr. Tseng dropped us off partway down the road so we could walk and take in the stillness of the forest at our own pace.
Trees, rock walls, and the winding road accompanied us downhill. The farther we moved from the van, the quieter the mountains became.
Then we finally arrived at the main destination of the day: the bank of the Mugua River.
The water was so clear that we could see straight to the bottom. It was impossible not to take off our shoes and step in ^.^
There were so many fish in the water. As soon as I put my feet in, they gathered all around me.
I swear it was not because my feet smelled T.T
After plenty of time by the river, it was finally time to leave. Before going, we took one last look back at the valley and its clear water ^.^
Related posts
August 2011 — Three Days in Hualien: Trip Overview
August 24, 2011 — Part 1: Mukumugi
August 24, 2011 — Part 2: Chateau de Chine Hotel
August 25, 2011 — Part 3: Hualien Farglory Ocean Park
August 26, 2011 — Part 4: Farglory Hotel
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