This much-anticipated trip to Alishan was quite memorable, in many ways: great company (our CA friends Angela and Corey and kids), down-home living in the mountains, excellent oolong and mountain veggies, amazing sunrise and mountain scenary, hours of historic railroad adventures, and, finally, a jolt of winter cold which reminded us of home in DC.We stayed at a "home stay" (like a B&B but much simpler and cheaper) and joined their three-day tour package led by the son of the owners. It was incredibly inexpensive; the place was clean, the air was so fresh, our guide/driver a great personality, and his parents were hospitable. The only thing we didn't like was the long car rides on bumpy mountain roads (let's not talk about it... not a good feeling). I would definitely do a trip like this, where you get to see how rural people live, and enjoy the wonders of nature at a fraction of the cost of big hotels.
On Monday we got up at 3:30 to prepare for sunrise viewing at the Zhushan summit. I was not too thrilled about the idea of getting up with little kids at this hour, at a temperature just above freezing, but I knew it was an experience to be had (who goes all the way to Alishan and doesn't welcome personally the sunrise?) It was well worth it when we saw the "sea of clouds" and the 360-degrees of mountains, really amazing view. I was very moved when we witnessed the sun creeping up from behind Mount Jade (3925 meters above sea level, Taiwan's highest peak). You feel the warmth it brings immediately, and realize what a marvel it is that we have the sun to rely upon every day of our lives. You experience the sharp contrast of the coldness of dark and the warmth of light. Noah and Ben were both pretty miserable throughout the early morning hours, but they got better after some breakfast. Please see more of our pictures and descriptions at: http://homepage.mac.com/paulportner/PhotoAlbum25.html
3 comments:
Thanks for the interesting account of your trip and the great photos. It's been 10 years since Jessie and I visited Mt. Ali. I don't think I've been to the old railroad town in your photos but it looks like nice place to visit. Jealous... -Ryan
Glad all of you made it Mt. Alishan okay. I was a bit worried since the weather in Taiwan was a bit rainy and cold lately.
You and Paul are really something, able to wake up the kids at 3am to see the sunrise. I know it is one of those once-in-a-life time experience, but it is something I can never do. Maybe Christian can, but not me. I rather sleep at the hotel and look at the pictures.
So 'thank you' for sharing those photos. Now I don't need to go Mt. Alishan.-jenny pama
You are so cute, Jenny! I must say I was a little hesitant at first, but I figure we deal with jetlag when we have to, so this is similar to that, except we get a breathtaking view afterwards. Turned out to be well worth it for us. I just wished we had a baby backpack, as the hardest part was carrying Benjamin all the way (he was either crying or asleep) and trying to motivate Noah to walk while crying!
Post a Comment