The entrance to the entrance to the 中正山親山步道 (Zhong zheng shan hiking trail). The real entrance comes a little later, this is a sort of pre-hiking trail that saves you from taking the car or scooter because it's easily reachable with public transportation from the 新北投 (Xin bei tou) MRT station.

A map of the entire hiking trail and its closer surroundings. (Click here for a bigger version.)

Another reference photo, but a useful one ... This map shows the distances between the points, not only to 中正山 (Zhong zheng shan), but also to other mountains such as 大屯山 (Da tun shan).
(Click here for a bigger version.)

The initial section of the hiking trail is rather flat with the occasional flight of stairs (and mosquito).

Now, this is the real entrance to the 中正山親山步道 (Zhong zheng shan hiking trail) on 登山路 (Deng shan road). Luckily, as it should be for any decent hiking trail entrance, it is fully equipped with a convenience store. :-)

The second part of the trail is pretty steep and mostly stairs. It really takes it out of you on a hot day, especially since the forest somehow doesn't make the air feel cooler.

In this hut people used to burn timber to produce coal.

Taking a rest in the shade.

One of the many interesting butterflies in the area.

The beautiful panoramic view from the top of 中正山 (Zhong zheng shan). At the far right you can recognize 淡水 (Dan shui) and the mountain on the left is 觀音山 (Guan yin shan).

On a clear day you can see the whole city of Taipei including Taipei 101.

七星山 (Qi xing shan), literally translated "Seven star mountain", is the highest mountain in of the 陽明山國家公園 (Yang Ming Shan National Park). We had climbed it before and had a hard time seeing something. Apparently clouds hanging around its peak are a common phenomenon.

Luckily there's a two-story lookout platform on the top of 中正山 (Zhong zheng shan), otherwise it would be hard to see something because of all the trees.

Ivy on top of 中正山 (Zhong zheng shan). If you look closely you can even see Taipei 101 in the background.

When we arrived and while we were taking a break we saw a lot of people coming and going. We thought that was odd since we had only encountered three people on the whole way up. What's more, none of them seemed to be working up a sweat.

The solution to this little puzzle was this sign at the top of the mountain. Apparently, for lazy people, the peak is also reachable by way of a 500 meter walk from the parking lot!

With plenty of time but limited water supplies we wanted to explore the area a little more, so we turned to this map of the 陽明山國家公園 (Yang Ming Shan National Park). (Click here for a bigger version.)

Two 大鳳蝶 (Great Mormons) hanging on a branch over the hiking trail couldn't be bothered by the camera ...

This is where we left the 中正山親山步道 (Zhong zheng shan hiking trail) and took the small trail to 大屯西根南峰 (Da tun shan west and south peaks).

When we reached this grassy area we were very happy we had long pants and even wished for long sleeves. The trail is mostly grown over since this trail is natural and doesn't see a lot of hikers.

Back in the forest without grass to worry about.

At this little crossroads the path to 大屯南峰 (Da tun shan south peak) splits off. It's actually a very short detour but we were short on water, so we decided to save it for another day and head right to 大屯西峰 (Da tun shan west peak).

And off to 大屯西峰 (Da tun shan west peak) we go ... Shortly after this point the trail becomes very steep.

But the climb is well worth it. The view back towards the city is very nice.

This trail is definitely easier to climb up than down.

From the top you can see the grassy area from before.

Just when we got to the top of 大屯西峰 (Da tun shan west peak) the fog started wrapping the mountains around us and were already blocking the view eastwards.

On the way down we came across this shiny dragon fly.

Animals in that area really don't seem to be very shy. Good in case you didn't bring your super tele lens. :-)

On one of the maps the way down was given with 90 minutes for something like two kilometers. But when the path kept looking like this and turning into stairs it became obvious that that must have been a mistake. Even with the occasional water or photo break it still took us far less than an hour.

On the way down there's a nice view of 觀音山 (Guan yin shan) again.

We went down just in time to see the sun slowly start to set over the ocean.

觀音山 (Guan yin shan) during sunset.

Done at last! After around ten kilometers we had arrived at the 清天宮 (Qing tian temple) exit.

An overview map of the hiking trails. Our trail was the one that is painted in blue; from the 登山路 (Deng shan lu) entrance via 中正山 (Zhong zheng shan) and 大屯西峰 (Da tun shan west peak) to 清天宮 (Qing tian temple). (Click here for a bigger version.)

清天宮 (Qing tian temple).

When you're tired even tiny plastic chairs are welcome while you're waiting for the bus. :-)

A picture is worth a thousand pound... I mean ... words.

The colorful 新北投 (Xin bei tou) MRT line entering the station. Each car has its own theme, e.g. the hot springs for which the area is famous.

We couldn't quite figure out what the theme of this car was but it certainly brightens up the place.

