Explore the immortal tribes of Yilan, Taiwan: the charm of aboriginal culture
If you can only go to one place in Taiwan, I recommend the Bu Lao Tribe! There are 16 indigenous tribes in Taiwan with a population of over 580,000, and the Bu Lao Tribe belongs to the Atayal tribe.
⭕️ Reservation☎️: Search for Bulao Tribe on LINE. It is safer to book two or three months in advance (only 30 people are accepted each day, NT$3,200 per person, in cash or by transfer).
⭕️ Gathering🚩: Gather at the foot of the mountain at 10 am, and someone from the tribe will drive down the mountain to pick you up (the gathering place and precautions will be notified on LINE before the trip). Follow the tribal members across a long suspension bridge, and then take a few minutes’ drive up the mountain to reach the living area of the Bulao Tribe.
⭕️ Food🍲: You don’t need to bring any food up the mountain, because from the moment you get up the mountain, the tribe members will let you taste the tribe’s specialties almost every ten minutes, from their homemade millet wine (unlimited supply), their own mushrooms/ginger/white radish, mature smoked pork, sweet bread, ginger/kumquat candy (help, this is the most delicious candy I have ever eaten in my life, we all wanted to buy it but they only gave it away). Lunch was served one dish at a time, and all the ingredients were the fruits of the labor of the Immortal Tribe.
⭕️ Visit animals🐑: The Bulao tribe raises 2 sheep, 2 pigs, 400 chickens and a dozen ducks. The two sheep are very naughty. They like to nibble on the corners of guests' clothes and follow them wherever they go. The pig is also very funny and will stand up and let guests touch his nose.
⭕️ Activities🥁: Tribal members will teach us how to identify ripe mushrooms to be picked, how to set hunting traps, the effects of various flowers and plants, hunting/weaving/knitting/dyeing culture, etc. After lunch, everyone danced and played games together in a slightly tipsy state. The language barrier between teammates was not a problem at all, and laughter was the official language at the moment. After the game, everyone pounded millet rice cakes together. They shouted slogans while pounding the rice cakes, and the girls also had to shake their buttocks, which was cute and funny. The rice cake dipped in honey was so delicious that everyone gobbled it up and held up their chopsticks for more.
⭕️ Invite volunteers🧑🏫: Every year, the tribe invites interested friends from all over the world to give classes to the tribal residents, whether it is professional knowledge, skills, astrology, or playing mahjong... As long as it is your specialty, they welcome you to take classes. The tribal members also took us to visit the guest room prepared for the volunteer teachers, which turned out to be a huge and luxurious room with a full mountain view.
⭕️ End of the trip🔚: At around 5 o'clock, the tribe members will drive everyone back to the parking lot at the foot of the mountain (it is very convenient to drive or take the bus), and give each person a souvenir (red bean cake and millet wine) before leaving. The tribal leader Guali said that if you miss them, you can eat a bite of rice cake, and if you don’t miss them, you can also eat a bite to satisfy your craving. The Bu Lao Tribe is truly the most unforgettable trip of this trip to Taiwan. Next time I think I will come as a volunteer.
#YilanTourism #TaiwanTourism #Aboriginal #Yilan #TaiwaneseFood