February 20, 2008

Asia | Taiwan

Yanshuei: Combat & Cocktails

By Steven Crook

How to experience the world’s most dangerous fireworks festival — in five-star comfort.

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Not much can be done to make Yanshuei’s annual Plague Expulsion Parade a comfortable experience. Starting today, the world’s craziest fireworks festival sparks up for 48 hours in southern Taiwan — and without a full-face motorcycle helmet, you risk losing an eye. Without tip-to-toe fireproof clothing, your souvenirs from this tiny ancient town might include burns and bruises. And if you don’t spend hours on your feet, you’d see nothing of the world’s longest firecracker or the “beehive” firework bombs, which spew millions of bottle rockets over — and directly into — the audience. Think Pamplona and the running of the bulls — except you have to dodge missiles that move faster than any rampaging bovine. This year’s combatants (the term “festival-goer” doesn’t quite describe the adrenaline rush), can arrive and repose in luxury thanks to Barking Deer Adventures. The local boutique operator has packages that shuttle visitors from airport to festival to five-star-hotels in nearby Tainan (hotels in Yanshuei itself are run mostly as brothels). Optional add-ons include excursions to Alishan, a mountain resort ideal for clearing out your lungs and giving your ringing ears a chance to recover, or Guanziling, where you can rest your aching limbs in mineral-rich hot springs.