The growing number of Taiwanderers will be surprised to hear this. There is a maple forest in Hsinchu! While foreigners find it hard to go to Aowanda in Nantou just to see maple leaves (thanks to tripool taxi
https://www.tripool.app/?utm_source=luomuji, going there now, had become so easy), locals wait for the right time to witness the reappearance of Hsinchu's yellow maple forest.
From Taipei to Xiuluan in Jianshih Township. You can only get to this place if you have your own car. Being a DIY traveler, the only option is to rent a private car. From Taipei, the ride was smooth until my vehicle passed by Neiwan Old Street. The TRA's Neiwan branch line can only reach up to the Neiwan town and what lies beyond the hills is always a mystery for a lot of people. Mountains with hues of different colors, going to the secluded corners of Hsinchu was like a having a trip to Alishan.
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| Yulao Lookout |
Before you get to Xiuluan, you will pass by Yulan Lookout point. It's a viewing platform where most travelers make a stop to enjoy local delicacies and buy some vegetables. As expected, aboriginal sausages were the top pick, but the most striking was the millet-like plant that had been hanging on some of the stalls. In the town of Ita Thao in Sun Moon Lake, millet is made into mochi. It could be the same here in Jianshih.
The trip will continue to a river valley until you reach a quiet town. Welcome to Xiuluan, the place where the Baishi, Yufong and Taihang rivers meet. The body of water is a natural hot spring and you can build your own private tub by removing some boulders and letting some water fill inside the hole that you created.
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| selfie at the Xiuluan suspension bridge |
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| Xiuluan suspension bridge |
The rustling of leaves and the sound of the gushing water invites visitors to hurriedly cross the suspension bridge and find their way down to the riverside quickly. There were actually two suspension bridges in Xiuluan. The first leads to the maple forest while the second leads to the entrance of the Jhunyesheng Trail.
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| There is a limit of 30 people at a time when crossing the Battleship Rock suspension bridge. |
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| Battleship Rock |
I was excited to get close to the yellow maples until I noticed the so-called Battleship Rock. I was able to get close to it through the 60-meter long bridge where only 30 people can pass at a time. Locals follow this rule to avoid any accidents. Shaped like a hull of a ship, the Battleship Rock stood on the riverside. Showing its marvelous striations, produced by eons of weathering, sedimentation, and metamorphic processes.
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| a Formosan sweet gum leaf |
Tall yellow maple trees. A quintet to be exact! Seeing the foliage that is swaying freely against the wind, is the price for those spectators who got tired of looking at the leaves for a long time. Their necks have become stiffen, but their hearts would be filled by joy brought by the autumn colors that can only be seen every
December in Taiwan.
If you are interested to see Xiulian, tripool taxi (web app:
https://www.tripool.app/?utm_source=luomuji) can take you from Hsinchu HSR Station or TRA Hsinchu Station. There will be no need to be in a hurry because you can schedule your own return trip. The technique is, to base your travel itinerary on the train schedules at Hsinchu Station. The cool water of the rivers are really tempting to touch, so I bet that you will really want to stay for a long time to enjoy your trip. I have also designed a tripool taxi itinerary where you can visit in just one day, Neiwan Old Street, Yulao Lookout, and of course, the maple forest in Xiuluan.
Suggested tripool taxi itinerary on visiting Xiuluan Suspension Bridge, Yulao Lookout and Neiwan Old Street in just one day. If you want to follow this itinerary, then you have to make 4 separate bookings in the tripool web app: https://www.tripool.app/?utm_source=luomuji for each pick-up point - drop-off point pair. Up to a maximum of 8 passengers can be book in one ride
| Pick-up point | Drop-off point | Distance | Travel time | Estimated tripool taxi fare (NTD) | Suggested pick-up period at the pick-up point |
|---|
| # of passengers |
|---|
| 1 or 2 | 4 | 8 |
|---|
| Hsinchu HSR Station | Xiuluan Suspension Bridge | 52.8 kms | 1 hr 40 mins | 1,377 | 1,515 | 2,004 | 7:30 am - 8:00 am |
| Xiuluan Suspension Bridge | Yulao Lookout | 10.3 kms | 22 mins | 435 | 479 | 968 | 12:00 pm - 12:30 pm |
| Yulao Lookout | Neiwan Old Street | 23.3 kms | 45 mins | 638 | 702 | 1,191 | 2:00 pm - 2:30 pm |
| Neiwan Old Street | Hsinchu HSR Station | 20.8 kms | 35 mins | 564 | 620 | 1,109 | 5:30 pm - 6:00 pm |
