Yushan Conquered

It has gone by many names: Tongku Saveg by the Bunun, Mt. Morrison by 19th century Westerners, Niitakayama by the Japanese during their colonial rule. At 3952 meters (12,966 ft), it's Yushan (meaning Jade Mountain), Taiwan's tallest peak. Normally visited by about 100 people a day, the peak saw only three visitors on June 26, 2009: Robert, Kitty and me.

Each day, around 1000 people apply for a permit to hike this mountain, but only around 120 a day receive permission. We had tried several times, and this time we finally got accepted. It's essentially luck of the draw. And we were lucky.

The four of us--Robert, Kitty, Ringo and me--were set to hike up on Thursday the 24th, stay overnight at the Paiyun Lodge, then hike to the peak on Friday, then hike back down on Saturday. As the day of departure approached, a typhoon threatened to ruin our trip. But we decided to keep close tabs on weather updates and the latest advice of park staff. Our vigilance paid off: some groups of hikers canceled their plans, and others, who arrived at the lodge the same day we did, decided to go to the peak the same day. This meant that if our group made the ascent on the planned day, we would be the only visitors to the peak the entire day.

The hike up from the trailhead was relatively easy for the moderately experienced hiker like me... easier than Mt. Kinabalu in Borneo (which, though not technically difficult, is a relentless uphill climb) and certainly easier than Beidawushan in southern Taiwan (which includes many technical sections, such as rope climbs up short cliffs). The trail has numerous level stretches and some downhill areas, and the uphill slopes are for the most part quite gentle.

The Grand Precipice, the bed of an ancient ocean


Unfortunately, despite the relative ease of the 8.5km hike to the lodge, Ringo was inexperienced as a hiker and was suffering from some stomach problems. Her condition was exacerbated by the exercise and altitude, making her progress very slow. But despite this, we arrived at the lodge before sunset. (We had a room designed for 16 people mostly to ourselves.)

Paiyun Lodge


Funny sign


Our attempt to get to the peak the next day was now contingent on the next morning's weather report. Fortunately, the typhoon was shifting its course away from Taiwan, clearing our way to climb to the peak. Our sick friend decided to stay at the lodge and take it easy. So three of us, Robert, Kitty and I, set out at 8:00am to reach the peak.

The hike up was spectacular. It took about 2 hours and 40 minutes to reach the top, including breaks. There was a long series of switchbacks which soon emerged from the tree-line and traversed a large scree field. Then at the top of the scree field the trail got rockier and steeper, aided with chains and even a "wind tunnel". Overall, the hike was surprisingly easy; the hardest part was the last 200 meters, which required the use of all four limbs to climb to the top.

Crossing the scree field


The "wind tunnel" (built to protect this hazardous section from falling rocks)


A view of the southern ridge


The final scramble to the peak (which can be seen on the upper right)


Kitty and Robert on the peak


We made it, finally! What a rush! We were standing on the peak of Yushan! And as it turned out: we were the only three people to visit the peak the entirety of Friday, June 26, 2009!

Then we climbed into a sheltered area for a picnic. We ended up taking a nap there for about 15 minutes! To my surprise, I could get cell phone reception, and I texted most of the people in my phone's memory. This is when I received responses, including the news that Michael Jackson had just died. Here we were, miles from civilization on the top of Taiwan's tallest mountain. News like this sure travels to the remotest places.

At about noon, we headed back down.



It was getting cloudy and there was some threatening looking weather headed our way. We hiked back down, and just as we arrived at the lodge, it started pouring rain. We lucked out again! Only one problem: the sole fell off my hiking boot.

The next day, we were greeted with absolutely beautiful weather for the hike back down. With the "lost sole" secured to my boot with gauze bandages, I trekked with the others back to the trailhead.



On the way down, we kept hearing a bird that made an "oo-oo" sound. Robert related a story to us about the bird: he was once with a group hiking across Taiwan with the aid of some Bunun porters. He heard the bird, and asked one of the Aboriginal tribesmen, "What's the bird making the 'oo-oo' sound?" The man replied, "That's the oo-oo bird."

