I met Malaysian culinary students studying in ChangHua at the hostel. Venga is studying to be a baker. Johnny is into Asian stirfry. We also chatted over cooking. They are very nice people. We also chatted about mapping out routes checking things out so we can take our parents on trips and skip the tour guide package and better cater to our parents.My parents used to tell me to wait to retirement to enjoy life and take trips. I always felt even when I was younger that that was not a good idea to me. Guess what, now that they are at the time and age that is appropriate to what they taught me, they don't really want to go any where. Why is that? My parents complains of travel pains, airplane rides, jet lag, bodily changes at older age, etc.... I don't know how practical it is to take my parents on travel trips. I would have to learn to travel differently, if they will even agree.
This is at the front entrance. You can turn the sky wheel and look for matching stars you can see each night and locate names.
My breakfast set with porridge, complimentary at the hostel.
Do I look like I just woke up, that is because I just did.
The back drop of pine, cypress, cedar trees with cherry, plum blossoms and magnolia flowers in the fore ground and also with orchid bed covering the ground beds, just so pretty. This particular tree is two to three thousand years old. I am listening to the winds blow through the leaves and the flow of creeks. Beautiful music by nature. These moments are just wonderful.
When the winds blow and the pink and white blossom petal fly in the air, it feels like white and pink powdery snow flakes are fallen. They also make pretty bed grounds.
Yesterday was fun touring with others in tour guide speed fashion, see Alishan in one day. Today was nice to spot out nice spots to sit, watch, drink tea, and just breathe.
Sitting at the steps of another train station stop within Alishan.
These are the types of trails with wooden steps and wooden fence rail.I don't care for chatter, especially in nature. Some people are really loud, you can hear them across the forest without any mega phone, it's truly a kind of talent and totally annoying.
This is a temple by the magnolia garden. I was able to get hot boiling water at the temple for my high mountain tea. I sat and drank tea and watched the festivities. I have not idea what it was about but it seems this is the weekend where people go to temples or something. There were people in Taoist clothing making some sort of procession to enter.
Here is one group passing all the offerings through the censor. Check out the torch gas light so you can lit bundles of incense at once. 
They say during this week of this deity's birthday, butterflies would fly and land on his beard. 
The sky is gray today. The weather is changing. Instead of staying a week here, I will stay till Wednesday. I am happy to have my gortex jacket on.
I came across Rabbit, another student from the University today who make the effort to remind me that Kenting is a nice place to go too and so is Hainan. I heard it and took that as a clue to where I should go next, Kenting. Since the boat for Penghu is not operating on Thursday, the day I had planned to go, I will just settle for Penghu instead, it is on the way to Lyudao.
Aborigials performing traditional dance.
I just had to get a picture of this young mother stroller her new born in high high heels on the mountains of Alishan, courageous!
My thoughts about today, it is really nice to know where the path starts and each step is well maintained and guided. You can't get lost or fall off. Each step will lead you to the next and you will get to the other side. That's really nice that it is all well mapped out, signs are up to date, and the path is well paved. This is a good thing! If only the rest of things in life is modeled after this there wouldn't be so much confusion and success rate would be 100%.