This scene was our favorite. Very cute! :-)

A pink Lotus flower (紅蓮).

A duck was patiently waiting for me to clumsily set up my camera. It must have been used to being "shot".

The dried seed cup of a Lotus flower.

The flower of a Hibiscus (朱槿 or 扶桑花) tree.

I have no idea what this plant is called but it certainly looks interesting.

To the untrained eye these look a little like Daisies but to a professional like me they look like ... uh ... Taiwanese Daisies? ;-)

The more beautiful flowers I photograph, the more I think that serious flower photographers should have a botany degree, just to be able to name their pictures.

A wet Lotus petal floating on the water. I caught my friend setting up this stereotype scene but couldn't help taking a shot. :-)

A Golden Shower tree (阿勃勒).

A Great Mormon (大鳳蝶 in Chinese or Papilio memnon heronus), a truly impressive butterfly.

Luckily this particular one kept coming back, so I was able to take some fairly nice photos but it wouldn't quite sit still or turn its back towards me. I guess I still have a long way to go as a wildlife photographer ...

Water Lilies (睡蓮, literally "Sleeping Lotus").

A Lotus flower (蓮花 or 荷花) with a leaf and a bud.

Close up of a Lotus flower (蓮花 or 荷花).

Doesn't the yellow seed pod (or "pudding" as I call it) simply look delicious?

A dragon fly sunbathing on a Lotus bud.

A close-up of a pink Water Lily.

This photo would be so much nicer if it weren't for the spider. ;-)

A white water lily.

And another beautiful flower whose name I don't know ...

Sometimes you have to wonder how certain things get to certain places ...

We were not sure if she's the tourist guide or a tourist but people in Paris sure seem to try to rise over the crowd a lot.

Another case of striving for the top.

No customers? Maybe it's the exorbitant price of 2.50€ for a tiny ball of ice cream!

"Oh my god, what are people doing to me? Get me off this pedestal now!"

"This city sucks, let me out of here!"

Leaving made easy: Cool design at the top of the Arc de Triomphe

This Japanese couple was taking their own wedding photos. Equipped with a camera and a tripod they were touring the city and taking pictures of themselves in front of famous places. Actually a very good idea, but I probably wouldn't wear Crocs, so I wouldn't have to cut off the feet for all photos.

One of the countless street vendors selling crap to tourists. In this case tacky little Eiffel towers.

Next stop: Rome

Incentive to fly

I'm not a fan of McDonald's (or Star Wars for that matter) but this ad is actually funny.

Lose the stereotype hat and this could have been me on this trip. :-)

The entrance to the 鳳崎落日登山步道 (Feng qi luo ri mountain hiking trail). Given that the highest point of the trail is at about 135 meters above sea level the "mountain" part may be a little exaggerated, so don't expect any mountains or even snow. :-)

Near the entrance there's an old M48A3 Patton gun tank of the type that was used in the Vietnam war. It's not entirely obvious why it is where it is but it's still interesting.

鳳崎落日登山步道 (Feng qi luo ri hiking trail) has recently been (re?)built, so it's very nice to walk. Almost a little too easy ...

When the forest lightens up not only can you see Hsinchu's coast and the beautiful ocean ...

... but also a life-sized Tyrannosaurus from the 小叮噹科學遊樂區 (Little Ding-dong Science Park), a small theme park right next to it.

Apart from a theme park the trail passes an army tank exercise area and what looks like the remains of a landfill where some people are still treasure hunting.

The trail eventually leads to ...

... a little recreational area for children of all ages to play.

Army bunkers can be seen all along the way ...

... as well as caterpillars and other animals.

The 鳳崎落日登山步道 (Feng qi luo ri hiking trail) eventually leads to an open area that has a little shop/café and - cover your ears - a karaoke place where people perform who have been banned from more urban karaoke bars and are now torturing wildlife and nature loving hikers.

Apart from the karaoke background it would be the perfect place to watch a sunset.

Said little shop has prices that can easily compete with your around-the-corner convenience store.

For a short while the 鳳崎落日登山步道 (Feng qi luo ri hiking trail) becomes a little more natural, just the way we like it.

At the end of the trail you'll see the 蓮花寺 (Lotus temple).

I always enjoy the warning signs. I've been to 3000+ meter mountains that apparently had fewer dangers. :-) My favorites are the ones about the killer bees and the cliff!

A nicely done 3D map of the whole hiking trail. You can even see the tank from the trail head at the lower right!

A 觀音 (Guan yin) statue in front of the 蓮花寺 (Lotus temple).

The view of West Hsinchu and Zhu bei taken from ...

... one of the panorama platforms along the trail.

Getting ready for 加里山 (Jia li shan) ...

A mushroom "farm" along the way.

