The few not-so-rainy days

Occasionally we would have a sunny day or two. I spent all of these days hiking with my parents. My dad is an hiking and outdoors enthusiast, and he would drag us to go hiking every weekend when we were kids. He also took us on a few crazy walking trips - a three-day walk from Shizhi to the shore at Jinshan, and a two-day walk from Lugu to Xitou in the south. Sometimes my mom would follow us in her car and keep asking us to get in the car, but my dad wouldn't allow it.

Somehow throughout all these events, I too became a hiking enthusiast. There is great hiking in Taipei - it's a basin surrounded by mountains. As part of a government program promoting outdoor travel, all the trails are very well-kept and nicely marked, and there are many unobtrusive information signs and resting pavillions.

This is Jinguashi, which used to be a rock quarry. It's an easy 1-2 hour hike, which descends through the modernistic Zheng Cheng Gong temple, and ends up near the National Palace Museum.




This is the 13 km round trip trek from Fengguikou to Chingtiangang. I've come here a few times in the past hoping to see one of the wild cows that roam the area, and my wish finally came true.





Finally, this is Dajianshan in Shichih.





Later we found the grave of Du Yue-Sheng, the famous gangster dubbed "The Emperor of Shanghai". As he was active in Shanghai and Hong Kong, it is strange that he is buried in Taiwan, and especially in Shichih of all places. We also met a very interesting old man who has built an entire private garden around the grave.