Wantan River hike & swim

The other weekend we did what we often do during the sweltering days of summer... we did a river hike! What better way to cool down than to take a dip in one of Taiwan's pristine mountains streams!

We decided to choose one of our favorite destinations: the Wantan River, which Robert and I encountered almost two years ago on our epic multi-day hike through the mountains to the east coast.

Here we are at the trailhead, preparing for a wonderful afternoon of sun and fun. From left to right it's Kitty, Kate, Neil and Robert. Unfortunately in this shot you can't see any of their faces!


The hike itself is actually very short - the swimming hole is only about a kilometer in from the trailhead by the Chang Family Campground. It's a short trek through the jungle.


About 20 minutes later we emerged at the farm where our swimming hole is.




By the way, the Chinese sign above says Prevent Forest Fires.

Right by the river there's a little beach-like area. Apparently people camp here, because we usually find leftovers of a campfire and some garbage that thoughtless people leave here. But each time we come, we always pick up the garbage and haul it out. Fortunately it's usually confined to a small area.



And into the river!




And a little spelunking...


...but nothing of interest was in the cave.

The water here is very clean, and is teeming with small fish.

The following picture was taken by Kate: it's Robert, Neil and me sitting on a rocky ledge having a lively discussion about Taiwan politics.


Afterwards we went downstream briefly to take a look at the next pool, and we swam there briefly:


Here comes Kate, scrambling over the rocks:


Here we are back at the "beach", sitting on logs and rocks and chatting:


On the drive home, we decided that since it was such a clear day we should take a scenic route, and so we drove through the tea plantations of Pinglin.



Here's a picturesque little tea village:


Then back to Taipei, where we got together with Patty and ate at a Thai restaurant in Muzha.

Morning in Manila

On my flight back to Taiwan, via Philippine Airlines (which offered the cheapest round-trip flight available at the time I booked), I had an 11-hour layover in Manila.

We landed at 3 am. Originally I planned to wait until sunup before venturing out into the city. But on arriving at the transfer counter, I learned that the airline would put me up in a hotel for free, and give me free transportation to and from the hotel. That gave me the chance to freshen up and get in a little sleep before going out on the town.

So, soon after dawn, refreshed and relaxed, I set out. I walked down the street, past a baseball stadium, to the Vito Cruz LRT station, and rode 3 stops to the UN Avenue station, from where I walked to Rizal Park.

Rizal Park is in the heart of the city. It's an attractive open space where I saw families, couples and student groups picnicking and enjoying the day.


At the west end of the park is a monument to the father of the country, Jose Rizal, who was executed by the Spanish at this spot and whose remains are interred here. Here's a photo of the Rizal Monument:



After visiting the monument, I walked northward toward Intramuros, the old city of Manila, which is still surrounded by 400-year-old city walls.


Outside the wall, there's a golf course. Kind of strange, huh?


Then I went inside Intramuros, which is quite beautiful.


Along the main street is a church: San Augustin Church, which is 401 years old this year.


Here's the interior. Note the trompe l'oeil murals on the ceiling, making it look like carved stone:


Then outside, along the street, I saw a Jeepney, a local form of cheap transportation. They have their origins in the jeeps left behind by the US military after WWII.


And here are some calesas, horse carriages for tourists:


Just up the main street is Manila Cathedral, built in 1578.


Then I walked to the south wall, and climbed the steps up onto the ramparts.






I don't know what this round thing is, but you can see it on Google Earth:


Then the weather started getting worse, so I headed back. I walked back through Rizal Park, passing the Lapu Lapu Monument. Lapu Lapu was the chieftain who killed Magellan.


I took the LRT back to Vito Cruz station, and walked back to the hotel. Here's a couple of typical Manila street scenes:




Then after taking a shower (I was all grimy and sweaty after traipsing around Manila), I took a rest, and then went back to the airport for my flight to Taiwan.

Tilden Park Full Moon Hikes

OK, at long last, back to my blogging! I'm now back in Taiwan, where the heat has been sweltering and the workload has been very low... but because of unpacking, organizing and taking care of various urgent errands I haven't had a chance to work on the blog until now.

Back during my stay in California, I went on two full moon hikes organized by Sekar, who has been running an informal hiking club in the Bay Area for about 7 years. Both of the hikes, the first in April and the second in June, were at Tilden Park, a wonderful regional park just outside of Berkeley, crisscrossed with hiking trails. I used to go up there a lot when I was a wee lad - my parents and my uncle would take me on nature hikes there, teaching me about plants and wildlife, and it was there that I developed my love of the natural environment and hiking. The park occupies a special place in my childhood memories.

