The tour resumes
Business in the Da Tong area is carried out in a considerably more relaxed manner than you will find in the city. There is no reason to rush to anything or hurry anywhere. During a grueling all-day expedition, one realizes that in everyday city life, time is money. In Da Tong, time is more than this.
On the second day of our visit, we were to find that the surrounding mountains are covered in so many Oolong tea farms that the air has a tea-infused fragrance. Oolong smoothies and frequent tea breaks between dips in various hot springs along the way kept us in a good mood all the way.
The hot springs and featured attractions at various villages in the area provided a relaxing time. In the streets, children played basketball with garbage can hoops. In the forests you could, for a while, feel like the only person on the planet.
The day was pleasant but the lectures about each tree, farm, village and factory did, at times, become exhausting. On the other hand, we learned more in one day than most visitors to the area would learn in a three or four days.
One point that was constantly reiterated throughout the journey was the locals' aversion to change. "We welcome anyone, anytime. This is a completely untouched area that is beautiful and it would be a travesty to see it changed by disrespectful visitors," said Wang Jin-fa (王進發), one of the guides, as we saw a pile of litter along the roadside, left by visitors from the night before.
The people and their culture
In Taiwan there are now officially 12 Aboriginal tribes, who have been living here, reportedly, since 3000BC. Each group has its own dialect and different long-standing traditions.
Today they have found it profitable to mix their traditions and in doing so have created a fusion of customs. Their dances, songs and colors of their clothes have become a heterogeneous hybrid.
The owners of one of the bed-and-breakfast stops, Lai wen-fu (賴文葍) and his wife Zhang Yu-mei (張玉美) said they were not so worried about business. They said their main concern is that people understand them, their culture and their ways. "We often have repeat customers. People come here and love and they will often visit more than once a year," Zhang said.
Aboriginals from the Ta Ya Zu tribe make up the majority of the 700 residents in town. They are well-educated, with a quick wit and a commitment to one another that is thicker than blood. They maintain a fire and passion for life that is reinforced by their appreciation for the finer things in life -- namely eating drinking, singing, dancing and an unyielding respect for all that nature provides.
At the end of my time in the area (which was curtailed due to the arrival of Typhoon Aere) I found a new appreciation for guided tours, in that they create a perfect blend of circumstances for emotional candor -- and in Da Tong I took full advantage. When it comes to falling in love with members of tour groups it is difficult to say for sure whether it is a function of the romantic setting, long days basking in sizzling hot springs and cool waterfalls or late night rice wine binges, but there is an undeniable potential for romance for singles and couples alike.
The bottom line is that if you need a break from your nine to five, watch-worshiping, cellphone dominated lifestyle, there is a place, a short two hours from Taipei that will show you what life's really all about.
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