Our first destination was Yang Ming Shan mountain 杨明山, it's suppose to be a very beautiful place with grassy hills and flowers blossoming everywhere. But that's in spring time. I really dunno what to expect in this time of the year. So we took a train nearest to the area and took a bus from there. That's the best thing about Taiwan. We just look at the tourist map to find the nearest MRT station and when we reach, we just look around for signs on which bus to take. You definitely cannot have these kind of experience when your following a tour guide. Anyway, we took the RED 5 Bus up to yang ming shan.
It's fun, there's a cultural university up the hill so the bus was full of university students. Chatting about their holidays, some are barely awake. So we had to stand until the students all drop off at the university bus stop. We seems to be the only tourist there. The bus dropped us at the bus interchange had to take a separate mini bus shuttle services that goes higher up the various spots on the mountain.
We wanted to skip the first few stops as there don't seem to have much to see, but apparently the bus route on the map wasn't very accurate, so we ended up dropping off in the middle of nowhere!!
SOooo... after some unhappy moments, we can either wait for the next bus - which only arrives in another 30 minutes, or we could follow the road sign and walk to the next bus stop. Oh well, why waste time waiting for the bus anyway, so we just followed the sign and started walking.
The little mistake turned out to be the best idea to see the place! The route we were walking on turned out to be a beautiful little trail along the side of the mountain. It's a little narrow, some places only enough for one person to walk, but it was very nice. The air is cool but not cold as the woods shelter us from the cold wind. The sun is shining through the trees and bamboos that lined the path. The air is so fresh! It is just so rustic and beautiful!
The path was quite deserted except for one auntie that passed us by, but it was not in anyway creepy. We even took some candid pictures!
Just when we were at the end of the trail we saw a few buckets of flowers and a sign next to it that says "fresh flowers at 50NT, please place the money into the mailbox, thank you"
Whao people here must be really honest. Hahaha... To be truth, I was a little sad when the trail ended. We found ourselves in a little rest area where the bus stop was and we hopped on the next shuttle bus and headed further up the mountain.
Man.... the lady driver have balls! The winding roads were so narrow and yet they can drive with such skills (and SPEED), scary and yet very exciting. We dropped of the stop named 小油坑 where there is this huge gap on the side of one of the mountain and sulphur gas was actually coming out of the mountain! So amazing and stinky! I never saw / smell sulphur in its natural state before - it stinks...
Then we saw this little winding path at the side that leads to a little observatory, so we just started walking up. The wind is unbelievable. IT WAS VERY COLD LOH.....!!! By the time we got down we were half frozen, so we took refuge in a little canteen and ate instant noodles for lunch. The steaming hot noodles was just the thing to thaw our frozen face...
After lunch we bid farewell to the old ah mah at the canteen and hop on the bus again. The next stop was like a wide open plain - the we looked around and realised that there's actually people hiking at the very far end of the plains! SO we followed. Apparently this area was used as grazing ground for the Taiwanese cows, but I guess the only people out in this weather was only the stupid humans from another country and unbelievably fit old grandmas and grandpas.
The view was stunning and the path was very easy to walk. I would love to come back during the warmer weather, put on my hiking shorts and walk the whole mountain.
But we cannot stay for long because it was really cold. But what an experience it was! On a side note - we were wearing about three layers of clothing and we couldn't stay there for too long, and yet, I see old aunties and uncles walking way further into the hills! Are we that weak? Or maybe they are robots in disguise or something....
So we hop on the next bus and went back down the hill. The hiking, the weather and I dunno, the thin air? made me so sleepy I slept all the way back to the bus interchange. While waiting for the bus to go back into the town Cobby went to the gents and came back with a piping hot bowl of sweet potato soup! Whao what a treat!
The sweet potatoes are huge and so so sweet, and the soup as a nice tinge of ginger, and it really warms the whole body as we ate by the bus stop. And just to confirm my suspicion, suddenly an old uncle jogged passed us with nothing on except his running shorts and shoes.
-_-"
Wah he may be old and wrinkly, but he's tanned and fit loh! I told you they are robots...
Next stop was 忠烈祠, martyr shrine. There you'll find thousands of tablet bearing the names of soldiers that has given their lives to the republic of china (Taiwan).
It's also a famous tourist attraction as the guards would execute a very fancy "performance" when they change shifts. And the guards would not move an inch when they are on duty.
Ironically, most of the soldiers there died during the war with Japan, yet, most of the people visiting and happily taking pictures of the guards there are Japanese tourists. DO they even know what place is this? Do they even bother going into the secluded halls lined with dead soldiers tablets? Or are they just there to take pictures of handsome man in uniform? Hmmm I think they seem to have missed the point of the place.
Of course, I couldn't resist a man in uniform too. They are so manly!
So shy taking pictures with them... Hee hee heee....
By the time we left the place, it was already evening. So we went to 寺林夜市(shilin night market) for dinner. We settled for a hot pot (steamboat) dinner at this Champion Stone Hot Pot & BBQ restaurant. It's like our steam boat buffet, but the bowl is made of stone. Then the staff would ask what meat you like even before you go choose the food. Confused, we just said beef and went off to choose our food to cook.
When we came back, we were abit lost at what to do as the bowl is empty. Apparently, they will put in some oil into the hot stone bowl, fry the beef in it with garlic and onion till it's nice and fragrant, fry the cabbage abit, then pour in the soup stock.
Then they'll put in the food we choose into the soup and let it simmer. So interesting! And the beef they gave us was so tender! We had a great dinner. After dinner we ended our day with a walk around the night market before heading back to the hotel.
The hiking really tire us out, but it was great fun. Mountains, men in uniform and a big bowl of beef steamboat.
What more could a girl ask for?
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