A Hualien County resident’s encounter with a large group of mud-covered tourists at Luozai River (螺仔溪) on Saturday last week has raised questions about the misuse of local resources.
The Fuli Township (富里) resident, surnamed Chang (張), on Monday said that he and his group of family and friends were shocked when a group of tourists covered in black mud approached just after they had parked near the Luoshan Waterfall (羅山瀑布) on their way to go swimming.
Chang said he was later told that the tourists were taken to the waterfall by a non-local tour guide who filled several buckets with mud from the nearby Luoshan Mud Volcano (羅山泥火山) and the tour group had caked themselves in it.
Photo courtesy of a reader
Another local, surnamed Yang (楊), who was with Chang’s group, said there were about 30 swimsuit-clad females in the group.
They were led by a female tour guide who was also wearing a swimsuit, Yang said.
“They were even removing their swimsuits to cover their private parts with mud,” Yang said. “It was an embarrassing situation.”
Yang said the tourists spoke with Chinese accents.
He said that the tour guide was encouraging them not to be shy.
The tourists even invited Yang and his friends to join them.
When they had finished covering themselves in mud, they washed it off in the river, turning the clear water black, he said.
Yang said the mud might cause discomfort due to its alkaline nature.
It is often used by locals as a heat source to stew tofu, he said.
East Rift Valley National Scenic Area Secretary-General Wu Che-hung (伍哲宏) said the mud volcano is a scenic spot and the muddy areas are fenced off.
It is prohibited to cross the barriers, Wu said, adding that patrols would be stepped up.
Although it is also prohibited to swim in the river, which is administered by the Forestry Bureau, the bureau does not normally enforce the rules during the summer, as long as behavior is kept in check, Wu said.
The public is invited to call authorities if they see egregious breaches of the rules in the scenic areas, he said, adding that the East Rift Valley National Scenic Area’s Luoshan Office can be reached by telephone at (03) 882-1725.
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