I woke up Thursday to blue skies and decided today would be as good a day as any to go for a hike. After a too brief consult with my map and guide book, I headed out the door towards Yangmingshan National Park. Yangmingshan is located in the northern mountains directly overlooking the city, and so I was looking forward to picturesque views of the city. There are buses that will take you right into the park, but I noticed that there was a trail from the city limits that leads directly into the park, and decided to take that route.
I soon discovered that this “trail” consisted entirely of a rather steep set of staircases, weaving between the backyards of houses perched on steep slope. This trail took me to a road in the hills, at which point it abruptly died, leaving me to find my way through little slippery alleyways tucked between mountain streams and chain link backyard fences. I eventually reached a little wooded valley town at the park’s entrance. After a 3km clime, my hike began.
The designers of Yangmingshan have made an unfortunate decision. At one point or another, they decided visitors to the park should be fully capable of visiting all of the park’s locals in their Sunday best, with no fear of getting dirt on their cuffs. With this in mind, they paved almost every inch of trail with cobblestone or concrete. The well maintained stone steps I greatly appreciated during my ascent of Cising Mountain. But the poured concrete on the more gently sloping trails had become slick with rain and lichen and were treacherous even in my hiking boots. Cising Mountain itself was interesting, but the view was ruined by wind and fog that apparently covers the peak every afternoon (as I learned from a helpful sign I passed on the way down).
I have been playing a good deal of basketball since I arrived. Yankee pitchers may be the local sports stars, but every kid in my classes with any athletic interest plays basketball. The reasons for this are not hard to fathom. There are plenty of basketball courts across the city, most of which are lit and some even are sheltered from the rain. The courts are packed with quick little slashers with respectable handles, but surprisingly bereft of good pure shooters. They get away with lacking an outside game by calling touch fouls on every play that they miss. It is a little annoying, but considering that I am a good 2-4 inches taller than any other player, I cannot complain too much.
Classes are going well. I have a class of teenagers, a class of 8-10 year olds, and a class of real munchkins. My immigration papers are coming along in good time. I am considering investing in a scooter to expedite my travels out of the city. With the scooter comes a face mask to save my lungs from exhausts at stoplights. Almost every scooter driver wears one, as do many pedestrians when the newspaper reports high levels of pollution. Some days look like SARS day at Disneyland here, no joke. But ironically, everyone here smokes. Go figure.
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