Sadimen Travels

Michella Jade Weng, Presenter:
Hello everyone, and welcome to Sandimen, home of the Paiwan tribe and this beautiful waterfall. It��s really lovely, isn��t it? And you know what? It��s only a ten minute walk from the Majia Visitors Center.

There are three tiers to this waterfall, and this is only the first one! Watching the water cut through rock, flow between them and hearing nothing but the sound of nature, can you believe this is just a few minutes walk from a parking lot?

This is the downtown area of Sandimen, and if you duck into one of the alleys, you��ll find yourself in an artsy little neighborhood.

The most popular form of art here is glass beads, an age-old tradition of the Paiwan tribe. There are all kinds of designs - modern, traditional, lavish, simple, and not just in beads. Take these glass figurines of Paiwan tribesmen, for example.

And if you��re inclined, there are DIY workshops for visitors to try.

Chen Guei-mei, Instructor:
This goes next to the red, in a circle like this. Make sure it��s within the flame. After yellow comes blue.
The yellow just turned red.
That��s because it��s so hot.
So the color will change back later?
After it cools, the color will revert to what it was originally.

For an interesting meal, try some Paiwan-themed food. We found it to be quite good.

Slate grilled wild boar with raw garlic is a classic.

Chunks of pork with glutenous rice or millet wrapped and cooked in leaves of shell ginger is quite flavorful and filling.

Paiwan sausages are a must-try as well. They��re stuffed with millet, taro flour and ground pork. Quite different from the usual kind you get at night markets.

Decent food, a great view and interesting culture, you might be like us and find that Sandimen is definitely worth swinging by when in southern Taiwan.