Today
represents the half-way mark of this summer programme. Due to the rate by which
activities come and go, it hardly felt like two weeks has passed. Breakfast was
again a similar style as the day before. I particularly enjoyed the minced pork
rice. Thereafter, we headed over to Lyuchui Trail for more hiking. I groaned in
dismay when we were required to put on our helmet; I detested that feeling of
having my head ‘trapped’ in a confined space. As such, I removed it from time
to time to wipe perspiration off my hair. On the right side of the helmet read
three words: ‘Not Absolutely Safe’, which immediately got my attention. How
reassuring and ironic was that! The main purpose of a helmet is to protect you
from falling debris and yet they had to print those words, which kind of
defeated the purpose of even putting on the helmet in the first place! We
walked continuously, in the process taking photos and admiring the scenery.
Then came the highlight of this segment of the trip – the waterfall
cliff/tunnel. It was a pity because none of us brought a change of clothes, and
this kept me from wading in the water. Nonetheless, I was still hit by falling
water from the ceiling of the tunnel. Wet and sticky, I desperately tried to
dry myself by sitting on a rock which was fully exposed to the full force of
the sun.
Jump shot in the tunnel
On the bridge
Water cliff
Lunch
was fantastic. Randy and I were smart enough to take the table with only 4
people, simply because we were extremely hungry and wanted more food to
ourselves. I practically performed a one-man job on the steamed fish!
Next up was a really long bus journey as we did
a steep ascent to Bilu Sacred Tree and subsequently Hehuanshan Station, then to
Meifeng Farm. Although this was not my first experience ascending a mountain
range (two months ago, I was at an altitude of 1900m in Yunnan province,
China), curiosity still arose in me as the external surrounding gradually
became more foggy. I also witnessed the transformation of vegetation type from
tropical species to alpine vegetation. The mountain roads look precarious as
any slip of the vehicle would have led to a plunge down 3000m! My mood became
better as the temperature dropped, because I’m one who thrives in cold weather.
By the time it was time for dinner, I was unusually not hungry at all, probably
because we merely sat on the bus right after lunch, and digestion was slow. The
worst news to greet us was the breakdown of all forms of internet connection in
the lodging, which meant that this was a night when we would likely all sleep
early. On the bright sight, with all of us taken off our computers, it allowed
more quality time for social interaction. Otherwise, we would have gone back to
our ‘anti-social’ manner of befriending our technology and gadgets for the
night. There’s going to be more hiking tomorrow, and the fact that we have to
rise earlier than usual means that I will have to stop my diary here. Goodnight
all, and have a good rest!
Halfway up the mountains
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