Searching in the Frost for a Red Maple

"Ao Wanta" is a name which may seem somewhat unfamiliar to you. If you are told its other name--the name given it by the news media--perhaps you will have a clearer image of the place. This rather more cumbersome name is "the-greatest-spot-on-Taiwan-for-the-appreciation-of-the-maple-tree."

"Ah, yes," you may ask, "now, just when is it that those maple leaves turn to that wonderful red I have so often heard about?" Well, due to the lack of any long-term research pertaining to this subject, there is unfortunately no definitive answer to this question forthcoming. From the time that the maple leaves begin to turn to the time that they drop from their branches there pass only two short weeks; if you're planning a trip to try to catch a glimpse of this seasonal splendor, besides simply depending on chance, you may as well take into account the advice of some people of experience. The Forest Bureau says your best bet is probably to go between the middle and the end of December. Mountain climbing enthusiasts will tell you their experience indicates that you can't miss if you go on the second day of the passing of the second cold front after the beginning of December.

The little town of Wushe is your point of departure for a trip into this colorful wonderland. Wushe is the governmental center for the Jenai district; here you will find the District Administration building, a public health clinic, and police headquarters. There are also restaurants, ten or so sundry shops, and a mountain products store which picks up much of the tourist trade selling lilies, black mushrooms, and a number of the exotic herbs used in Chinese medicine. If you haven't come on a national holiday, you will most likely find this to be a fairly typical, peaceful rural village.

As you say goodbye to Wushe and make your way towards the Wanta, you will find that the asphalt road is winding its way down along a clear blue lake, you are hedged on the one side by the deep green of the mountain trees; on the other side there spreads below you an expanse of placid azure water. The actual name of this lake which you are so admiring is "Green Lake," though it is also known as the Wanta Reservoir. When you reach the Taiwan Power Company's Wanta generating plant, you must stop at the sentry post. Here you will need to show your class A mountain area entry permit. Visitors are often heard to complain at this point: "What a pain in the neck!" It may be true that the sentries tend to hold up the flow of maple-lovers into the area, but they also have the positive effect of reducing the amount of litter that people may leave behind them; and also of helping to allow the forest area to continue to expand unhindered by human interference.

After passing through the only tunnel in the area you will come upon a second sentry station, where you must again produce your entry permit. Beside the station you will see a lone cherry tree in bloom, taking a chance in this first chill of winter, meekly stretching forth a few pink blossoms from amongst the bract, bringing already the promise of an early spring in the mountains.

From here your spirits will climb with the gravel road as you move on up the Wanta River valley, for the answer to the question which has been on your mind since you started on this journey--is it--are they--red? is soon to be known.

Now you have arrived at Taipower's Wanta generating station's water inlet. Climb the hill behind the inlet, cross the hanging bridge, and enter the maple forest. Are you disappointed? This year's cold fronts are moving in late; the leaves are turning on only a few trees now, in these first days of December. Most of the leaves are turning more of a golden color; well, there are a few that are red.

Anyway, you don't see a great, red expanse of forest. As you carefully inspect your surroundings you spy one--one amongst a large cluster of maples--reaching, soaring alone up towards the sky. Though the leaves are way up there at the top, still there's a tourist over there who can't seem to keep himself from stretching his neck, hoping to get a better look. Maybe it's because everything else is so green that this one tree, with its layers of gold and yellow leaves, seems to steal your eyes away.

As you saunter casually on, deeper and deeper into the forest, you take a step and find that your foot has not come down on firm ground, you are trodding on layer upon layer of fallen leaves--maple leaves. As far as your eyes can see are the almost perfectly straight trunks of the maples, near, far, in every direction, unevenly dispersed across the floor of the forest; the brown, the green, the yellow leaves--all these combine to create an atmosphere entirely different from that of the bamboo forest at Hsitou. It almost seems as if you have found yourself in the carefree surroundings of some northern land.

The new-found popularity of the maple forest has brought a fair amount of added responsibility into the work of the people at the Forest Bureau and Taipower. The Forest Bureau, in response to the daily influx of tourists and in order to better uphold safety standards while at the same time promoting public recreation centers, has made plans to develop step by step a new public camping area here. (At present the area is still not actually fully open to the public.) On the other side of the fence, the people at Taipower are concerned that the opening up of the area may cause some obstructions in the operations of its facilities (such as the possibility of garbage intruding into the machinery), and for their part they have expressed sincere hopes that the Forest Bureau will make careful provisions for both development and safety.

[Picture Caption]

The carpet of leaves on the forest floor brings the flavor of autumn, even in winter.

If you don't succeed in your search for the elusive red leaves, you may choose to simply enjoy the peace and solitude of the forest.

The red leaves of the maple are even more striking against the blue of the sky.

Although they are but a few, the brilliance of their red makes these a rare find indeed.

The blue waters of Green Lake and the azure of the sky seem to reflect each other.

The dinner bell at Taipower, used to call the workers in from the forest.

The interior of the Taipower dormitory retains the woodsy atmosphere of the forest outside.

Ao Wanta Tourist Map [Picture]

Ao Wanta Tourist Map [Picture].