There was just one other thing we had to be concerned about: Robert wanted to arrive at the trailhead before noon in order to meet some butterfly researchers there. Three hours and 45 minutes later, he and Kitty arrived at the trailhead in ample time to meet them. Twenty minutes later, I arrived there with Ringo, who was feeling much better, but was still struggling with the trail.

The final stretch. Robert and Kitty are crossing
the top of the landslide in the center of the photo.


Robert catching butterflies


At the car, we unloaded our stuff. Then we cleaned ourselves off and some of us changed into fresh clean clothes for the drive home. The weather on the way back was so beautiful and the air was so clear that the views on the drive back were stunning! Even the Gukeng Rest Area looked gorgeous!

Taipei Then and Now (Redux)

Funny...now I have all the time in the world, but it's only now that I'm updating my blog. With my workload down for the summer, I've now had time to devote to a number of pet projects on my long to-do list, and my blog unfortunately is not at the top of the list.

Anyway, I have a big backlog, and this week I'll be doing some catching up.

I'll start out simply.

Remember last fall's Taipei Then and Now posts? Well, they finally took the big plastic covers off the Land Bank Building. Here it is:

Then



Now


That's all for now. More blogging coming up this week!

Update at last

OK, finally I have some free time to post the follow-up to the Penang trip.

I solved the virus problem after returning home, and fortunately I didn't lose any photos. The trip was great...fantastic food, great things to see and do, and plenty of graving destinations. I hope to return sometime soon and explore the area more, including a longer stay in Taiping and a visit to Ipoh.

Anyway, here are some photos:

An old building with a Sacred Fig tree growing on it


The majestic E&O, a storied hotel where Somerset Maugham, Noel Coward and other celebrities once stayed


A street scene, with a trishaw


Another view of Kek Lok Si


The ferry between George Town and Butterworth. (George Town was named after King George III...yes, the Mad King who drove the Americans to revolution.)


A Chinese temple I happened across on the way to the Jewish Cemetery.


An old 19th century building in Taiping

The "Oasiss Hotel". This used to be the Swiss Hotel, an old backpacker's standby. It's apparently under new management, and a new structure occupies much of the cool old courtyard where guests used to hang out, drink, and chat. It's still a backpacker's hostel now, but it's no longer as cool as it once was. Too bad...

Overall, my trip to Penang was enjoyable and productive. I shall return...

Back in Taiwan!

I'm back!

Well, sorry I haven't been as diligent as I had hoped in keeping you guys posted every day. My camera's SD card picked up a virus, so I've been battling this virus for a while. (Note to self: always set the card to "write protect" when connecting it to a strange PC!) I was worried that I might lose all my photos, but they're all safe and the virus is gone (I hope).

Anyway, on my last full day in Penang, I started out by returning to the Protestant Cemetery and taking photos in case I missed any from my previous visits. I was surprised to see a photographer, a bride in a wedding dress, and a few assistants there taking wedding photos! (Didn't see the groom there, though...) I might imagine Westerners doing so, but not Asians, who are often quite superstitious about cemeteries and death.



At one point while photographing graves, I realized my Cambodian krama (the red-and-white cotton scarf I use to keep the sun off my neck and the sweat off my brow) was missing. I went back to look for it, and found it on a grave. I realized that I had taken photos of all the graves around it, except for that particular one. It was almost as if the person's spirit had pulled the scarf off me, saying, "Hey, you forgot to photograph my grave!" Creepy, huh?

Afterwards, I decided to go to the storied Eastern & Oriental Hotel, the fanciest in Penang, which is just around the corner from the cemetery, to splurge a little with a cocktail in the bar to celebrate a successful trip. Sitting in air-conditioned comfort in the lap of luxury as I sheltered from the noonday heat sipping a cocktail was a nice way to pass some time.



Then I walked around town a little more. Here's the Penang Clock Tower:



The walls of Fort Cornwallis:


The Guanyin Temple:


Then back to the hostel. And the next day: to the airport and home.

Soon I'll make another post showing some of my favorite pictures that I have left out.

