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2026年3月22日 星期日

Luye Terrace (Gaotai) 鹿野高台 (Taitung 台東)


(The) Luye Terrace or "Gaotai" (or "Highland") is in Luye Township.  It's where Taitung's hot air balloon festival is held every year.  If there's no traffic, it's about a half hour north of Taitung City. 鹿野高台顧名思義位於鹿野鄉 , 是每年熱氣球嘉年華舉辦的地方 。  不塞車的時候 , 從台東市開車到鹿野高台要半小時 。

If I had to guess, I'd say that I'm up there once a semester.  I give the place a wide berth during the hot air balloon thing, and at other times, well, there's just not that much to do in Luye.  It's a good view for sure, but the frequent traffic along Highway 9 often puts me off that particular destination. 我大概一個學期去一次高台,  我不想在熱氣球嘉年華的時候去 , 而其他時間的鹿野高台也沒有很吸引我。  雖然風景很不錯 ,可是想到去那裏的交通就讓我不想去。


This is the southern end of the Terrace, overlooking the East Rift Valley as it narrows toward Beinan.  The village of Longtian is directly below, with the Beinan River behind it.  The mountains in the distance are in the Coastal Mountain Range. 這是高台的南部 , 往花東縱谷看過去, 卑南在南邊 。 龍田在正下方 , 背靠卑南溪 ,  遠處的山是海岸山脈


Another look at Longtian.  There are a lot of houses for sale down there, but none of them are cheap.  A lot of people think they can make money in Luye, primarily because of its hosting the hot air balloon festival, but there's not much going on in this area during other times of year. 再看一次龍田 ,  那邊有多間房子求售 , 可是這裡的房子不便宜 。  很多人以為鹿野舉辦熱氣球嘉年華可以賺大錢, 可是沒有熱氣球活動的時候在這裡賺錢是不容易的。


Just behind the spot where I took the first picture above is this store.  It sells many things, but not all of these things have any connection to Luye.  I considered buying the souvenir coins from the vending machine in front of the store, but ended up buying a can of Mr. Brown instead. 在附近的商店 。  它賣很多商品 , 有些商品不一定跟鹿野有關 。  我考慮過買門旁的紀念幣 , 最後決定買一罐Mr. Brown咖啡 。


This is the inside of the store.  For the most part it offers the usual array of tourist trinkets, though there are a few more interesting things mixed in. 商店內部 。  有一半的商品是普通的紀念品 , 可是也有些比較特別的商品。

I have many memories of bringing my daughters to this store when they were little.  It hasn't changed much over the years. 我對這家店有許多的回憶, 因為我女兒小時我帶她們來過多次,這麼多年過去了, 它仍沒有什麼改變。


This is looking southeast again, from the eastern edge of the Terrace.  This is the main viewpoint.  That mountain in the center of the picture is where Luanshan is located. 從高台東部的主要觀景台往東南邊看 。  中間的那座山就是鸞山的位置。


The jumping off point for paragliders.  No one was doing so on this particular day.  It was too windy. 飛行傘的起點 。 那一天沒有人在玩,  風太大了 。


They're building a wooden walkway on the norther edge of the Terrace.  It'll probably take them a while.  I can't think of many reasons why anyone would want to walk either up or down this walkway, or where the walkway will lead to from the top of the Terrace. 他們在高台北部用木頭蓋步道 ,  這個工程大概要很長的時間才能完成 。  我想不出來遊客要走這條步道的理由 , 因為下面沒有什麼景點 。

They've built several things like this on the Luye Terrace over the years, things they think will somehow enhance the "tourist experience," but things which end up largely unused. 這些年鹿野高台有出現過其他類似的建設 , 鄉民好像覺得這種東西會讓高台更好玩 , 後來發現利用的遊客很少 。


The paragliding outlet.  Those "working" here seemed more occupied with their skateboarding. 飛行傘中心 , 工作人員忙著玩滑板 。


This deer is new(er).  The "Lu" in "Luye" means deer. 這隻鹿比較新 ,  "鹿野" 的鹿 。


The view from the observation deck on the high point of the Terrace.  The pasture in the foreground is where the hot air balloons sit in the summer. 高台觀景台上看到的風景 , 前方的草地是他們停熱氣球的地點 。


Again, it's a good view, but the winds can be a problem.  People wait in line for the hot air balloons for a long time, and a ride on one is never guaranteed. 風景很美 , 來坐熱氣球的遊客會在這裡排隊排很久 ,如果風太強,那你就不一定坐得到。


Near the main observation deck. on the western edge of the Terrace, is another gift shop.  This gift shop has a coffee shop attached. 再主要觀景台附近, 高台西部。   這家禮品店還附有咖啡廳 。


It's a nice place to sit, and the staff are very friendly. 坐這裡不錯 , 工作人員很親切 。


And this?  This is just a picture of branches.  I plan on including it in my forthcoming coffee table book, Winds of Impermanence: A Photographic Essay on Taitung's Physical and Emotional Landscapes.  Or is a more pretentious title possible? 這張呢 ?  就是些樹枝而已!   很有藝術感 , 不是嗎 ?


The view over the pasture looking north.  It's a great place for kids to run around. 從草地往北邊看 , 這裡很適合讓孩子亂跑。


Longtian again, looking north.  Lunchtime was fast approaching, and it was time for barrel chicken! 龍田北部 。  午餐時間來臨 , 要吃桶子雞喔 !

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2024年12月2日 星期一

Thoughts on Pasiwali


What's Pasiwali?  Where is it?  Who goes to it?  Why is it?  How is it?

