Where the clouds and mountains meet

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Yesterday we decided to take a little day trip. And by little I mean heading up the second highest mountain in Taiwan. The highest is Jade mountain which is very close, Jade mt is actually the tallest mountain in Asia, even taller than Mt Fuji, in Japan. So Mare, Mike and I planned to go see the mountain. Well we did very little planning, and figured it would work out when we got there. I had the great idea of scootering up the mountain but thankfully it was raining when we got there so we were forced to take another mode of transportation. We would have never made it alive if we would have scootered. That was a bad idea. So we went to the bus station first and the lady told us there were no buses to Alishan. Ok well what next. The taxi drivers were all asking us if we needed a ride but we werent sure that we wanted to pay that much. But after deliberation and a taxi driver offering to take us up there for only 1800nt ($54usd) we decided how else were we going to get there and why not spend the money we have. So we hopped in the cab and off we went.
The secenery was absolutly amazing. The words and pictures cannot even describe what we saw. The mountains took on a blue color and the coulds were low because of the rainy weather. It was increadible. The things we saw on the drive up alone were worth the money. After a twisty and rough 2 1/2 hours drive we made it to the national park. This time of year is very busy since it is when the cherry blossoms bloom. It was weird for me to be in the mountains and see all the same trees and flowers we see at home. I also saw my breath for the first time in 10 months, it was crazy cold up there.
In the park there were lots of shops and restaurants so we did a little eating and shopping as always. Then we decided to hike around to see what we could find. Let me mention that we were at a very high elevation and I am seriously out of shape so I have some difficulties walking around and going up steps. Actually I thought I was going to die and there were all these old people kicking my butt and not even breaking a sweat. I felt like a pathetic loser....well I will just use the excuse that I have asthma so its justified. But we hiked and found the cherry trees, then we hiked more and found a huge old tree and a really good place with an amazing view of the mountains. After about 2 hours we decided that was enough hiking and we headed back to shop more and find a ride back down. We found a cab to take us back for the great deal of 1500nt (45usd). And we embarked on our journey down. Well going down was a bit more rough than going up. We were sliding all over the back seat, falling all over each other, Mare and I couldnt stop laughing cause Mike was able to sleep. At one point our driver decided to take a short cut. I am not a fan of short cut especially down steep mountains. Well this road was about one and a half lanes and super twisty. We had some near collisions and I was pretty freaked out that we were never going to make it back alive. But obviously we did. After that adventure we had dinner, did a little more shopping and played in an arcade then we all headed home.
It was possibly the best trip I have taken since I have been in Taiwan, it was a great day seeing some truly amazing things.

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