While most of the Taiwan we see on a daily basis is city, we do manage to get out into nearby rice / vegetable fields on our bikes regularly and enjoy the feeling of our typical rural lives in the US. This winter holiday however afforded us time and energy to venture further afield into the nearby hills to the east. We had to take a bus to the trailhead / visitor center and then enjoyed a rigorous walk along a mostly paved path up one of the sacred mountains of the island, Lion's Head Mountain.
Hamming it up as Hakka farmers at the LHM visitor center.
Jenny peering out from a shallow cave called the "lion's tail" which had greenery hanging over the edge like hair.
Soleil and Jenny reach the height of land after a steep climb and enjoy an "us"ie at a tall stand of bamboo.
Soleil had her eye on blooming plants throughout the hike and we kept reminding ourselves that it was February!
We took a shorter circle hike on a Friday afternoon but noticed that the trail map offered longer hikes up and over the top to a temple village. So on Monday morning we returned for the full trip up and over. We were delighted by the sights from the other side looking down into the next county south of Hsinchu (New Bamboo) called Miaoli (Chestnut Sprouts).
The temple pillars are carved from a seeming singular stone.
Life sized cranes bathed in a waterfall surrounded by trees, both real and sculpted.
Finally the Huangs were over the mountain and celebrating with the lions at the gate. A bus from a tiny village at the foot of the mountain took us back to a station where we caught the local train back to Hsinchu and our neighborhood where our bikes were waiting to take us home again.
Jenny spun the prayer wheels for good luck and we headed home.
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