NOTE: The pod village was torn down in 2009.

Nestled along a short stretch of coastline in Northern Taiwan lies a strange complex known as The San-Zhi Pod Village. This abandoned futuristic luxury vacation spot remains a complete mystery to locals and tourists alike. There are several stories surrounding the circumstances that led up to its abandonment, but no one seems to know exactly why or how the site fell into such a state of disrepair.

The wacky looking space village is located in San-zhi, on the outskirts of Taipei in Northern Taiwan. It was originally constructed for wealthy urbanites looking to escape the city on weekends.

The most popular story of its eventual decline claim a number of mysterious accidents ending in numerous deaths led to the halt of all construction. Locals believe the area to be haunted.

I heard about this incredible site from my friend, Craig Ferguson, who did a photo series last May.
And of course, in true globetrotting form, we added it to our ever-growing list of weekend motorcycle adventures.

As we sped down Highway 2 towards San-zhi last month, I thought it would be difficult to find, but the area kind of jumps out at you. If you miss seeing the giant candy-colored Smartie-like pods looming in the background, you won’t miss the massive broken-backed dragon that seems to hover over the boarded up entrance.

We entered through a broken window and made our way through the complex and out into the main courtyard. It was eerily quiet. It was so quiet, we could hear the crashing of the waves at the waterfront and the grass blowing. The pods were in various states of disrepair. Some had their entire roofs ripped off, others had collapsed in on themselves. It was obvious that people had been living in some of them. The sheer amount of destruction was mind-blowing.

We came upon a lively fish market at Shingang Harbor near Chenggong while traveling along Taiwan’s Eastern coastline. We found it by chance while looking for the Taitung National Aquarium, and once we realized we had arrived just in time to watch the local fishermen bringing their catch in for the day, we decided to skip the aquarium. This was the first time I had my new camera out. I love wandering through fish markets in Taiwan. Not only are they a riot of colors, taste and smells, but they are usually quartered in old ships. Sharks, rays, giant tuna, swordfish and an assortment of other fantastically colored fish are all on display.

The Formosa Naruwan in Taitung City treated us well after our long, tough ride over the the mountains along the Southern Cross-Island Highway. We had arrived in Taitung the previous night, after leaving Baolai at 9am and journeying for twelve long hours on the road.

The hotel is a 5 star luxury resort, featuring native aboriginal art, terrific food and a mighty nice spa center. We decided to take advantage of the money we spent and had a long, leisurely breakfast. We enjoyed the hotel’s buffet dinner and were happy to find that the buffet breakfast was included with our room. We didn’t leave Taichung until noon.

At first it looked like it we were going to have clear skies for the rest of the day, but our bad luck stayed with us and for the second day in a row, it started raining within an hour of getting on the road.

We made our first pit stop just outside of Taitung City at a place called, Water Running Up. I had heard of this place through our friendly neighborhood Lonely Planet author, Joshua Samuel Brown. Joshua was kind enough to mail me a signed copy of his 2006 anthology of short stories, Vignettes of Taiwan, which included a short story on his own journey up this same highway several years earlier.

Water Running Up, in Dulan, is a cute little place just off the highway. A small stream running alongside of a gently sloping hill is definitely running up at a disturbing angle. John and I both stooped to dip our hands in the water and followed it up the hill and around a well-manicured path before watching it disappear into some rocks. We took a few photos and marveled at the flagrant against nature and hopped back on the bike to enjoy more the Taiwan’s famous East Coast scenery.

A quick update about Joshua’s latest adventures. As I’ve mentioned before, Joshua recently left Taiwan after finishing his work on Lonely Planet’s newest Taiwan edition. He and his wife, Laurie, have spent the last few months traveling through Belize, where Joshua has been doing research for Lonely Planet Belize. He’s been blogging about his adventures at Snarky Tofu. His stories never fail to delight me. His next assignment is Singapore. Way to go Joshua! Taiwan misses you!

At the local fish market in Shingang Harbor, Chenggong, this woman literally stopped everyone in their tracks when she walked through with this giant sting ray in tow.

Happy Chinese New Year! John and I arrived in Hualian City from Taroko Gorge yesterday afternoon. We spent Tuesday and yesterday morning hiking around the heart of Taroko, in the tiny village of Tianshiung.

We enjoyed a romantic ride along the Hualian pier yesterday afternoon and then stopped to watch the waves crashing without another person in sight. Last night, we went out for Japanese hot pot and bbq. We watched the fireworks from our window before going to bed.

Our first day of traveling was great and we started to have high hopes, despite the weather warnings. On Sunday, the worst of our fears arrived in the form of rain. We were soaked after our first day, and every day since has been overcast and slightly drizzly. It isn’t terrific weather for using the new camera, but we’ve had it out when weather permits. We’ve been drying our things out with the hair dryer every night and I’ve discovered a nifty little use for shower caps. They keep your feet nice and dry if you wear them inside of your shoes!

