"I've always dreamed about visiting eastern Taiwan. When I heard about Working for Accommodation on Facebook, I immediately took the leap." Sun Chih, a backpacker from Hong Kong, is staying at the Kaaluwan Village permanent housing community in Jinfeng Township, Taitung County. Here he joins the village children in weeding the millet farm in the mountains and catching snails by the river. Sun has been moved by the warmth of Kaaluwan Village and has learnt many of the Taiwanese indigenous people's survival skills. Sun said that he will use social networking to introduce this very hospitable tribal village to his friends so more people can find about the rebuilt Kaaluwan.

According to the Reconstruction Council, Kaaluwan Village of Jinfeng Township, Taitung, was badly damaged during Typhoon Morakot. The Kaaluwan Village permanent housing community was completed in April, 2012, after three years of reconstruction. 105 houses were built for housing over 300 people. The housing of disaster-affected residents was the perfect example of safe reconstruction.

To help the new community at Kaaluwan Village, a permanent housing community, develop into a self-supporting Colorful Sustainable mountain village, the Reconstruction Council coordinated resources from different ministries to help local organizations cultivate skills in different areas. This has so far led to the establishment of the Kaaluwan Visitor Center, Mom-Luck Workshop and Bakery, as well as the organizing of the Kaaluwan Neighborhood Watch and village market.

In the spirit of "Sharing", the Kaaluwan Visitor Center launched the "Ina-Tapau Backpacker Hostel" Work for Accommodation program. The program successfully attracted backpackers from Switzerland, Australia and Hong Kong looking to experience the "slow living" in the region. The requirements are simple: work for accommodation. Applicants must be willing to work 2 hours as a community volunteer then share an article they write on their blog or Facebook about the Kaaluwan Visitor Center.

Sun Chih, currently a senior in International Media at Guangzhou's Jinan University, ended up here in Kaaluwan thanks to information from social networking. Sun is a native of Hong Kong and he is a fan of ethnic minority culture, and he has visited Tibet and Yunnan. This time, the backpacking trip allowed him to fulfill his dream of exploring eastern Taiwan.

As a student of International Media, Sun said that he knew about how Taiwan was hard hit by Typhoon Morakot. When he visited Kaaluwan himself however, the local people showed him the "disaster site" (riverbed piled high with dirt and stones) and told him many stories from Typhoon Morakot. Despite the reconstruction, he was still stunned by the raw fury of Mother Nature and impressed by the indomitable spirit and life force of the Kaaluwan Tribal Village.

The Kaaluwan Village permanent housing community has built a visitor center using traditional techniques. Apart from the Kaaluwan Visitor Center and Mom-Luck Workshop, there is also a traditional tribal house with a platform bed for 6 people. The open area outside of the visitor center can also be used for camping. Sun said that, on his first day here, it was so hot and humid that he decided to set up his small tent outside and sleep on the ground.

The village arranged for Sun to perform some minor chores like sweeping or joining the village people working on the farm or in the mountains. For tribal events, Sun helped with moving the furniture and clean-up as well. The village treated him like one of the family, so he ate whatever they ate and asked him to help out when they needed an extra pair of hands.

The Kaaluwan Visitor Center said that Work for Accommodation was a way to thank the outside world for their support and encouragement. They also hoped that the local and foreign backpackers' word-of-mouth advertising will bring more people to a rebuilt Kaaluwan. For more information, please call the Kaaluwan Visitor Center on 886-89-751192, or check their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JiaLanCuJinLuYouZhongXin

Backpacker Sun Chih and Chiang Cheng-kuang, president of the Indigenous People's Kaaluwan Disaster Self-help and Cultural-Economic-Industry Development Association of Taitung County

 

Backpacker Sun Chih was moved by the warmth of the Kaaluwan Tribal Village

 

Kaaluwan Tribal Village welcomes backpackers to visit on the Work for Accommodation program