The first obstacle on the way to 加里山 (Jia li shan) is a creek that has to be crossed. A few hundred meters before this creek we met a young couple who had just turned around because of the high water level. It had indeed rained for a few days before our hike but we didn't want to give up that easily. So, some of us simply took off their shoes ...

... while others jumped across a bunch of large stones making for an extra adrenaline kick. :-)

After a bit of jumping, climbing, and wading everybody made it safely to the middle of the stream.

From the middle the 佳里小橋 (Little Jia Li bridge) leads across the second half. We're not sure why the bridge's name carries the character 佳 instead of 加, but that's what the sign says, so we're sticking with it. :-)

This morning the 佳里小橋 (Little Jia Li bridge) was slightly under water but we made it anyway with only minor amounts of water in our shoes.

加里山山屋 (Jia li shan mountain shelter), a little less than half-way to the peak, is a good place to take a quick rest. (Some less congenial people from other hiking groups also seem to think it's a good place to smoke, but the clean air of a hiking trail never is!)

Some people have interesting ways of crossing obstacles.

The last quarter of the hiking trail involves a lot of climbing on ropes and roots, which was a bit of a challenge given the wet floor, but nevertheless a lot of fun.

After roughly 800 meters of ascent we were finally at the top of 加里山 (Jia li shan), 2220 meters above sea level.

Time for a group photo!

Happy, yet slightly disappointed over the (inexistent) view we took a brief rest and then got ready to descend a few minutes and find a quiet place to cook lunch.

Our lunch: Noodle soup with vegetables, egg, and meat balls.

Hiking makes hungry! 吃很大!

The descent was almost slower than the way up but certainly entertaining.

Because there had again been some light showers in the area we were a little afraid at first that the water level might have risen again. Luckily it hadn't and the 佳里小橋 (Little Jia Li bridge) was already back out of the water - still slightly unstable though as it would dangerously tilt the moment someone stepped on it.

View of the refreshing creek ...

Crossing 佳里小橋 (Little Jia Li bridge) for the second time.

Done! After a solid day of hiking we came to understand how 加里山 (Jia li shan) got its nickname of "training mountain".

This is what we thought (and had been told) is the road up to 比來山 (Bi lai shan). Quite nice to hike because of the shade and the slightly lower temperature than down in the valley.

There are plenty of little lizards along the way.

The forest ranges from dense vegetation and bamboo to well organized trees like these. :-)

The odd shaped mountain is 五指山 (Five finger mountain), one of my favorite (masochistically speaking) bike destinations, but from this angle only three fingers are visible.

Butterflies are also plentiful on 比來山 (Bi lai shan).

Later on the road becomes more narrow with skin-cutting grass growing over the sides, so it's a good idea to wear long pants!

Again the three fingers of 五指山 (Five finger mountain) in the back.

And finally the disappointing dead-end just a few hundred meters below the peak. Well, nothing left to do but turning around and try a different route next time!

A dragon fly along the way.

Nothing quite like sitting at a river on a hot summer day, so to cool down from our little hike we stopped by the 頭前溪 (Tou qian river).

The 南昌橋 (Nan chang bridge) that leads over the 頭前溪 (Tou qian river).

One of nature's aerodynamic miracles.

A cute stray dog we saw on the way home.

Nothing like a little ham and irony to start a new day ...

The area around 合歡山東峰 (He huan shan east peak) is full with gorgeous 杜鵑 (Rhododendron) bushes.

The hiking trail up to 合歡山東峰 (He huan shan east peak). In good conditions - weather and legs - a return trip might only take about an hour.

After a short hike we were at the top of 合歡山東峰 (He huan shan east peak), the 33rd highest mountain in Taiwan with 3421 m altitude.

Joe at the top of foggy 合歡山東峰 (He huan shan east peak).

合歡山東峰 (He huan shan east peak) actually has two little peaks right next to each other and it's hard to tell which one is higher. The one in the back counts as the real peak with 3421 m altitude and the sign on the one in front carries the number "3409". If that's supposed to be the altitude then some people have some calibrating to do ...

Luckily there's a sign in all four directions that shows the view on a sunny day. Otherwise it would have been pretty hard to tell that the scenery is nice. :-)

It's hard to describe how a little bit of hot soup or tea makes you feel better when you're sitting in the wind at the top of a foggy mountain. But trust me, it does!

One of the many 杜鵑 (Rhododendron) bushes in the 合歡山 (He huan shan) area.

杜鵑 (Rhododendron)

杜鵑 (Rhododendron)

Checking off mountains at its cheapest! After a ridiculous fifteen minutes walk from the street we have reached 石門山 (Shi men shan), which is the 68th on the list of the 台灣百岳 (Taiwan's Highest 100 mountains). It is only 3236 meters high and barely stands out from its environment but thanks to its status as an important triangulation point it is part of the list.

石門山 (Shi men shan) may not be a huge mountain but it can certainly play in the league of the windiest mountains!