Well, before attempting to answer the above questions, I should say that I'm no expert.  I've only attended this event twice, both this year and the last.  Any further back and you'll have to ask someone else.  It's not (necessarily) that I wasn't in Taitung then, but I never bothered with Pasiwali until last year.

For those less familiar with it, Pasiwali is a music festival held in Taitung's Forest Park.  It occurs over two days, and this year those two days were November 23 and 24.  

According to both Wikipedia and the festival's website "Pasiwali" means "going to the east" in the Amis tribal language.  East Taiwan (of which Taitung is a part) is where the majority of the island's aboriginal people live, so by "going east" they are, in a very general sense, returning home.

Pasiwali, it must be said, began as a much more local event.  I've heard it was originally hosted on a beach somewhere, and that back then it was much smaller in scale.  Over time, like the Taitung Open of Surfing, it became a much bigger event, drawing in tourists from all parts of the island.

Setting aside the question of how Pasiwali was originally conducted, these days Pasiwali takes place on the grassy field just inside the entrance to the Forest Park.  This year it started at 3 pm on a Saturday and ended late on the following Sunday night.  Many of those attending Pasiwali showed up early in order to stake out a place on the field in front of the stage.  

As you might imagine, alcohol flows freely during this event, though not always with the approval of the aboriginal people gathered there.  Some aboriginal people are very religious, and they often express a strong dislike of alcohol consumption.  When you look at the toll alcoholism and related social ills have taken on many aboriginal communities, this attitude makes a certain amount of sense.

Most of the musicians performing at Pasiwali are members of local tribes, though this year there was a metal band from somewhere in South America.  I don't know if there's some kind of rule in place as to the ethnic affiliation of performers.  Maybe it's an informal thing, or maybe few non-aboriginal acts are invited.  Whatever the case, I very much doubt that many of the food and drink vendors at the venue are members of local tribes.  Many of them look more like hippies down from Dulan.

I have two recommendations regarding Pasiwali.  These are: 1) get there early, both to find a good patch of grass and to locate those you want to be with, and 2) expect long lines for the toilets.  The toilet situation at Pasiwali is so bad that many men and women opt for the bushes instead, even though I've seen more than a few snakes in the Forest Park.  If you're not planning on staying long, go to the bathroom before you visit.  If you're planning on staying for several hours, have a plan B with regard to the toilet.

And oh yeah, beer.  It's much better to bring your own alcohol to Pasiwali.  I didn't see any beer tent there this year, though I did see one last year.  Whatever the situation with regard to the beer tent, it's much easier and cheaper to bring your own libations into the venue.  Waiting in line for the food is bad enough, but waiting in line for beer is a serious grind.

Comparing the two years I've visited, I did notice a rather marked change in the makeup of those attending the festival.  Last year seemed a lot more "aboriginal" to me, possibly because COVID worries were limiting tourist numbers.  This year there was a sizeable contingent of LGBTQ+ types, alongside a more general type of tourist just out for a good time.  It was as if the a pride parade and Kenting's Spring Scream had been imported into Pasiwali, not always, I later learned from an aboriginal friend, with the approval of those who'd been attending the festival for years.

Was this coworker describing some kind of homophobic or xenophobic undercurrent to Pasiwali?  To be sure, there's a more Christian/moralistic side to many (not all) aboriginal people's thinking, but I think that in this case my friend was merely talking about how more "woke" people had, to some extent, hijacked the festival for their own ends.  Many aboriginal residents came to Pasiwali to celebrate a certain kind of community, and injecting another agenda into that celebration was, in their eyes, somewhat offensive.

If it helps put this matter into a somewhat larger perspective, I was in Wutai Township, Pingtung County not long ago, and I was talking to a Rukai person about religion in their village.  "We decided nobody can be Buddhist," she said to me, "Because that kind of thing separates us.  We're all Christians here, nobody can be Buddhist."

When you think about it, the natural isolation of many aboriginal villages makes this type of group cohesion very important.  I'm not saying it works in every case, and I'm not saying that it works for every person, but abiding by certain rules of behavior can be a lot more important when you're living in a small village on the side of a mountain.  Seen in this light, the LGBTQ+ element was definitely a newer element at Pasiwali, and thus something to be treated with suspicion.  Don't get me wrong, there are a lot of "out" men and women from aboriginal tribes.  It was just that the effort to add more of a Pride element to Pasiwali hit some people the wrong way.

Aside from the LGBTQ+ group there were also tourists down from Taipei, Kaohsiung and who knows where else.  Those who behaved respectfully were, of course, welcomed with open arms, but there was definitely a subset of muscle dudes and bikini girls in attendance, and their skimpy clothing raised some disapproving eyebrows.

And no, I'm not trying to say that you're wrong for going to Pasiwali just to party.  I've been that guy a few times, and we can't always measure the appropriateness of our leisure activities against whatever habits, customs or cultures are present around us.  Being too "woke" in this context isn't that different from a Rukai villager deciding to advertise his/her Buddhism.  After a certain point you're just putting space between yourself and other people.

All of the above said, I'd like to state that whether you sang with your aboriginal friends or not, whether you flew the rainbow flag or not, whether you partied hard or not, I hope those who attended had a good time.  We all enjoy things in different ways, and as long as no one's getting hurt it's all good.

I wonder, however, if it might not be better to split this event into three separate events.  I'm not saying that the three groups described above can't get along (this is far from the case), but I wonder if those attending this year's event might not be better served by three festivals instead of one.  You could do a more local, more aboriginal festival somewhere closer to the mountains, a more LGBTQ+ positive event celebrating local pride, and a music festival open to any performer with the guts to get on stage.  These three events events would, I think, offer more focused cultural experiences for both residents and visitors in Taitung, and there wouldn't be anything stopping anyone from attending all three of them.

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