However, smothered atop all the vegetation are brilliant bluish Morning Glories. These elegant wild flowers seem to have been draped over the logging scars by an unseen landscaper.

It was a Sunday, and for the past 2 years or so I have held to the cardinal rule of not visiting tourist sites in Taiwan on this day. But a former student and friend urged me on one day while looking off my back balcony in Kwei-Shan Township, where, on a clear day, I can behold an awesome expanse of the Central Mountain Range.

I had been wanting to get up in those mountains for awhile now, but I could not find an easy road up from this section of Taoyuan on my scooter, and the traffic was so chaotic during my attempts that I finally gave up. So, when an opportunity in the form of a cozy automobile presented itself, I grabbed it, despite the fact that I would be breaking "the Sunday rule."

This is Atayal (泰雅) tribal country, and bright aborigine artwork livens up the painted sheet-metal and corrugated iron architecture that plagues so much of Formosa. Hardcore mountain-bikers struggled uphill and whizzed down past us on our way to Donyanshan National Forest Recreation Area (東眼山國家森林遊樂區), a secondary forest of camphor trees that was planted after the original tree cover was harvested for commercial logging many years ago.

To walk in the park now is to behold the Ewok forest from Star Wars: Return of the Jedi --without the cuddly bear-people. You will, however --if you choose to arrive on a Sunday- be accompanied by day-hikers who appear to be geared up for a trek across the Himalayas; in addition to these hearty naturalists, you will share your trail with families and elderly people enjoying a "green shower" stroll in this mountain park.Unfortunately, the vast numbers of people scare off even the insects, so the only nature to behold is that of the tall, sturdy camphor forest with its occasional nest fern snuggled into a cleft in the bark.

Or so I thought. On the way out, we noticed a small crowd gathered at a gash in the hillside. Coiled up in a small hole and ready to strike was an angry Taiwan Bamboo Pit Viper (Trimeresurus stejnegeri) ready to inject deadly venom into the first fool to try and pet it. Several people warned me in English that it was highly venomous and to stand back. Seeing that beautiful reptile made the whole trip.

On the way back down to Taoyuan, we stopped off at the mountain town of Fusing, where we devoured a scrumptious Atayal barbecue of wild boar, mushrooms and bamboo shoot soup --washed down with overflowing cups of local sweet rice wine.

Fusing (復興) is a good place to stock up on xiao-mi-jiu, as well as fresh high-mountain teas and herbal medicines. Such is the extent of dried mushrooms and other herbal products here that virtually any ailment known to mankind can likely be cured if you consult the right proprietor.

In fact, I found just sitting in the Atayal restaurant, sipping rice wine and dining on local cuisine, to be the best part of the day. The easy smiles and warm attitudes of these people reminded me of the Tibetans I met in Nepal earlier this year.

According to Canadian naturalist-explorer Wade Davis, all aboriginal races and high-mountain peoples throughout the world, from the Andes to the Himalayas and through Borneo and the Amazon, share cultural links from which much can be learned.

The Atayal, no doubt, are one of these great people, and any future excursions into the mountains of Taoyuan will conclude with a pit-stop for their fine cuisine and tasty rice wine.

How To Get There:

By car: Take Dasi (大溪) Interchange on National Hwy. 3 to Dasi and continue on to the Provincial Hwy # 7 to Fusing. Look for the sign to Township Hwy. 113: This will take you up to Dongyanshan National Forest Area.