Sep 25, 2021
Quarantine Tales: Day 5
Time for a spot of housekeeping to clean up all the flotsam that has gathered on the beach of my exclusive Hotel Quarantine resort — not to mention resist the siren call of Yangmingshan, which is located behind the architectural masterpieces standing guard over my window to make sure I don’t attempt an escape.
Yangmingshan is the most popular hiking spot in Taipei and offers a number of challenging trails that give you awesome views of the city and its surrounding area. I climbed Mount Qixing on Yangmingshan in September last year (has it really been that long?), but although I enjoyed the hike I found it a little too crowded for my taste.
I much prefer the more serene ambience of the Four Beasts Scenic Area at the other end of the city, with its lush vegetation and delightful mountain temples. It helps, too, that the Four Beasts are much more convenient for me to get to than Yangmingshan, requiring just a single MRT ride and a ten-minute walk to the trailhead from Houshanpi Station.
So much for my attempts at housekeeping. It’s much more enjoyable to indulge in a spot of nostalgia. Work can wait. It’s not as if I have any places to go or people to see. Hiking has become a great passion of mine over the last couple of years; the next best thing to doing it is writing about it and scrolling through images of past experiences.
While I was in the US, my friend Dan very kindly took me along with him on some stunning trails on Mori Ridge and Mori Point. The last one we did together last Saturday sticks most strongly in my mind, ending up with beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean from Rockaway Beach.
The only hike I didn’t enjoy was one I went on alone up Mission Peak near to the VIA office in Fremont. The best thing I can say about it is that it provided a rigorous physical workout.
