Alishan, Taiwan

Alishan Forest Recreation Area is nature the way it is meant to be experienced: on wide asphalt pathways surrounded by thousands of tourists. A group of 7 interns took the 3 bus, 2 taxi path to Alishan. When we got off the bus we discovered our HI hostel reservation disappeared into the void of cyberspace. Poof. We were approached by a short elderly woman who offered up Japanese style accommodations at her private home stay. We piled into the bed of her little truck to check the place out. Now, I am not versed in the ways of the east, but my understanding of sleeping on tatami futons normally doesn't nessecarily imply cramped musty windowless attic spaces. We instead decided, given our lack of options, on claiming a ground floor bedroom where 4 could normally sleep comfortably.

We explored some of the large park. My interest in iconography only increases as I travel to a places where I can't decipher street signs. However, taking pictures of 36 plain signs listing the details of all the giant trees in the area is a hard project to make interesting. After a bit of wandering and snacking on the local delicacy of crispy pork sheets we had dinner. Not only did I again eat too much, but I had too much monosodium glutamate. Oh MSG, you clever little exitotoxic salt of a proteinogenic amino acid... when I have you it is just like puppy love. The nausea, weakness, chest pains, migraines and overexciting of my poor neurons is just so much that sometimes I just want to explode. Add to this I slept seven dwarves style in a single bed with male heavy group of giggly teenagers and young twenty somethings. The idiom 'not a happy camper' would be quite apt.

Got up at 3:30 AM feeling fine and we went up to the narrow gage alpine train to see the sunrise. Alishan is known for its sea of clouds when the sun peeks over the valley. The humidity wasn't high enough for clouds so it was more like sea of mist; beautiful nonetheless. It has been a minute since I was up for a sunrise. And while I normally don't greet the arrival of the coming day with applause, there was something about sharing that moment with a large gathering of people.

Hung out for a bit to catch some more nature and headed back to Hsinchu with a little stop in Taichung to hang out at one of the intern's family bungalow. Got home and showered and then proceeded to crash out. Sarcasm and headaches aside, I laughed and smiled a lot and feel recharged from this weekend. You know, sometimes it just nice to get away and have a change of perspective...