Dulan 都兰: one-street town
Akin to a labyrinth that one might utilise for meditation purposes, there is one main road in and out of Dulan. Perhaps more accurately rather, the road runs along the East Coast of Taiwan and Dulan seems to have built itself on either side of it.
It was a challenge to stay interested in the everyday rhythm of Dulan. Day trip, lunch at the much-touted Vietnamese restaurant, check email, a very scrumptious okonomiyaki dinner at the Sugar Factory and social media surfing at the hotel while chilling with the resident dogs.
Another much-touted attraction in Dulan is the Moonlight Inn (月光小栈). It is a recreational spot of sorts, presumably with some accommodation, a cafe/bar and an art gallery. We can’t be sure because when we trekked uphill for over 2km, the place was shut. It was a Sunday and just about 6pm. The Taitung tourism website states exhibition opening hours as 10.30am to 5.30pm. Perhaps we should have checked first. Upon finding the place shut, it seemed appropriate to yell, “Doooo Laaaaaaan”, with emphasis on the ‘D’ and the ‘ah’. In Hokkien, “du lan” loosely translates to a feeling of intense irritation and frustration, primarily as a result of someone yanking on one’s nether regions (’lan’ refers to the penis). Of course, the residents of Dulan know this. They speak Hokkien, after all. Like water off a duck’s back.
Irritation aside, it turned out to be an extremely invigorating walk. And beneficial because we passed padi fields that whistled in the light breeze, residents and their animals winding down from the day, and a most magnificent sight of geese flying in formation to their evening roost.