Paradise found: Fu Xing's peach orchards, scenic views

While this locally grown fruit may be purchased at markets in the weeks that follow, the freshest and sweetest peaches may be found by going straight to the source and visiting a local orchard.

My mouth was already watering at the prospect of freshly picked peaches, so I wasted no time in drawing up an itinerary that involved visiting a peach orchard and the nearby Xiao Wu Lai Scenic Area (小烏來風景區) in the Fu Xing (復興) region. The trip to Fu Xing would be a fairly easy one to make, as it is located in Tao Yuan (桃園) and accessible via Route 7 (北橫公路).

After a short drive, I arrived at Xiao Wu Lai, which boasts some truly spectacular scenery. The twin Dragon Phoenix Falls (龍鳳瀑布) may be seen from a distance shortly after entering the park. Should visitors choose to get a close up view of the stunning pair of cascading waterfalls, they may follow the hiking trail that leads down to its base. There are other sights near the top of the falls as well, such as the Wind Moving Rock (風動石), a five ton boulder that looks as if it is precariously balanced on the edge of a river. Also nearby are some easy hiking trails that lead to smaller waterfalls and the surrounding forest area.

Once I had done some light walking in Xiao Wu Lai, my hunger for peaches surfaced once more, and prodded me on to the next leg of the journey. I left the park by crossing one of two suspension bridges, and began heading towards the mountains in the Gao Yi (高義) area. Although La La Shan (拉拉山) is perhaps the most prominent and commonly mentioned mountain featuring peach groves, I decided to take the road less traveled and check out the orchards in one of its neighboring mountains instead.

When I reached the bottom of the mountain, I was greeted warmly by the orchard owner, who then motioned for me to hop into his truck to begin my ascent to the mountaintop. We followed the winding road upwards, making one dizzying turn after another; glancing out the side of the car, I could see the river and trees below shrinking steadily while the distant mountain range began to fit into my field of view.

Although the truck did the majority of the work to get us up to the peach grove, once we arrived it became clear that I also had some climbing to do, since the trees were planted along a slight incline.

As I scrambled up the slope, I briefly glanced up at the trees and was surprised to see that the places where I was expecting blushing pink peaches to appear were instead scattered with small white plastic bags. They were to cover and protect the fragile peaches, one of the workers explained, as the fruit was sensitive to the slightest gradations in temperature.

The worker went on to detail what attributes to look for in a peach, and I attempted to keep in mind all the fine points regarding what the color, size, and firmness should be as I prepared to pluck one of the mouthwatering fruits from the trees. I reached across and timidly touched a few of the peaches before settling on one that I thought was promising.

The first bite revealed that I had chosen well, as the peach proved to be delightfully sweet and crunchy. I quickly polished it off and made a second attempt. This time, my choice yielded a peach that was not as big as the previous one, but remarkably softer in texture and sweeter in taste.

After sampling some more fruit and staying for a while to help box some of the produce, it was time to head back home. I grudgingly bid farewell, but not before purchasing a few boxes of peaches. The boxes, I reasoned, should be enough to satisfy my peach craving—that is, until next weekend.

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