Who saw no Sunrise cannot say The Countenance't would be. Who guess at seeing, guess at loss Of the Ability. The Emigrant of Light, it is Afflicted for the Day. The Blindness that beheld and blest ? And could not find its Eye. --From Who saw no Sunrise cannot say by Emily Dickinson

Comtemplate the sunrise on Jhushan after an early morning walk through a spectacular landscape of valleys an trails. /Photo provided by Alishan National Scenic Area Administration

By Leo R. Maliksi/ Taiwan News, Staff Writer

It was an unforgettable feeling. Inside a rock-and-mortar house on Peru's Machu Picchu, I felt transported to a world filled with the voices of an ancient culture. The house roof - like those of the other houses - had probably been damaged in the course of time. A thick fog had descended upon the roofless room as clouds wrapped the whole village, hiding the sun. I felt chained to a past where according to legend, human sacrifices were done on this center of worship and astronomic observatory, the private retreat of the family of Inca ruler Pachacutec.

How different is the feeling from watching the sunrise on Alishan, home of the Tsou aborigines. Known as the "blue tribes," the Tsou preserved this area in all its pristine beauty. Standing on one of its peaks, the clouds form a sea well below your feet letting you gaze at the sun.

You contemplate the heights you have reached after taking in a spectacular landscape of cliffs, valleys, waterfalls and trails on the way. The terrain rises from 300 to 2,600 meters above sea level, filled with the color and the sounds of plants and animals.

Halfway to the top is Fencihu. At 1,405 meters high, its low central plains often fill with mist. Walking the old street of Fencihu Town, you see houses that rise with the hillside. Nestled among the mountains, Fencihu, known as the "Jioufen of southern Taiwan" is one of the station towns along the Alishan Forest Railway.

There is a newly built forest trail and several light walking areas nearby. The more adventurous can take the Dadong and Guanglun mountaintrails-a view to a breathtaking landscape is the crown for such an arduous trek.