Climbing 合歡尖山 (He huan jian shan). This little peak doesn't count as one of the 台灣百岳 (Taiwan's Highest 100 mountains) but it's actually slightly more difficult and a lot more fun to climb than 石門山 (Shi men shan). Okay, the photo makes it look more dramatic than it really is but at least it's not just walking. :-)

Approaching the top of 合歡尖山 (He huan jian shan) ...

That's what people on Mount Everest must feel like ...

At the top of 合歡尖山 (He huan jian shan).
Yes, I know, I'm holding the flag upside down but that's only to express my disappointment over not being able to check off another peak from the Top 100 list. I guess I have to face the fact that from now on each one of them will come at a higher price!

The view from our homestay at night. Not too bad you think? Wait for daylight! :-)

The balcony of our homestay.

Daylight shines an interesting twilight on the 清境 (Qing jing) area. On the one hand there's the amazing mountain scenery that has also led to the area endearingly being called 小瑞士 - "Little Switzerland". On the other hand it displays the touristic and kitchy nature of anything human-built in the area.

On the right side you can see one of the countless "European-style" buildings in the area. What makes these homestays so ugly is not only the fact that the architect has likely never visited Europe but also that they try to combine all kinds of different styles into one.

But despair not! We had higher things in mind than joining city people staring at the origin of milk and eggs on the 清境農場 (Qing jing farm): Climbing several of Taiwan's 100 highest mountains!

View from the road that leads up to 合歡山 (He huan shan).

At the trail head ready for the hike up to 合歡山北峰 (He huan shan north peak). The spirits are still high!

Hiking up to 合歡山北峰 (He huan shan north peak). Joe and I were carrying heavy backpacks to train for more strenuous trips to come.

The male alpine version of the common image of city girls carrying umbrellas to escape the feared sun tan.

Looking eastwards and one kilometer to go.

I was rather stunned to see this. A huge reflector panel has been installed on the hill, apparently to make 合歡山 (He huan shan) clearly visible from other peaks in the area. I haven't seen it in action yet but trips to said other peaks are in planning! :-)

Group photo at the top of 合歡山北峰 (He huan shan north peak).

Ivy posing with a backpack that she can hardly lift ...

... and for comparison the real backpack. :-)

Apparently hiking makes some people more tired than others. Then again, it does look inviting to take a nap in the sun at the top of a mountain!

At the top of 合歡山北峰 (He huan shan north peak).

Back at the trail head. The spirits are tired but happy. :-)

山
(If your computer doesn't display Chinese: The shadow looks like the Chinese character for 'Mountain'.)

At the top of 合歡山主峰 (He huan shan main peak), the 34th highest mountain in Taiwan with 3416 m above sea level. Given how easy it is to walk up there it's really not much of an achievement but hey, a list is a list. :-)

Cooking noodle soup at the top of a mountain is the best way to lift spirits and warm you up!

Sunset from 合歡山主峰 (He huan shan main peak).

Upper entrance to the 騎龍古道 (Qi long ancient trail)

騎龍古道 (Qi long ancient trail)

View from one of the three old bridges that cross the 騎龍古道 (Qi long ancient trail). These bridges are made partially from 糯米 (Nuo mi), a kind of glutinous rice that can serve as a very particular building material.

We didn't quite get what the tires along the way are for but it seems at least the spiders are enjoying them. :-)

騎龍古道 (Qi long ancient trail)

Coconut trees along the way? Or just Papaya? Botanists, feel free to e-mail your opinion! :-)

騎龍古道 (Qi long ancient trail)

A tiny temple close to the lower entrance of the 騎龍古道 (Qi long ancient trail).

Humans are not the only ones enjoying the rare few hours of sun ...

View from the 大山背客家人文生態館 (Da shan bei Hakka culture center)

後山古道 (Back mountain ancient trail), which must be one of the shortest trails ever. The round trip takes around five minutes. :-)

Poinsettia (聖誕紅) along the way.

Rice fields along 竹34縣.

The entrance to the 台灣山毛櫸國家步道 (Taiwan Beech National Trail) in 太平山 (Tai ping mountain).

Parts of the trail have these funny little stepping stones, apparently a tribute to the wet weather conditions in the area.

Hiking the 太平山 台灣山毛櫸國家步道 (Taiwan Beech National Trail in Tai ping mountain) by rain.

The 太平山莊服務站 (Tai Ping Mountain Villa Service Station), a refuge from the cold and wet that day.

One of the huge riverbeds in 宜蘭 (Yilan). During really bad weather they can actually flood but in drier times they are used to grow watermelons.

A field of famous San Xing spring onions (三星蔥). Legend has it that if you steal spring onion from there you're going to find a good husband. (It doesn't say anything about good wives, so I only took the photo, not the actual spring onion. ;-)