Graving in Taiping

Today I went to Taiping, a city about 88 km away from Penang, to visit the Taiping War Cemetery. This cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery honoring WWII soildiers. While in Taiping, sitting on the bus, I happened to pass by another cemetery, Taiping Christian Cemetery, whose location had been eluding me until today...none of the online descriptions of its location were detailed enough, and some were dead wrong. So now I've been able to pinpoint its GPS coordinates for the Find A Grave site! So today's trip paid off big-time. And the entire round trip by bus and ferry cost me all of US$5.17!

Yeah, I know this probably bores you (unless you happen to be a Find A Grave member, that is).

Anyway, I'm too beat to post any pictures now...kind of in a hurry to go relax for the evening, perhaps drink a beer.

Will post more later.

OK, I'm back.

Here's Taiping War Cemetery:


And the elusive Taiping Christian Cemetery:

Taking a break

Today I decided to take it easy. I hurt my foot walking up some stairs, so it's a little sore, and I didn't want to go running around frantically trying to cram a lot into the day.

This morning I went to see a few sights around town. I went to Khoo Kongsi, a Chinese temple for members of the Khoo family.


Then I went to a nearby mosque (forget the name...I'll fix it later), which is famous for having an Egyptian style minaret.


Then I walked through Little India, passing by the Sri Mariamman Temple:


Finally I took the bus to Penang's most famous Chinese temple: Kek Lok Si. The bus ride took an hour but it was worth it to see the beautiful pagoda there.



Tomorrow I'm going on a little road trip...taking a bus to nearby Taiping in search of the Taiping War Cemetery and Kamunting Road Christian Cemetery. It'll just be a day trip. I'll be back by evening, and hopefully in time to post something about it.

Graving and Eating

Penang is known for its food. A Malaysian island, close to the border of Thailand, whose population is largely Chinese, with a significant Indian population, and which, as a former part of the British empire, has a long history of international trade. These add together to form a vibrant food culture with an unbelievable variety of tasty treats.

I started the day with some dim sum at a local Chinatown restaurant up the street from the hostel I'm staying at. A tasty way to start the day.

Then I went back to the Protestant Cemetery to take more photos before heading to the Jewish Cemetery. Penang once had a small but active Jewish community, which sadly has dwindled practically to nothing. Standing testament to their life and contributions here is this small and oft-overlooked cemetery.



As I walked up to the gate, the cemetery caretaker, a kind man, let me in and pointed out a few of the more notable graves. About half of them have inscriptions that are completely in Hebrew.

Then I continued on to search for the Western Road Cemetery. I decided to take a shortcut, and ended up taking a long-cut. I knew what streets I had to go to (Western Road and Brown Street), but forget asking around: the locals have terrible sense of direction, and I was steered wrong. Then when I came to the right intersection, the cemetery itself turned out to be hard to find.

After walking a kilometer each way along Western Road, I came to a furniture store called American Accents. The people there must speak English! I went in, and the nice Chinese couple who run the place told me how to find the place. Even after following his clear directions, I still ended up going on some dead ends. I walked up the road toward Youth Park. A British couple drove by and offered me a lift: they didn't know where the cemetery was, but I told them to keep driving until I saw graves. 50 feet up the road, there they were!!

Now I had to find the gate! Turns out I had to walk all the way back to the main road (Western Road). And there, in an innocuous driveway, right at the Western Road/Brown Street intersection, was the cemetery. The only sign on the road is a faded, easily overlooked sign saying, cryptically, "Jamb Jln Utama Cemetery No-6". Whodathunkit?


No English signs at all, odd for what is supposed to be the largest Christian cemetery in Penang, with the graves of many British colonials and military personnel. It was right there all the time, but it's so hidden (you can't see the graves from the street) that it took me an hour to find it! (This is why I do my graving trips solo...it tries people's patience!)

Here's the gate:


Seems I forgot something...Oh yes: food!!

On the way to the cemetery I found a true gem of a hawker center. On the way I had asam laksa, a spicy, sour noodle soup that's a local specialty.


On the way back, I stopped at the same center and had koay tiao, a fried noodle dish popular through much of Southeast Asia.


Now I'm getting hungry again!!