Renowned for its lush agricultural plains on the one hand and dramatic mountain landscape on the other, the central Taiwan county of Nantou’s greatest claim to fame is of a more dubious nature. Near the epicenter of the infamous 9/21 earthquake, it suffered some of the worst damage left by that event and was further battered by several typhoons that followed on its heels. More than a magnet for natural disaster, Nantou is home to cultural sites that include aboriginal settlements and some of the island’s oldest Buddhist temples.

On the face of it this sounds similar to the east coast counties of Hualien and Taitung, so we set of for Nantou to see what, if any, differences there are.

Nantou lies approximately four hours drive from Taipei, traffic allowing, and the roads are very good. For a weekend trip, it is recommended to get to Taichung Friday night then head to Nantou early Saturday morning, which is what we did. There are a plenty of motels in Taichung, which is great if you are driving. You can leave your car right below the room, safe and sound behind a locked door. Tales of car theft in Taichung abound.

These motels are more often than not, catering to a certain clientele-the "by-the-hour" customer as much as the overnight traveler. Still, you will find a very clean room, Jacuzzi, and the occasional vibrating bed, plus a safe place for your car for around NT$2,000 a room. If you are not driving there are lots of small hotels.

Those without a car need not worry, buses are frequent and with planning you can get wherever you want to go. You can probably do two of the following excursions in a weekend and Puli would be a good base. There isn't much to see there except the distillery, but it is a good base from which to explore the surroundings and it is easy to catch buses for Sun Moon Lake or the train for Chi Chi. More on that below.

Ching Jing Farm

The "Yamingshan" (read massively popular tourist destination) of Nantou is this mountainside farm. I use "farm" loosely here, because as far as I could see the "farm" consisted of 6 sheep and 4 cows. Still there is a lot of lamb served up in the restaurants in the surrounding area so one assumes they have a hidden flock somewhere.

Parking is a nightmare, so the best bet is to try and find parking near the tourist centre. Buses will drop you off here too and you can enjoy a Starbucks whilst you wait for the Nantou County bus, which will take you to the farm. Buses leave from the car park, "when the driver wants to go," which is about every 15 mins, The ride only takes 10 mins and costs $15 (although they don't take Easycard).

There are plenty of food vendors around this area and vendors selling the local produce of the season. In our case peaches and cabbages were the order of the day. And finer cabbages I have yet to find!

Entrance to the farm costs NT$100 for adults and animal feed is available at the door should you wish to let a ram get a bite to eat. Actually it is worth watching the tourists feeding the sheep - in most cases with disgusted or shocked looks on their faces.

The main attraction is the scenery. At over 2,000 metres elevation, the foliage is more European and the views are simply breathtaking. It reminded me of a scene from the Sound of Music, and I could imagine Julie Andrews running across a hilltop with the von Trapps. Instead, of course, there is the usual level of tourist noise. No matter, you can still find an area of grass to lie back and enjoy the clean air and space. If you crave open spaces, this is a good reason to come.

There is a mini adventure playground, which is fun for kids and adults alike. Surprisingly, it wasn't that packed on a weekend during the peak travel time of the year, which is April and May.

If you can, stop off at one of the tea or coffee shops on the road up to the farm. Many of them are perched precariously on the mountainside providing fantastic views.

Hydroelectric Power

The Japanese built an ingenious system of hydropower during their occupation. When the dams and waterways were finished the power was used for aluminium, steel and chemical plants. The Chi Chi line was constructed to assist in the construction of this hydroelectric marvel.

The system is still in place although it is gradually being renewed with new channels and power stations being built. Water is let out of Sun Moon Lake during the day when demand for electricity is at its highest then pumped back into the Lake in the evening when demand is smallest. For this reason you will see the level of water in Sun Moon Lake vary from the morning to evening.

An amazing network of underground aqueducts and pipes transports the water, and it is a testimony to Japanese engineering that the system is still in place after 50 years, surviving even the 9/21 earthquake.

The dams are quite beautiful and make for spectacular viewing.

Sun Moon Lake

The lake itself, it has to be said, is not that spectacular and the aforementioned dams are more beautiful.

The best thing about the lake is the boat rides. These are plentiful and cost around NT$300. The trips usually include a visit to the village across the lake, a visit to the island in the middle of the lake and a tour around the lake itself. You can plan on this taking 1.5 to 2 hours. There are new boats available, so check your boat before booking.

Book the trips from next to the very expensive La Lu Resort (rooms start at NT$12,000 a night). There are plenty of places to get refreshments and several other hotels around this area.

There are some English-speaking captains and they will give you as much information on the area as you like. Our captain, Grey, informed us that the lake, which is man-made, is 8.3 km2 in area. Although massively effected during the quake, most of the buildings have been rebuilt to a much higher standard able to withstand a quake up to eight on the Richter scale. We have to take his word for it.

The small island in the middle of the lake, Lalu Island, used to hold a small temple dedicated to lovers, but as the island sunk a few feet during the quake, this temple has been moved. A series of floating pontoons have now been placed around the island and wildlife has been encouraged with water plants forming the base of the pontoons. We witnessed an abundance of fish and birds around the pontoons.

It is worth a drive or hike around the lake and the road follows it closely. It should be possible to find a nice quiet spot for a picnic so come prepared. It is not seen as advisable to swim in the lake however. One reason put forward was that the water is not clean, and another theory put forward by more than one person is that there are piranha in the lake. Considering as there is an annual swim across the lake, it seems an unlikely theory but there you go.

The Hsao (Shao) Tribe

Across from the La Lu Resort is the small Sun Moon Village. The village is unremarkable in itself, but it is home to the newest and smallest tribe in Taiwan.

