If you've ever seen those classical Chinese paintings of mountain ranges high up amongst clouds that drape themselves around them like milky scarves in a stone forest, then you have a good idea of what Taroko Gorge looks like. I'm not talking about the beginning few km's with all the temples and coaches, keep going further in where the coaches can't tread and you'll enter a whole different timescape. I kept expecting to see swordsmen in flowing robes flying through the trees.
What I'd forgotten about the on the map was that at a glance, the road through the Gorge was just a windy mountain road into the centerline of Taiwan. The reality is that its actually a really REALLY REALLY windy mountain road into the centerline of Taiwan, and it just goes up, and up, and up, and up.
At around 1600m above sea-level I finally dug out my trusty gps and checked out exactly where I was on my phone. I was exactly halfway through the Gorge, it was approaching 4pm, and the rain was getting heavier.
I was a good 2hours from Route 7, the road that would take me back up northwards. Then I looked again, Route 7 doesn't actually go back up to Taipei. Between the other other end of the Gorge and Taipei, there are some more mountains, Route 7 goes out towards Yilan, where I would've been 2hours ago if I had stayed on Route 9 from Hualien.
And the rain was getting heavier.
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