At the Taipei station at six in the morning, it was already quite bright outside, and the blue sky foretold of a gorgeous day. The local train from Taipei was departing. Our leader was Tsai Yi-ju, a member of the Railway Cultural Society, who has explored the entire length of this track on foot. For this trip, to match the limited number of local trains, we adopted a "stop and go, stop and backtrack" itinerary, shuttling between stations by train, and sometimes even on foot. It was a way of traveling that blended what might be adopted by independent travelers on the one hand, and by rail enthusiasts on the other, and was imbued with the excitement of exploration.

In a harbor in the Wai-ao region, fishermen are unloading silver anchovies.

Misty forests, flowing water

Taking window seats, we listened to the chug-chug rhythm of the train. After passing Patu and Juifang, we were surrounded by verdant mountain scenery.

As the train wound through the hills, thick Chinese silver grass and green bamboo loomed along the track. At the bottom of the mountain cliff flowed the Keelung River. I stuck my head and arm out the window to catch the breeze, and Li Daoyuan's description in Shuijing Zhu came to mind: "Tamarisks and cypress cover the lush hillsides, while springs gurgle and waterfalls crash, sending spray flying. What a delightful land!"

When the Japanese ruled Taiwan they built this railroad to develop the Lanyang Plain. Work began in 1917, with the track laid from both ends, from Patu in the north and Su-ao in the south. In 1980, when the North Link Railway was completed, this stretch of track, essential for connecting the east and west coast main lines, became even more important. The single track was turned into a double track, and many of the old single-track tunnels were taken out of service. Now they are objects of our explorations.

The stretch from Juifang to Santiaoling is one of the most dangerous sections on the Ilan line. In particular, there is a dramatic S-shaped curve on Peony Slope. Sitting in one of the front cars, you can look out upon the train winding its way like a long dragon behind you. Tsai Yi-ju noted that on this steep and winding section of track, trains often need to add a second engine.

Houtung was once a famous mining center, and there is an abandoned mining building near the station.

Moving Heaven and Earth

We arrived at Shuanghsi, a peaceful mountain village. Though the station is small, this is where the Pinghsi spur once veered off to the coal mines. Now the town is a hot spot for weekend outings. There used to be signal box at one side of the station, much the like the towers used to direct traffic at airports, which gave the place a certain cachet.

Walking along the path beside the tracks for some 100 meters, you can see the mouth of the old Sankuatzu Tunnel in the cliff across the Keelung River. Two years ago a typhoon blew down the vines covering its portal, allowing it once again to see the light of day. The typhoon also made it possible to make out the cursive "grass" script in which is written, "Sincerity that moves Heaven and Earth." Tsai Yi-ju once climbed that hillside and discovered that the phrase was attributed to Akashi Genjiro, a governor-general of Taiwan during the Japanese era.

While the entrance to the tunnel may not look like much, the phrase "sincerity that moves Heaven and Earth" suggests immense power. One can only imagine how happy and relieved people must have been when the centuries of obstacles presented by the Santiaoling Range were overcome by this hole through the hills.

Back a century ago, before the tunnel, if the pioneers wanted to enter or leave the Lanyang plain, they'd have to make an arduous journey on foot that would take three days and two nights. According to Hsu Hui-lung, who has thrown himself heart and soul into researching the history of the Lanyang plain, late in the rule of Qing emperor Qianlong (1736-1796) a Taiwanese aborigine of the plains walked from Taipei to Kavalan. From Wanhua, he walked to Hsichih, Nuannuan, Shuanghsi, and Kung-liao, and the journey entailed traversing the ranges of Santiaoling and Tsaoling. While many started on this trip along the ancient road from Tamshui to Ilan, few were rugged enough to brave the elements and actually finish it-hence the expression, "Three stayed behind, two died and five turned back."

In 1886, when Taiwan Provincial Governor Liu Mingchuan was overseeing the building of the railway from Taipei to Keelung, plans were made for a "convenient road from Tanshui to Ilan," but the funding needed for such a massive engineering project would never be allocated.

In Chiaohsi don't miss soaking in the town's famous carbonic-acid hot springs. Early one morning a few grandfathers were taking their baths, so women were asked to please keep out.

The lonely green slopes

After Santiaoling, the next stop on the line is Houtung, another small mountain town. Along with nearby Juifang, Shuanghsi and Pinghsi, Houtung was once a bustling center for coal mining which offers testimony about those back-breaking shifts far from the light of day.

Many movies and music videos are now shot here. For instance, the video for the Taiwanese song "Train Station," which was very popular a few years back, used this setting to capture the feel of Taiwan in the 1950s. A scene in Wu Nien-chen's 1994 film A Borrowed Life, in which the leading man was shown pushing coal from a mine, was shot in the nearby Shengfu mine.

