Exploring Taiwan!: 26 July 2006

woke up early in the morning and headed to a bus stop near the train station to wait for the bus to Lishan (梨山), where from there u can continue to Wuling Farm (武陵農場) since i decided to skip Hehuan Recreation Area...a guy approach me saying that they do transport to Lishan too using van for those local villagers there...and the price is just abit more but u will get there faster and can stop anytime u want too...so i agreed since i was lazy to wait for the bus haha...views along the way was stunning as you have to travel up and thru the central mountain ranges to reach there...u can really see the effect of the typhoon on the Nantou area...landslides and rocks as large as a car on the road sometimes...it was really misty too due to the high attitude and sometimes i think visibility is only like 50m or even less...the van has to horn constantly along narrow hill roads to alert other drivers...we stopped over for a break at Hehuan Villa (合歡山莊), which i supposely wanted to stay for the night...was really freezing there, probably around 3300m above sea level there i think...and the surroundings was really nice...then we continued to Lishan and reached there around noon...still very cold over there lol...walk around and saw farms where they grow peaches, apple and pear...transfer to bus to go to Wuling Farm...reach there late afternoon...and wtf...i needed to walk like 5km further into the forest with my backpack to check into my Wuling Villa (武陵山莊) since the local tour bus was not running due to typhoon yesterday...and taxis are super rare up here...curse and swear, but luckily it was cooling at around 20 degree and so took my time to enjoy the surroundings too while i trek up the narrow road...finally found my accommodation...check in into a 6 people dormitory which once again there is only me hehe...in fact, i am probably the only visitor up here now! lol...went trekking up the forest to see a waterfall...the whole area was really deserted probably because it is just after the typhoon and the deafening silence was strange at times...but i really enjoy the time i had to myself in the nature...very relaxing!...headed back before night falls...dinner was provided and i ate together with the forest ranger and his father who was the one who prepared the food...wonderful local taste, and eating and chatting with them really give me a homely feeling in a foreign land...in the night pretty much nothing u can do...so slack in the room, watch TV and slept like 12 hrs haha...

Hehuan Villa