Walami Trail: Sleepy backwater in Yuli Township contains hidden gems

One disappointing man-made feature in Taiwan’s mountains are betel nut tree farms. Mountains that ought to be writhing with wild jungle are instead covered in what looks like vertigrised matchsticks stuck in place by naughty children. Not so along route 18. Out here in Yuli, the mountainsides swarm with jungle, the rivers gush freely, and the air breathes like the mist at the bottom of the Niagara.

Before entering the “forgotten Haulien entrance” to Jade Mountain, a stop at Nanan (南安) Waterfall is in order. This dramatic 7-story pure mountain plunger has carved out its own mini-gorge by the sheer magnitude of its cascading beauty. Steps lead to the lip of the bubbling pool, where huge boulders -as if placed there by the gods of the forest- allow for cool mist picnicking and viewing. Those who are looking to get wet are in for a treat, because resting in a perpetual state of pulverization is a large oval-shaped stone at the bottom of the waterfall, where one can sit and get an “aqua-massage.”

When one has had his fill of water pummeling and misting, it’s on to the surprise locale - Walami (瓦拉米) Trail. Just a six-minute drive from the thundering Nanan Falls, the final motoring leg of this trip offers many a glimpse of what is to come in the park of all parks. Majestic alpine mountain tops peak out from behind green tropical hills that scream with cicadas, birds and the ghosts of Bunun leopard-hunters.

The insane pitch of cicadas is so strong on this stretch of road that the growl of my Kimco engine was completely drowned out. Socrates once said this to young Phaedrus in regard to the insects: “The story is that these creatures were once human beings, belonging to a time before the Muses were born, and that with the birth of the Muses and the appearance of song some of the people of the time were so unhinged by pleasure that in their singing they neglected to eat or drink, and failed to notice that they had died" (Plato, Phaedrus, p.41).

The sublime glory of Walami Trail will have you singing indeed. My theory is that visitors to this park didn’t meet their end for want of food or water, but upon the end of their life on Earth, decided to come back here, in astral form, for a little bit of rest and relaxation before moving on to bigger and better places. Does that mean that Walami is infested with ghosts? Not at all; I didn’t see one on the trail.

The trail pleasantly meanders for 13.5 km to a viewing platform, replete with lodges, where one can behold the major peaks of Jade Mountain. Regrettably, I only ventured into about one third of the park, and turned back due to rain, but not before crossing some awesome suspension bridges spanning cavernous gorges and white-water streams.

Shanfeng Waterfall will be the first encountered, which is fed by four or five smaller falls high on the ridges in the deeper mountains, most of which are in at least partial view. Stairs lead down to a bottom-angle view of the Shanfeng Falls, and a sign warns against climbing the barrier to move in for a closer look or a swim. Being alone in the park on a Monday afternoon, I couldn’t muster the self-restraint, and soon find myself floating in a natural marble pool where, centuries ago when the falls gushed more madly, the shooting water wore out this splendid swimming nook.

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