Although it's been open for less than a week, word has got around and we're far from the only ones enjoying the spectacular scenery as we return to the visitor center after our long walk.

For a feel of authentic Taiwanese culture, pay a visit to a nearby temple. They're often microcosms of traditional Taiwanese life, many with their own mini-communities working, eating and maybe even sleeping within the temple precincts.

After crossing the stream, swollen by heavy rain the night before, the sides of the valley steepen into cliffs, and the narrow, delicate plumes of several waterfalls plunge out of the trees above the rock faces into the stream far below.

Miaoli is one of Taiwan's forgotten counties, more a place to pass through while en route between Taipei and Taichung than a destination in its own right. However, with a rich aboriginal and Hakka heritage, and plenty of outstanding natural beauty, there's plenty to warrant a serious exploration of this least known area of northwestern Taiwan.

A lofty eminence studded with old and beautiful temples and monasteries inhabited by grizzled old monks, shrouded in a picturesque misty veil for much of the year, Lion's Head Mountain (Shihtoushan, 獅頭山) is Taiwan's answer to China's sacred Buddhist mountains Emei and Jiuhua.

The Wuling Ecological Festival was held last weekend at the Wuling (武陵) Farm inside Shei-Pa (雪霸) National Park. The highlight of a series of activities was the grand opening of the Taiwan Salmon Eco.

Looking at the logo of a winged cow and the name "Flying Cow Ranch" (飛牛牧場) beneath it, I get an instinctive feeling that the place is going to be unique in some way and, more importantly, that I am going to like it.

There are many scenic spots famous for their religious features. Lion's Head Mountain (獅頭山) is one of them, and it is also one of the oldest Buddhist sites in Taiwan.

It was on my third attempt that lady luck smiled on me; perhaps she was genuinely impressed by my perseverance. For the past few months I have been trying to visit "Sanyi", the unanimous choice for expatriate ladies, either settling in or leaving Taiwan, for collecting some beautifully designed wood carvings rich in local history and culture.

According to aboriginal legend, the Saisiat Tribe exterminated the last group of "I-hay-ren" by cutting the cables on a suspension bridge over a deep gorge about 1,000 years ago. All that remains of them are their ghosts, which are placated in the Sacrifice of the Short Spirits ceremony.