By the side of the track is an abandoned Juisan Mining Company building. After ascending steps at the side of the building, we traversed a bridge built especially for the mines. You can still see abandoned rails and carts. The bridge passes over the Keelung River, and amid the lush grass on the opposite hillside we found the remains of a Shinto shrine from the Japanese era. Calling it a shrine is pushing it, because the structure itself has disappeared, leaving just its two arched gates in their original positions on the stone stairs.

Climbing the stairs, we saw mountains every way we turned. Since this is a very wet area, with much rainfall, the roofs of the buildings on the lower slopes are all covered with bituminous felt. These black roofs are trademarks of the Chiufen-Santiao region.

In Toucheng, the first Chinese settlement on the Lanyang Plain, the Ghost Festival culminates with the tradition of setting up towers and climbing them.

Scenery from the local train

Sitting on the local as it shook and jiggled, I noticed that most of the other riders were elderly. Some of these grandfathers went so far as to stretch out on the seats for a nap. A grandmother had a shoulder pole with bamboo baskets full of vegetables that she was bringing to market. A few aboriginal women wearing broad-rimmed rain hats and carrying bamboo baskets got off in Tahsi on the way to odd jobs in nearby harbors. An old man walked through the car, announcing that he was selling taro ice, one scoop for NT$5. He told me that he had been selling ice on trains for 20 years.

Do you remember 20 years ago how this local used to be jam-packed? As soon as the train pulled into the station, adults were hoisting children in through the windows. The children would claim seats for their families by stretching out upon them.

Now, except for before and after school, passengers are sparse and the mood is laid back. It's no problem for one person to use two seats. While some people may specially choose the local for reasons of nostalgia, the equipment on the train is mostly old and dirty, causing many passengers to stop riding. It makes one wonder if "old" must equal "dilapidated." It's a point worth mulling over.

Through the tunnel

Continuing on south from Fulung, we entered a two-kilometer tunnel through Tsaoling. The old Tsaoling tunnel, should you want to explore it, is about a half-hour walk from the Fulung station on the small road that runs alongside the track.

Over its red brick portal are characters in cursive script that mean "Conquering the Natural Barrier." The phrase on the other side is "National Cloud Flying Place." Work began on the tunnel in 1932 and went on for three years. It posed the toughest engineering challenges for the construction of the Ilan line. "Before the North Link Railway was built, this was the longest tunnel in Taiwan," noted Tsai Yi-ju.

Before the tunnel, people had to use the old stone-paved Tsaoling trail to traverse the mountain. Today people walk the trail out of interest and to get exercise. The trail itself hasn't changed-but people's perspective has.

Imagine what it must have been like 72 years ago when the tunnel was completed and suddenly the Lanyang Plain was no longer isolated. As young and old alike approached the tunnel, how they must have shouted and jumped for joy! Hence the lyrics to a famous Taiwanese folk song, "The train, ah ma di da dew, goes through the tunnel, and the water drips down."

Of course there are many explanations regarding the origins of this song. Some say it is a love song. Others argue that it is a gambling song used when throwing coins. But most people say that the song is about this tunnel.

Fairy mountains in sea mists?

As soon as the train pulls out of the Tsaoling Tunnel, one has a wide view of the big, blue sea. The train winds along the coastline, and from out the window one can see the surging waves of the Pacific Ocean. When they break on the coast, they create beautiful flowers of surf. Turtle Mountain Island, which seems suspended in the water, is now in front, then behind. "When we were kids we all thought that the turtle was turning its head," said a Miss Tsai who grew up in Su-ao.

It turns out that the track takes a 180 degree bend right opposite Turtle Mountain Island, which results in the illusion that the turtle is turning its head. In any case, for the residents of Ilan, Turtle Mountain Island is a landmark close to their hearts. When a train pulls within view of the island, their spirits pick up, knowing they are nearing home.

Between the island and Toucheng is the famous Peikuan Scenic Area. The name Peikuan-or northern pass-comes from its easily defensible topography. It was considered of great strategic importance during the Qing dynasty.

Along the coast are the famous "tofu rock" formations. Because of the variable porosity of this sedimentary rock, the ocean waves have cut it into cubes that resemble chunks of tofu. They are so regular that one wonders if the waves, in working their erosion, first pulled out a measuring tape. If you'd like to visit Peikuan, you can board tour buses in Kuishan or Toucheng. Otherwise you can get off the train at Kuishan and walk along the coastal highway from there.

A forgotten city

Two centuries ago, Wu Sha led some 1000 unmarried men from Changzhou, Quanzhou and Guangzhou and landed at Wushih Harbor to make a settlement in the wilderness called Touwei (First Stockade), which is known today as Toucheng (First Town). It was indeed the first town in the Ilan area.

