Alishan's Trails and Bamboo Feast

Over 140 years old, this trail in Ruili is one of the more challenging ones in Alishan. It��s 5.2 km of what seems like nothing but stairs. Oh but there are plenty of views to look at when you��re catching your breath, like insects, beautiful trees and a suspension bridge that crosses over a valley with a river that runs through it.

The Bat Cave and Swallow Cliff are the most popular attractions here.

Lin Men-syuan,Guide:
Michella Jade Weng, host:
Are there really bats here?
Yes, several thousand.
When there are lots of people, they go elsewhere.
This came from the ocean floor and used to be ant holes.
Ant holes?
Yes, ant holes.
Over there, there are lots of swallows. In the morning, swallows like to take shelter from the rain there. So it��s called ��Swallow Cliff.�� Swallows like to go there because of the water.

This trail might be a bit tough for most people, but a walk through this nearby bamboo forest is practically effortless, and it��s so beautiful that in pictures, it��s mistaken for famous places like Arashiyama in Kyoto, Japan.

Speaking of bamboo, this is a feast of Alishan��s bamboo shoots.

From boiled bamboo shoots with sweet mayonaise to that cooked in soup, with chicken, fish or pork, there is a huge variety of cuisine made from the different kinds of bamboo here. They say because the cold slows the growth of bamboo, the fibers are thinner and the texture is much more tender. So the next time you come hiking in Alishan, don��t forget to try the panda food. Just kidding, I mean the bamboo shoots!