How to Visit Ali Shan, Taiwan

Ali Shan is home to a leftover narrow gage railroad from the days of the Japanese occupation and logging operations. Now it is a sunrise headquarters, a chance to see cherry blossoms in season and a cool break from the heat in the summer time.

Instructions

1. Get to Chiayi and either take a bus (quickest) or the train to the Chu Shan (Celebration Mountain) area.

2. Book a room, but call in advance during peak times. The cherry blossoms are the biggest draw, but summer time is also busy as people travel there to escape the heat.

3. Get your wake up call at 4 a.m. and know that they will make sure you are up and out by 4:15 or so. You are there to see the sunrise and you still have to hike or take the train to the top viewing spot.

4. Take the train to the viewing spot. You can hike, but it's very early and the train is much faster. If there are crowds, the train ensures fairly front row viewing.

5. Wait for Mother Nature to awake. Enjoy the crowd setting up cameras and endless group shots. It really is an amazing thing to experience. The gray of the night gives way to the brilliance of the morning and the crowd is exuberant.

6. Find some coffee and a fried specialty and slowly make your way back down the hill on foot through the forest. What goes up, must come down and it is definitely best coming down slowly as you take in the landscape.

Tips & Warnings

• Dress in layers. The morning is cold and slowly warms up.

• Try some tea at the tea shops in Chiayi. They have the patience to explain all the nuances of the drinking tea and there are some very special high mountain oolong varieties that are wonderful.

• The mountain's altitude is around 8,100 feet. Drink plenty of water and take it slow.