Wuling Green Tunnel from Luyeh district is sheltered with camphor trees and beef woods. It is most ideal for strolls, and the famous 2626 market is located just under this natural green tunnel.
Amongst which, one of the kiosks is particularly eye-catching as you can easily smell the unique aroma of the makauy thin crust of Italian pizzas from the entrance of the market. Standing there carefully roasting pizzas is the bearded Johannes from Germany. His red face is filled with joy, making all feel like home. ‘I moved to Taitung from Taichung. Before deciding to live in Taitung, my wife and I often came travelling to the east coast for vacations.’ He said that after working and living in the busy Taichung and Taipei for a while, he often dreamt about moving to eastern Taiwan. ‘Four years ago, my dream came true. We have since then lived in Luyeh after arriving at Taitung. The longer we have lived here, the better we find the place!’ Johannes said with a smile.
The winding Tai-Chiu Line in East Rift Valley presents scenic wonders must different from that of the east coast. All you can see are paddy fields after another, turning a gradational yellowish green for paddy rice that matures at different times. With the occasional ray of sunbeam through layers of clouds, paired with high-rise mountains and peaks, you can easily find serenity and peace in the heated summer away. Johannes can see such picturesque scenery from his kitchen window on a daily basis when he cooks. ‘Luyeh is a beautiful place. It is a great community with wonderful neighbors. We stop searching for other places to live in and simply decided to reside in the area.’ From renting a house to buying one, he and his family now live in a bought house, a warm house.
From working as a digital designer to one that sales pizza and saucing, Johannes called the transition a ‘wondrous experience’. ‘At first, a friend invited us to set up a kiosk in a small market in Longtian Village. However, German cuisine is too troublesome to cook, so we sold sauces like mushroom sauce, etc.’ He never expected to receive such positive feedbacks and inquiries at first, which led the couple to start to develop sauces of more flavors. From a bottle of saucing, the couple now runs a restaurant that serves small groups on booking. ‘We receive diners just like how we received great friends. We invite diners to cook with us. From the preparation of ingredients to putting food on the table, we may exchange with one another by cooking together, and finally enjoying the table of mouth-watering dishes. This is our ideal way of providing meals for diners, and it is the way we are heading right now.’ Johannes said.
By setting kiosks at markets, they have met many people. Johannes’s favorites are his most talented neighbors. ‘My neighbors have their own organic vegetables, some roast coffee beans, and other make hand-made ice cream, etc. We often exchange food and ingredients. Everyone is friendly, and I am really happy about such a lifestyle!’ The slow pace of living gives him more time for in-depth exchanges with local residents. ‘In comparison, residents of Taitung are much ready to accept diverse cultures compared to rural areas in Germany.’ He said, ‘If someone that is obviously non-German is to move into rural areas of Germany, local residents may have to observe for a while before being willing to communicate with the out-comers.’
In terms of objective conditions, Taitung’s clean air and beautiful mountain and sea scenery welcomes every visitor to take a minute and enjoy. The warmth and satisfaction created by the passionate and friendly Taitung residents are more than enough to attract visitors to cross mountains and valleys for visits after visits. Such joint attractions are best proved by Johannes’ blueprint of his Taitung dreams.
Mark
About 2626 market:Apart from its picturesque views, the market offers a large variety of vegetables produced by Taitung’s small famers and tribal handicrafts. To promote high-quality local products, Yong-an community of Luyeh Township along Tai-Chiu Line has organized to host the ‘Taitung 2626 market’ in the evergreen Wuling Green Tunnel. The market opens from ‘2’ o’clock to ‘6’ o’clock on Saturdays (‘6’) every ‘2’ weeks. Taking strolls along Wuling Green Tunnel, tourists may encounter organic farmers’ products such as tea, coffee, hand-made biscuits, hand-made cakes, honey products, seasonal vegetables, cultural and creative handicrafts, environmentally friendly products, healthy vinegars, hand-made soaps, etc. on casual treasure hunts.