All in all though, we can’t complain. The scenery is gorgeous. The fresh air is reviving and it’s really really nice to get away from the hustle-bustle of Taipei.

At the moment, we’re waiting for the rain to stop so we can pack the bike. We’re heading along the Eastern coastline today and tomorrow. It’s one of my favorite places in Taiwan. I never stop marveling at the beauty this country has to offer.

Fishing boat in Keelung Harbor.

The Eastern coastline of Taiwan is marine fishing territory and it’s no secret that the Taiwanese love their seafood.

All along the coastline, you can see networks of fishing nets floating on top of the water.  These large, stationary nets are set up running parallel to the shore and consist of four compartments.  After a fish enters the third compartment, it can no longer escape.  Fishing boats make as many as two trips a day out to the nets to collect their catch. 

Everywhere we looked, we could see fishermen out doing what they do best at, what seemed like, all hours of the day.  Life in these fishing communities seems to beat to a different drum.  One gets the impression that time is slow and stately here.  People follow the mantra of early to bed and early to rise. 

Taiwan’s ‘black tide’ (a flow of warm, tropical water) ensures there is an abundance of marine life to be found in the rich currents running through this area. 

The area is often pounded by typhoons and harsh weather.  The currents and rip tides in this area provide some mighty big waves.  I was startled to see the sleek heads of surfers bobbing in the water in several areas, despite the rainy, cold weather. 

Our final stop in Keelung provided a tantalising glimpse into the world of marine fishing. 

We stopped at a local seafood restaurant to sample some of the fresh local delicacies found in the area.  It was the best meal we had during the entire trip.  We gorged on giant prawns, lobster, baby clams, squid and a variety of other treats I wasn’t even able to identify. 

Keelung Harbor was once Taiwan’s most prominent port.  Koahsiung Port now has the honor of being able to claim this title.  Nevertheless, the shipping yard in Keelung is enormous.  Many companies use Keeling Harbor to ship goods to Taiwan, as Keelung lies near the center of the main shipping routes across the Pacific Ocean.  We stopped by the Keelung Harbor for awhile to wander through the fish market and goggle at the fishing boats. 

There’s fishermen on them thar rocks below.

John and I stopped to take a break and enjoy Taiwan’s scenic eastern coastline. Actually, we were so entranced with the sights, we probably stopped at least a dozen times that day, despite the windy and rainy weather that persevered over the two days it took for us to drive.

The Su-Hua Highway on Taiwan’s Eastern Coastline is a dramatic drive that everyone should experience several times in Taiwan. It’s also one of the most scenic highways in the world. I left a piece of my heart on that highway and now truly understand why people say Taiwan will touch your heart. The whole coastline is lined with odd rock formations, towering mountains and cliffs, rocky bottoms and crashing waves. After leaving Toroko Gorge, we arrived at a place where mountains literally meet the sea. Chingshui Cliffs are a testament to nature’s awesome beauty and power. These sheer rock walls plunge straight down into the sea from over a thousand meters high.

I especially loved seeing all the fishmermen out. What brave souls they are, to tackle these rocky shores for a fresh catch everyday. It spattered rain and the winds blew hard, yet we saw people on the rocky shores throughout the day. Some were walking the sea platforms, others were reeling in large catches, and still others were picking their way among the rocks with shoes in hand.

There are lots of nearly deserted beaches along the coastline. Most of them are rocky, but some of them boast fine sand as well. We stopped at this one for half an hour to walk the beach and search for smooth beach pebbles to take home for souvenirs.

We traveled from Taroko Gorge to Fulong that day. We were on the bike for 8 hours and arrived in Fulong shortly before 6pm. We couldn’t find our hostel, and when we stopped to ask for directions at another hostel, we were invited in to look at their rooms. They pointed us in the direction of another hostel (also owned by them) and we ended up looking at six or seven rooms before we found the hostel we’d booked at.

We also checked out the luxurious looking Fulong Beach Resort Hotel. Phone 886 02 2499 2381. Prices start at $4800 a night. There are also plenty of villas here for rent. We will definitely consider staying here for a treat this summer.

Hostels are interesting in Fulong. They all offer exactly the same thing but vary in price. The hostel we booked ourselves into was charging $1800NT for the night. It was the most expensive and when we asked why, we were told the room was more because it had a better mattress. “An extra $800NT for a better mattress?” I asked increduously. It seems so. Since we already knew that all Taiwanese mattresses are rock hard and not up to Western standards, we decided we’d save the $800NT and went to a cheaper hostel across the street. That night, we ate a quick meal of instant noodles and fell asleep on our rock hard mattress with dreams of cliffs, mountains, sea and sky dancing in our heads.