Messing about in Meinung

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By virtue of its picturesque mountains alone, Meinung (美濃) township is worth a visit. Shortly after arriving on a warm summer afternoon, I watched the clouds and mist roll in and shroud the peaks, constantly shifting with the whims of a moody storm. It looked like a slide show of Chinese landscape paintings. By sunset, the skies cleared into hues of pinks and blue, leaving just enough time for a leisurely bicycle ride.

Provided there’s good weather, bicycling remains the best way to explore this popular traditional Hakka town. Most of the historical sites downtown can easily be covered within a day or two. Pleasing sites include the East Gate (東門樓) and Zhongzheng Lake (中正胡), which die-hard Meinung residents refer to as Meinung Lake (美濃胡).

Meinung has a set of color-coded bike paths that take you through many of its smaller roads. Though some of the lines aren’t very clearly marked, don’t worry about getting lost — the mountains should keep you oriented, or listen for the sound of cars to get back on to the main road.

Part of the fun, however, can be losing your way, as you soak in the sights of rice paddies, palm trees and running brooks. You’ll catch an occasional whiff of manure (you’re in the country after all) or the sweet smell of flowering betel nut trees. As you ride, look out for the kaiji bogung (開基伯公), or roadside altars, which look like headstones.

I stayed at the Home Inn (湖美茵), a genial guesthouse at the western end of town. The area offers a generous view of the mountains, which you can enjoy while sitting on a bench in front of a large pond. If you walk around the surrounding gardens, you’re bound to run into the inn’s pet geese, which seem to only be concerned with chasing each other.

A room for two runs NT$1,800 on weekdays and NT$2,100 on weekends, which may seem a little steep for the budget-minded, but the rooms are very well-kept and the grounds are scenic enough that you could spend the whole day sitting outside, lost in a book. The proprietor (and one of the leaders of the anti-dam movement), Sung Yung-sung (宋永松), comes out occasionally with a pitcher of cold, fresh mint tea, made from freshly picked sprigs of the herb. Otherwise you’re pretty much left alone; weekdays are especially quiet.

With its spacious grounds and large dining facilities, the Home Inn also accommodates small gatherings, with catered meals available on request.

Getting there is a little tricky, though — you’ll have to either drive or rent a bicycle by the bus station in downtown Meinung. It’s a 15-minute ride on a bicycle.

And thanks to the High Speed Rail, you can leave Taipei City in the morning and find yourself pedaling through rural southern Taiwan by the early afternoon.

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