Ren'ai - Lishan Day 14

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The sun was shining into my room this morning and the view of the mountains made packing easier. The climb to Hehuangshan Mountain was 20km, which took me over 3 hours. From the beginning, I felt the thin air at high altitude, and I felt the pressure difference in my ears during the ride. The road became partly single lane. This did not prevent tourist buses, cars, and even trucks from overtaking, and it sometimes got narrow. The positive thing today was the view with sunshine. I was able to enjoy both during the entire ascent. The temperature dropped, and when I reached the top at 3275m, I put on 4 layers of clothes. The pass is the highest accessible point in Taiwan by expressway, which attracts many tourists, some of whom take short hikes to various peaks in the area.

I quickly started the descent. which I interrupted again at the first snack bar. The wind during the descent was not very pleasant as I got slightly cold from sweating. But there was nothing I could do. The next kilometers were always a struggle, as it was also very humid due to low-hanging clouds, and my arms kept trembling from the cold. Eventually, the sun came out again in a deeper valley, and I was able to slowly enjoy the descent and the view again. Tea, apples, and persimmons are grown in the valley, and that is also where the first larger town was located, where Danah had booked my accommodation. It was 2km from the village center, which would not have been a problem if it weren't for the additional 100 meters in altitude. I pushed my bike into the village for dinner, as it was too steep to ride.

I arrived at my accommodation around 3 pm today. It is a tea plantation that has placed small bungalows in its garden. Mine has Japanese-style beds. The owner immediately invited me for tea. We drank tea for about an hour in a traditional manner, using very small cups. She didn't speak English, and her daughter spoke very little English as well, so Google Translate helped once again. I also received 2 apples and 2 persimmons as gifts from the surrounding fields. There was another nice mountain panorama to see at sunset. I really enjoy the mountains and nature, even though it will be in the single digits outside tonight and my bungalow has no heating. I will dress warmly for sleep :-)

Best regards to everyone