Breakfast today was even better than yesterday, with everyone, especially Kylee, jumping for joy at the plate of hash browns on the dining table. I could sense that Kylee have been somewhat uneasy with Asian food, notably rice and tofu, and having a dish which closely resembles a Western layout must have been a great boost for her. We checked on our experimental set-up after breakfast but stopped short at removing it just yet as it had not reached the 24-hour mark. We merely snapped some photos as evidence of the soil residue collected on the collecting trays. Hence, we went on a hike to the bamboo arboretum, rainbow trail and then the giant tree. I got to feel the sturdiness of bamboo for myself by sitting on one. It could practically support the weight of both Kylee and myself combined! It is no wonder that they are sought after to generate our furniture and other hardy products. The rainbow trail is identified by a bridge which is constructed to mimic a rainbow. In the process of hiking, we huffed and puffed as we negotiated a steep ascent and undulating terrain. I remember telling Jessica that almost 90% of the people who were on the roads and trails were senior citizens, or those who have retired. These elderly people really deserve my respect for that, for this can be said to be a rarity in Singapore. In addition, most of them are seen to be wearing knee protection guards, which meant that they are showing effort to keep healthy despite deteriorating bones and joints. Finally, we reached the giant tree, which was not really as tall as I had expected it to be. It was taller than the rest, but pretty much stubby. On our way back, it was down-slope for majority of the journey. I tried to mimic the backward movement of some of the elderly, which seemed to be easier and somehow reduces the tendency to go on a downward roll. We even saw some monkeys, which despite not being our closest cousins, resemble every bit like humans when they went about gathering and gobbling their food.
Lunch today had my favourite miso soup. The post-lunch syndrome started to set in and my entire group, except myself, went for a good long afternoon nap. I woke them up at 4 pm, but only Randy had enough energy to accompany me on another short hike to the Meadow. As we walked, Randy was relating how glad he was to be able to enjoy the fresh air here in Sitou Experimental Forest. He added that the air quality in Shanghai is poor due to the exponential increase in car usage over the past few years, and he will definitely miss the fresh air when he returns to his homeland. Fortunately, the air quality in Singapore has not reached such a tragic and irreversible state. He was also glad that hiking could play some part in his goal to shed some mass, and return to his slim figure a few years ago. We made it back in time for dinner. And wow, Richard's group was already back! I had expected their group to be still sniffing their way through the bushes.
After dinner, we proceeded to dry our soil and tabulated our results. Finally, we got this experiment done and dusted, and we are just left with the Powerpoint presentation. With some time set aside for us to work on that when we return to our dormitories in Taipei, we decided to make the most of our last day here in Sitou. We visited 'Monster Village', where I spent an incredible NT$175 on 3 servings of ice-cream - it was marvelous! And now it's time to pack for check-out the next morning!
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