Alishan Forest

I have not had computer access in a while, so I'm doing a data dump here.

After climbing Jade Mountain, we stopped in Alishan National Park. I convinced the guide that I wanted to see the sunrise the next morning. It would be another early start (4:30 AM this time). You would think that such an early start would deter people, but the sunrise train is very popular and is one of the main attractions of the park. All of the people were funneled through the gates of the train station to the various viewing sites. A perfectly good sunrise was then ruined by sales men talking loudly on megaphones. I'm fairly certain that they were advertising local produce like teas and such. WHY AT 6:00 AM!? I spent the rest of the day walking through the forest, checking out huge thousand year old cypress trees. This place was beautiful and is a must see destination if visiting Taiwan.

Jade Mountain

My non-English speaking guide woke me up at 2:30 AM and we ate a little breakfast before heading out the door. There were many other groups from the hostel leaving at various hours in the morning to make the hike up to the peak. Our climb started at 3 AM from the parking lot. It would be about 22K round trip in a single day. Weather was clear and I could see bright stars in the sky on the way out. I know there were some steep drops that my head lamp couldn't see the end of, but I was extra careful in the dark. The first 8.5 K were a piece of cake. As the sun rose, it revealed a beautiful landscape which I could see for miles. We reached Paiyun lodge at 3400 meters above sea level well ahead of time. After a ten minute rest, we took off for the peak. The last 2.4 K was much more difficult with a steeper ascent. The last 0.2 K was a scramble up to the top. I was grateful that the weather was clear. To the east laid a sea of clouds where the tips of the surrounding peaks looked liked islands in a sea of white water. To the west, I could see far into the Alishan Forest. The return trip to the lodge was a bit sketchy at times, but I made it down without a scratch. The language barrier ended up not being an issue after all. However, I did have to remind the guide to speak to me in Taiwanese instead of Chinese for me to understand what he was saying. My Taiwanese language ability took a giant step forward this week due to it being the best way for me to communicate with the rest of the family. After a tasty instant noodle lunch, we were on our way back to the car. This time, the fog had moved in and the woods had been swallowed by the mist. The scenery was so different even though it was the same trail we walked earlier. It was a welcome relief from the blazing sun as well. The entire trip ended up being 9 hours (3 hours ahead of schedule). I was absolutely cashed at the end. It was a great trip overall and not as difficult as I had imagined.

below is a 360 deg video from the peak.

The reunion (Family only)

I feel very blessed to have a close family on both mom and dad's side. I suppose for me, I didn't really appreciate the family until I was a bit older. It just seemed normal from my perspective until I started meeting people who didn't have the same relationships with their family. The Wu's treated me like a rock star when I returned to Sinying. It was great to see everyone although many of the aunts and uncles have aged quite a bit. I also was able to learn a bit more of the family history and see my grandfather's childhood home (which is now being restored as a monument by the local government). The pictures are of various cousins, aunts, and uncles.

This entry is for my parents who haven't been back to Taiwan in a long while.

My head is going to explode!

Four hours of Chinese language classes per day is really starting to make my head hurt. I have made a lot of progress, but each day we cover so much new grammar and words that I'm not completely absorbing all of it. On top of that, my homework eats up a bunch of my time as well. I wish I had more time to thoroughly learn the language. I would take it a notch slower to enjoy my weekdays a bit more.

I just found out that my guide to Yushan peak does not speak English. This weekend should be interesting. I'm not quite sure what to expect, but I hope the view is nice at the top.

One side to the other

I didn't realize how much ground I covered this weekend. After leaving Hualien, I returned to Taipei for a few hours. Just long enough to swap out some clothes and grab lunch. By three o'clock, I was back on the train headed to the other side of the country to visit my cousin in Hsinchu. Joseph works in the science park where many semiconductor companies have set up shop. The plan was to attend his companies family day where some of the employees gather to ride bikes and run a 10K. Joeseph was able to borrow a bike for me. It was a nice full suspension mountain bike in top condition. Great for bombing downhills, but terrible for climbing.

We left the house at 5 AM the next morning and before I knew it, I was starting a 2 K climb with 11% grade. C'mon Dude (I thought to myself)! My body can't take that sort of stress first thing in the morning. By the time we reached the park my lungs were about to burst. Joseph tried to get me to run the 10K (Really?! because I almost vomited a second ago). The ride back to the house was downhill, so not as bad. We ended up riding about 35 miles all together. It was really good to see Joseph again after so many years. He still has a faded picture of me, my brother, and himself when I was 5 years old. We look almost unrecognizable compared to how we look today.

I have two more weeks here before moving on. It is the beginning of the last week of language classes, then I see the rest of the family. I'm looking forward to moving on from here.

More Rain. Jeez!

With time running down in Taiwan, I decided to cut Chinese classes short this week and head to Hualien to see Taroko Gorge National Park. The weather has been really fickle the past week and I arrived in Hualien during a driving rain storm. The scenery was nice, but not as good as it could have been with clear skies. One of the hiking trails started from the hostel, so I made an attempt to climb it, but the rocks were as slick as a freshly waxed bowling lane. Also, part of this trail traversed a spine with steep drops on both sides. It was best that I didn't attempt the entire route (nearly busted my ass on the way back down).

I had a bad feeling that the weather was going to totally ruin this trip for me. Abrupt changes in weather has been the norm since I've arrived in Taiwan. Looking out the window the next morning, I was surprised to see blue bird skies. After a quick breakfast, I was out the door looking to see as much as possible while I had the chance. Little did I know that the rain would be back early in the afternoon. I was able to see a few of the highlights the park had to offer before the skies opened up on me again.

