Nearly 100 passengers hopped aboard an old steam train in Taiwan this week, as the annual cherry blossom season entered full swing in the nation’s scenic mountains.
The special cherry blossom-themed train chugged up Alishan (阿里山) in the southern part of the main island for a scenic six-hour journey on a heritage line that dates from Japanese colonial times and was originally a logging railway.
“It’s quite novel and the cherry blossoms are really beautiful,” train passenger Chang Ya-jou said.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
“When the steam train turns, the view out there is magnificent, especially when it passes by the snow-capped Yushan [Jade Mountain, 玉山]. It is truly beautiful,” Chang said, referring to the nation’s highest peak.
The narrow gauge railway is one of Taiwan’s most popular tourist attractions, and only fully reopened last year following damage from typhoons and earthquakes.
This is the eighth time the special train has been organized.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
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