The itineraries of both these hikes were the same: we meet at Inspiration Point and hike along the fire road and a dirt path to Wildcat Peak, where we picnic and watch the full moon rise before hiking back, for a round trip of about 4.25 miles...a nice stroll.

The views are spectacular - from Inspiration Point you can see Mt. Diablo and San Pablo Dam Reservoir, and from the trail itself there's a fantastic view of the Bay, including San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge, and Mt. Tamalpais.

Here we are walking along the fire road:


Approaching Wildcat Peak


The hiking group is quite a bit larger than the ones I usually hike with in Taiwan (which usually number about 3-6), so the group split into smaller groups naturally, and I had the chance to chat with a number of people I'd never met before. One of them was Michele, who I had given a ride from Berkeley... she's a student of library science. She happened to be acquainted with someone I know here in Taiwan... it's a small world! Anyway, we enjoyed some interesting chats and a week later went on another hike in Tilden.

View of the Bay


Before too long we arrive at our destination: Wildcat Peak, the second highest peak within the park boundaries.


There we had our picnic, relaxing and chatting as we waited for the moon to rise.


And then, finally, the moon began to rise out of the valley to the east of us:


And a moonrise picture from the April hike:


The entire hike is not long: we met at about 7:30pm, and had to be back at the parking lot by 10:00pm, but it was a refreshing way to get a modicum of exercise in a beautiful setting, breathe in the fresh air, and meet new people.

An enjoyable hike

I'm so glad I chose yesterday to hike. The weather was perfect. Today was cloudy, muggy and buggy; yesterday was a golden day.

I was camping at Siloam Springs State Park, which is a lovely piece of woodland amid an endless expanse of farmland. It's place where deer run around, hawks soar above, and you hear the honking of Canada geese migrating.

But before I describe the hike, I'd like to relate an experience I had. I was in the backroads of Brown County looking for an out-of-the-way graveyard, following a not-very-detailed map. The map led me along a narrow, winding gravel road in the middle of nowhere. The road looked something like this:


As I drove on, the road got rougher, narrower and bumpier. I started passing some run-down sheds, and arrived at a ramshackle farmhouse. There were several rusted-out vehicles by the side of the road, one looking like it was from the 1940s. There were chickens running around in the yard. As I drove on, the scene got wilder and more primitive. I started imagining the sound of banjos playing. And I saw shotgun shells on the ground. Time to turn around and get the hell out!

OK, back to the hike...

I hiked the longest trail in the park: the Red Oak Backpacker's Trail. It's actually a very mild hike compared to most of the hikes I've done in Taiwan. There were a few climbs and descents, but they were short. Most of the hike was level. It's 4 miles long (6km), and forms a loop.

Here's the trailhead:


The path got narrower, and crossed a stream a few times.


Eventually the trail crossed another one. I followed the trail that seemed the most well-worn, but it soon disappeared in the undergrowth. I figured I took a wrong turn, and went back to the crossing. I started climbing uphill, and soon saw a marker, so I knew I was on the right path. At the top, the path became wide again, and the vegetation was shrubby to my left, but there was a plantation pine forest to my right.


Every so often I encountered a pink dogwood tree, with its incongruously colorful flowers:


I arrived at the backpacker's campground, which is almost at the half-way point. To camp here you have to hike in; you can't drive here. I think it would be a very peaceful place to camp.


I decided to have my lunch here.


After a quiet lunch in total solitude, I continued on. Eventually the trail started working its way downwards into denser forest. And near the bottom, by a stream, I happened across a ruin:


In the 19th century, people used to come to this area to enjoy the benefits of healing spring waters. This crumbling limestone structure may be connected to that. Soon after this I was in a valley filled with wildflowers:


Then he trail went uphill. This was the roughest part of the entire trail, but it was still pretty easy.


Out of the corner of my eye I saw a morel (Morchella esculenta), an edible mushroom. Right now is mushroom season, and people in the area often go into the woods this time of year to go mushrooming. Here's the morel that I saw. A lovely specimen.


I left it alone, for some other lucky mushroomer to find! I continued along the path, coming across a white dogwood.


Finally, the trail started curving to the left and going downhill into the valley below. I was coming to the end.


I went back to my campsite. What a great way to spend a few hours!!

Getting away from it all

Right now I'm spending a week in rural Illinois, doing some family history and cemetery research. I came at the right time because the pink dogwood (Cornus florida rubra), a common tree in these parts, is in bloom. They're striking trees, especially when you see them in the middle of the woods.



I've been camping in Siloam Springs State Park, which has some nice hiking trails. I plan to spend an afternoon hiking in the woods.

That's all I have time for at the moment...