More bad news due to the weather. Alishan railway has been closed indefinitely due to a landslide washing out a section of the tracks. It looks like another destination will need to be skipped on this trip. Thankfully, my Jade mountain climbing permit was approved, so I've got that going for me.

Starbucks muffin and finding good food stalls

Of all the things to give me stomach problems, the Starbucks blueberry muffin did it. I guess I've been eating so much Chinese food that my body is now rejecting proper western style eats. I have developed a system for finding the best food stalls in the night markets. There are a number of different types of food in the night markets. You sometimes have your pick from three or so stalls selling the same thing. The key is to find the stall with the longest line or the most people hovering around it. The locals love to eat and know which vendors are the best. Just follow the crowd and you can't go wrong.

I'm learning that drinking coffee and writing Chinese characters doesn't mix. The caffeine makes my long strokes a bit jittery. I'm still trying to squeeze in study time with sight seeing time. The cousins took me out to the coast this weekend. October 10th is the Taiwan birthday so school was cancelled and I got the chance to play around. After hiking around the four animal range east of Taipei, we took off to Yeliou Geopark. This place had many weird rock formations created from years of surf and wind erosion. There were tons of people out this weekend. I logged a bunch of miles checking out the National Palace Museum, Shilin night market (that place was crazy!), and actually went to the top of Taipei 101 this time. The last event on Sunday was seeing the Taiwan philharmonic youth symphony at the national theater hall. I busted my cousin stealing flowers from the place.

The other side of the family

The first time the entire family came to Taiwan, I was 5 years old and my dad was the same age as I am now. Nearly all of my mom's side of the family lives in the US or Canada now. However, I haven't seen many relatives from my dad's side of the family since 1985. My father comes from a huge family of 11 siblings. I guess contraception wasn't used back then. My cousins Steve and Mary (who are music teachers) live in Taipei have proved to be excellent tour guides. One amusing thing is that their German is better than their English. When we are speaking, they inadvertently throw in German words into their English. We communicate with a mix of English, Taiwanese, Chinese, and some German mixed in. It must sound really wierd for people listening.
Steve and Mary took me to Yilan for a long spa session. The entire area is littered with hotels specializing in hot spring spas. They have been going there every weekend for a long time so they had everything sussed out for me. The first pool had tiny fish in it to peck away dead skin from your toes and whatever else you put in the water. After that, you had a variety of pools to choose from. Some pools were infused with chinese herbs, others with fruit or flowers. There was even a milk pool! Once we were done with the pools, we moved over to the massage jet area. This section had at least 40 different stations with all sorts of jets to massage any part of your body. You had to search for ones which felt good since some of the jets are so strong it feels as if the flesh is being ripped from your body. My favorite was the foot massage jet shooting up from the bottom. My cousins will try to whip me into shape for the Yushan climb. We are going to hike some smaller hills in east Taipei tomorrow.

Miscalculation

The second typhoon missed the northern part of Taiwan this weekend. I was able to do some outdoor activites now that the skies were clear. Peter and I went to the coast to do some snorkeling. It was better than expected although I did have to swim through some debris. The water was not as clear as in the Caribbean, but visibility was good enough to see some fish and coral. One thing that was kind of funny was Peters swim suit which I can best describe as a red banana hammock. I have no idea why he wears a suit which weighs about 1 gram. It was not pretty.

Sunday morning was sunny and hot. Peter went snorkeling again, but I decided to head to Yangmingshan mountain. It is a relatively small peak with abut a 650 meter climb. The trail is basically a bunch of stone stair steps similar to those found on the Inca trail. Some sections of the trail are steep to the point where you can crawl on all fours. Maybe it was the heat or my lack of fitness, but I found the hike difficult. Although I reached the top in half of the normal time, I thought it would be much easier. This has worried me a bit since I'm scheduled to climb Yushan (Jade Mountain) in three weeks which is about 2800 meter higher than Yangmingshan. Jane once said "Don't even talk to me if it isn't over 4000 meters." I can't help but think not only have I miscalculated my fitness level, but I may not have enough cold weather gear for this climb. This is one peak that I don't think I can do "off the couch."

Mmmm Chicken Butts

I'm discovering that Taipei is a really easy city to navigate. There have been many improvements in the cities infrastructure in the past decade which makes every corner of the city accessible by a short train or bus ride. Peter has not been the most ideal tour guide for me. We have been to Keelung and some other night markets, but he doesn't seem to know anything about the cities main attractions. I've been setting off on my own over the past couple days after class to check out some of the sites.

My class schedule allows me to wander around the city for a couple hours before dinner during the week. I was able to see Chiang Kai Shek Memorial Hall, Longshan Temple, and Taipei 101. This weekend I'm going to summit Yangmingshan mountain which is just outside of Taipei. One funny thing about wandering around a foreign city is that you will stumble on things you wouldn't normally seek. I accidentally walked down hooker alley when trying to find the MRT station to leave Longshan. At first, I was walking down a street market also known as snake alley. There were some normal restaurants and shops, but I also noticed some sex shops which I haven't seen in normal market areas. I suppose it makes sense that if you keep on walking, you will eventually run into the red light area.

The night markets are a great way to spend an evening. The stalls have all sorts of various food items, CHEAP clothes, and toys. The food here is sooooo friggin' cheap! I can eat three meals daily for about $10 a day. My stomach has been bombarded with many questionable eats over the last few days. I think that a normal stomach would be turned inside out from all the foreign food. But hey man, I was in Bolivia for two weeks! My stomach has seen worse days. I think back to Bolivia and say to myself that maybe I could retire in Taiwan on my current savings. It is cheap an better than Bolivia!