The Hsao tribe consists of only (reportedly) 280 families and was officially recognised by Chen Shui-bien in 2000. They do have a unique language and culture however and as such are distinct from the larger Thao tribe who are found in this area.

It is likely that you will be be invited to dress up in the traditional garb for free photos when walking around the village. Naturally this is very commercial, and although the photos will indeed be free (because you have to take them), the lure is to get you into their shop to buy handicrafts, royal jelly or tea.

The plus point of this is that the salesperson will almost certainly speak English, so you can find out more about the area and the tribe. The minus point of course is that it is very tacky. If you do take you their offer, be aware of what's in store. It's not as intense as in other countries in the area, and if you want to leave after a cup of tea without buying anything, it's no big deal.

There are places to stay in the village, expect to pay around NT$2,000 a room. The Hsao tribe celebrate their new year during Moon Festival, and it should be a fun place to visit during that time.

Tea

Interestingly in this area, black tea is grown as well as kao shan tea (high mountain tea). In Chinese, black tea is called red tea (hong cha), somewhat confusingly, but this tea is of the Assam variety brought in from India some 80 years ago to be exported to England. If you visit Tan Shui and see the shipping ledgers from the end of the 19th century you will see tea listed as an export to England. This is one of the areas where it was grown.

For my money, a bag of Sun Moon Lake Assam tea is worth it. It might be more expensive than buying it bulk in a major city, but the packaging and nutty taste provides a good souvenir.

Chi Chi (Jiji)

Very close to the epicenter of the 9/21 quake, Chi Chi is a small town, most famous for, you guessed it, the quake, which is also called the Chi Chi Earthquake in Chinese and one of the three branch rail lines in Taiwan.

The line, as we mentioned, was built by the Japanese (as were the other two branch lines) to provide support for the hydroelectric system. However, where the other two lines, the Pingxi and Neiwan lines are scenic destinations in their own right, the Chi Chi line is more functional than scenic. Trains only run every two hours and the ticket seller recommended we buy a return trip and not leave the train. The return trip only costs a bit more than NT$50 and provides a welcome air-conditioned break for the weary traveler.

The station was also built by the Japanese and made out of wood (unusual for buildings in Taiwan) and was heavily damaged during the great quake, which left it with a 20 degree list. The station has now been restored to its original state and now is also able to withstand a huge quake (again we take their word for it). It is quaint, but why they pump out the most ghastly music at ridiculous volume is beyond me.

Next to the train station is a museum dedicated to the earthquake damage and the rebuilding. The rebuilding of the station was seen as a major advancement in the post quake recovery of the area as a whole, which explains the emphasis placed on the quake. And the photos in the museum are truly amazing. In places the track was twisted to an unbelievable degree.

There is an odd windmill with a knackered dinosaur kind of theme next to the train station. More interesting is a small turntable with a steam engine which has been restored and is due to start special promotional journeys. The open but covered coaches will be great fun when the service starts.

Puli

There really isn't much to see in Puli, which is a small town. The major attraction here is the brewery and Puli is a good base for travelling around the area. If you don't have a car, then Puli is the best place to catch buses or the train to other destinations around the area.

Puli Taiwan Tobacco and Wine Brewery

The brewery itself was massively damaged during the great quake, and when you visit the brewery you will see a broken roof beam on top of a crushed vat.

There are two parts to the brewery, one being the major production area which is not open to the public, and the other containing some production, but also the visitor center and shop. The second floor has a gallery of photos showing the destruction both of the town and the brewery-pretty horrifying stuff.

Through local and foreign investment, the brewery has been completely rebuilt exactly as it was, which in some ways is a shame as the building itself is unremarkable. The shopping area on the first floor has all the Taiwan Alcohol and Tobacco Bureau products for sale and more. Health drinks and local ice cream are also available and you can try most of the products before you buy.

If you are in the vicinity, then it is worth dropping by, but it is not worth a special trip unless you want to stock up with Taiwan beer or the like.

Homestays

There are a growing number of homestays in the area, and if you have your own transport, they make a great alternative from a hotel. Basically they are bed and breakfast type places. Prices aren't always that cheap however, ours ran to NT$2,800 a night per room including breakfast.

Interestingly, there is little air conditioning in the houses; in fact the landlady's friends we met air-condition their chicken farm but not their house. Even though the temperature during the day was in the 30s, it was relatively cool at night, and with a fan it was comfortable.

The good thing about a homestay is that you can really learn a lot about the area, providing you can speak some Chinese. The place we stayed at was a large house bordering on the mansion, and there are plenty of them throughout Nantou. Clearly the farming business is doing well.

Being almost impossible to find, our landlady met us in Puli and we followed her back to the homestay. Drinking tea in her garden, it felt like a million miles away from the hustle and bustle of Taipei.

This is not the kind of place you stay then go for a night on the town, but then again there really isn't much in the way of nightlife in Puli anyway. A regular influx of the landlady's friends provided interesting conversation however, and if you visit in May you may be invited to go and see the fireflies as we were.

We were also taken to see some of the new construction, which was being done to repair riverbeds that were devastated during the earthquake and then further destroyed in the following typhoon and enormous landslides. This kind of thing is something that you will only get the chance to see if you have a local guide, and so I thoroughly recommend a homestay if you get the chance.

Conclusion

Nantou is a beautiful county and should be on the "must see" list when in Taiwan. Having your own transport is a huge bonus, so either drive your scooter down (it can and has been done) or think about hiring a car.

It is also worthwhile to see the damage that the earthquake caused first hand. The immense power of that event is something that cannot be described in words, but must be seen to be believed. Coupled with the immense beauty of the county, it really is a trip to another world.

You can see photos to accompany this story in the Gallery.