handsome American explores Taiwan's coast

This past weekend I explored the East coast of Taiwan along a 5-hour highway that runs parallel to the island. The Pacific ocean splashes against a long stretch of giant green mountains, making it maybe the most beautiful drive in Taiwan, and probably among the most beautiful in the world. My pictures do not do justice to this place (most of them can be seen in the post below).

The Japanese (who ruled Taiwan from 1895 to 1945) built the road we drove on in the 1920s and 30s at great cost and effort; it winds its way up mountains and smashes through others -- all inches from the Pacific ocean, churning hundreds of feet below.

I was accompanied by two friends who know the area well. We rented a Toyota and in one very long day drove down the coast and right back up again. One of those friends, Evelyn, drove most of the way.

Evelyn's father is French, but she grew up in Brazil and Taiwan. Evelyn's driving, like her mixed roots, is an unlikely combination of European nonchalance and third-world frenzy. As we swept blindly around sudden corners -- teetering along massive cliffs with only a thin metal rail seperating us from a fall of hundreds of feet to the ocean below -- she would sometimes abruptly add a burst of gas and plunge into the oncoming lane, trying to outpace a slow-moving truck blocking our way. Indifferent, in a European way, to the wails of her worried passengers, Evelyn's strict enforcement of a self-imposed rule "never to use brakes" sounded a note more fitting to the frenetic boulevards of developing countries. As frightening as it sounds, her mixed-culture driving was impressive.

For those of you who know Taiwan, our trip included stops along Taroko gorge and terminated in Hualian. I drew our route in red on the map. See below for more pictures.