The city has now been virtually forgotten in the northern corner of the Lanyang Plain, but 100 years ago Wushih Harbor was the plain's busiest commercial port. The biggest marine transport merchants of the era were named Lu. Their shipping and grain storage business was known as the "Thirteenth Firm," and its headquarters still exists today. In front of the Western-style building is a pond, which was originally part of a river harbor. Then the channel silted up, leaving this pond. Gnarled old trees grow prettily along its banks.

If you come to Toucheng, you shouldn't miss its old street, now named Hoping (Peace) Street. At either end are shrines to the local earth gods, which are said to keep the wealth within.

The short street is lined with old shops, many of which are typically Chinese in architecture. It has first-floor covered arcades on its southern side and also a Japanese building which dates from the second decade of this century. There is a long row of pillars out front, and in front of the main gate are knee-high double doors. These buildings show the development of urban architecture over the last century in Taiwan. Yet today many of the windows and doors are shut tight, as if their occupants have long gone. Other structures have been replaced with tall modern buildings, creating regrettable incongruity.

While the prosperity of the boom years has gradually petered out, the festival on the last day of "ghost month" (the seventh month in the lunar calendar) still creates great hubbub once a year, when thousands of tourists flood into Toucheng to watch the traditional qiangku tower-climbing competitions.

Hot springs without the smell

With the day already coming to a close, we boarded the train once again and headed for Chiaohsi. We were staying in an area famous for hot springs, so we prepared to wash away the day's fatigue. With no less than 50 hot spring hotels lining the street on either side of the station, there was no need to worry about finding shelter. These hot springs are of the non-smelly, non-colored carbonic-acid type, and so when you turn on the tap and don't get that strong smell of sulfur, don't jump to the conclusion that the proprietor is trying to stiff you with just regular old hot water.

The next morning we rose bright and early to take a look around town. Next to the public baths is a large patch of vegetables, containing those famous Chiaohsi hot springs vegetables. Because the hot springs water of Chiaohsi contains lots of minerals, has a temperature suitable for vegetables, and flows year round, these vegetables thrive even when the cold weather comes.

Using hot springs water to irrigate water convoluvus makes it grow to great size without being overripe. The sponge gourds are plump and firm, and they won't go dark when cooked. The whites of the water oats are really white, and the greens truly green with absolutely no black bit at the core.

Chiaohsi has a Hsiehtien Temple, which is the largest temple devoted to the deity Kuan Kung in all of Northern Taiwan. The temple now in use was built in 1964, and its stage, which was originally at the door to the old temple, was built in 1925, making it the oldest wooden operatic stage in all of Taiwan.

But coming this time, we knew that the old stage would not be there for us to see, because the temple's committee had decided last July to tear it down on the grounds that it was too small. While there were many loud calls for preservation, the old stage couldn't escape the fate of removal, and today it sits abandoned in a warehouse made of metal sheeting behind the temple.

In recent years, with the rise of "educational tourism," tourists looking at guidebook maps on the trail of historical monuments have all too often found that historic structures have disappeared-not just torn down, but frequently gone without a trace.

The Su-ao cool springs

South from Chiaohsi, you pass the major stations of Ilan and Luotung, where most passengers either get on or off. The scenic vistas of the mountain towns have been replaced by views of city buildings. The tourist attractions in these two cities are far from the train stations, and weren't on this trip's itinerary.

Su-ao, the final stop on the Ilan line, is site of the Su-ao Cool Springs, which are famous all across Taiwan and even over all of Southeast Asia. Besides those of Venice, there are none like them in the world.

Here the water temperature stays at about 22_C. The water quality is clear and clean. It's a carbonic-acid spring, and is said to cure skin diseases and to make the skin beautiful. By adding sugar and spices, you can make an economical soft drink. If you wash in the hot springs of Chiaohsi and then make for the cool springs of Su-ao, then you really will have run the gamut from hot to cool.

There is a Taiwanese poem of 1700 characters that describes all of the stations from Taipei to Su-ao and spurs memories of our two-day, one-night railway trip to Su-ao and back: "The train leaves from Su-ao with a view of ocean waves' white surf. . . After Chiaohsi it's onto Tingpu, while the train keeps chugging along the track. . . . As Tingpu passes, we enter Toucheng, famous islandwide for its qiangku festival. . . . Then Wai-ao, Kengfang and Kuishan, fishing villages one and all. . . . After Shihcheng, we reach Fulungchuang and the province's second largest tunnel. . . . Through Santiao we come to Houtung, where the coal keeps falling through the chutes. . . . From Houtung on to Juifang-dig a hole to see who's the mining king. . . . After Nuannuan it's Patu, where we walk down an underpass to change trains. . . ."