Taiwan police help stranded Indonesian female hiker find place to stay overnight

台灣警方協助受困印尼女登山客尋找落腳點

After hiker descended to trailhead, she found herself stranded with no buses or taxis


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan police have recently helped an Indonesian female solo climber stranded on a mountainous highway in central Taiwan find a place to stay overnight.

A female climber from Indonesia recently went to climb the Hehuan North Peak in the Hehuan Mountain area, CNA reported Tuesday (Feb. 14). After she reached the summit and came down to the trailhead, it was almost 5 p.m., and the last minibus operated by Nantou Bus and all taxis on the mountain had left, so she walked aimlessly towards Wuling along the mountain highway.

Police officer Peter Lai (賴彼得) of the Hehuan Police Station was driving back to the station when he spotted a woman wrapped up in winter clothes and stumbling along Provincial Highway 14A by herself at dusk, appearing helpless and lonely, according to CNA.

When Lai crossed paths with the woman, she seemed too shy to wave for help, according to the report. However, Lai saw from the rearview mirror that the woman had turned her head to watch the patrol car drive past. The officer turned back and asked the hiker if she needed help, the report said.

The hiker removed her shayla and identified herself as “Xianni” (仙妮) from Indonesia. She expressed in imperfect Mandarin that she was heading to Taichung Station, but there seemed to be no buses available.

At first, the officer drove her to Wuling, trying to find tourists to give her a ride to Qingjing to catch a bus down the mountain. However, when he arrived at the Wuling parking lot, no one was there, according to the report.

So, Lai drove her to the Cuei Fong Police Station of the Nantou County Police Bureau for help. There Xianni expressed her wish to find a place to stay overnight and then catch a bus down the mountain the next day. Lai and Cuei Fong Police Station Chief Chang Sheng-hua (張勝華) helped her find an affordable bed and breakfast in Qingjing.

Riding in the police car along the winding mountain road, the Indonesian hiker got carsick and vomited. The two officers and the female owner of the B&B helped clean after her so she could rest early. When the two officers were about to leave, Xianni thanked them repeatedly for getting her to safety.