Hike

I woke up, feeling refreshed and alive. The morning light pierced through the sky earlier here. The curtains were drawn, blocking sunlights from the outside. Another day, gotta have fun...


I ate my simple and satisfying breakfast down at the hotel's cafe. They served ham, eggs American style with coffee or tea and a glass of juice. Nice. I took a bus to Taipei's Yangming Shan. It was a mountain with some attraction sites.


The 260 bus took us there, bumping and racing through traffic even though it was just early in the morning. The bus was full with passengers already when we aboarded it, consisting of old folks, young students and other civilians. I stood, grabbing the holding strap tightly and swayed with the bus. hah. Then, some left and some came up. I sat down beside a student. She was just sleeping all the journey. hah. Quite nice. University students don't get enough sleep, I thought. Or perhaps the nightlife?


We alighted at the last stop after the bus was almost empty. We waited for another bus to reach our destinations. In the bus, we met some good people who helped us with some tips. Fortunately, one of them - Mr.Lee and his family guided us throughout our visit in Yangming Shan. He took us round the mountains with his experience and kind warmness It was so generous of him to help.


In Yangming Shan, we visited Erzi Ping. It was in a valley between Xiaotun Shan and another one. hah. We hiked along picturesque trails, between enchanting trees along the way. The air was clean and fresh without pollution. We watched the sceneries of Xiaoyou Keng and Milk Lake. Both were views formed by natural phenomena - volcanic cracks. In Xiaoyou Keng, the sulphur caused yellow gases billowed out of the fume holes. The air was exceptionally stale, smelled of rotten eggs. Sulphur. Milk Lake was about the same with its water white like milk, or rather white chocolate. hah.


Later, we went back to the nearest railway station to board the metro. The less than 1 hour ride to Danshui was rather fast. After awhile, I found myself near the sea, breathing in the salty air. We reached the Lovers' Bridge after sunset. Lights from the bridge itself lighted up the dark sky with green lights. Or was it white? I strolled across the bridge briskly. It was kinda short but elegant. I caught sights of happy couples cuddling by the side as the cool air blew. Lovely, sweet and happy. I enjoyed the cool air with the happiness of others filled the space. Empty yet satisfied. We took the metro back. The night was just as bright as the day, I thought.

By JM