Alishan Park

Good Morning Blog,

Managed to wake up in time with a slight delay, so excited for today's itinerary.

Knowing we will be having a long journey up to our next destination...

It will be a long twisted road journey, prepare mentally - yes! It will be cold, so prepare my attire - yes!

What about our tummy?

What a beautiful setting for a meal.

I woke up to fully utilize the free breakfast from the hotel. Love these eggs.

Hi to my royal readers, welcome to my blogspot and embark on the overseas trip with me. Before that, let's have breakfast together.

Yippee! My favourite mirror lift! And here was my OOTD.

From the sight of it, Taiwan Street looks like a Japanese street with street signs, don't you think?

Let's go!

After a while of riding, we got to see the mountains!

Time to start our twisted mountain road.

What a beautiful mountain ridge

Thanks to the driver stopped halfway for us to look out and admire the beauty of it.

(Credit Driver) Let's stop by for a group photo

(Credit SJ) And a Digusting-Jeff moment.

Honestly, I love looking at the mountains, imagining how they were formed and knowing facts that we can see the whole mountain from afar, but we are so insignificant right inside of them.

Honestly, we were already feeling some pressure in our chests, so we mostly tried to sleep through it. Thanks to QH for giving me a motion sickness pill; without it, I'm sure... 🤮

Just check out the twisty roads

Left.... Right.... Left again... And right... 🤮

After three hours of a dizzy car ride, we finally arrived at Alishan!

The temperature was slightly cold but wasn't that bad as long as was not windy.

Ooo! Found a wild cat here.

Landmark here! 2170m!

(credit SJ) Took this opportunity to snap a pic here before the crowds started to gather here.

(Credit SJ) I thought it would be that cold... I wore a cap to protect my head and ears but it seemed alright.

Usually, whatever nature lives or grows on a highland tends to be more unique and beautiful ul than on a lowland. Even this simple daily flower or dandelion can look so nice and big!

Nice wood sculpture display here but to me... I pity that deer 🦌

I was surprised to see a succulent manage to grow here and love this lotus-looking succulent.

Aww... I wondered what species this cute dog is; it looks like a Shiba crossed with other different breeds.

Along the way up, the driver would share with us about the cherry blossom season in Taiwan and how beautiful they are; and we might be able to witness some in Alishan and I was glad to see it myself.

Plum blossom is one of the Four Gentlemen or Four Noble ones, which were used in Chinese art since the Song dynasty (960–1279) and it also represents winter, renewal, purity, and perseverance.

(Credit SJ) Hmm... renewal, purity, and perseverance... Renewal - I am trying... Purity - filled with nonsense and fat so nope... Perseverance - I am not the standard of it...

More blossom ahead!

Honestly, I expected it would be a whole mountain blossomed in pink! But nope. Haha 😂 Small disappointment.

Feeling great that my wishlist fulfilled

Hmm honestly... How shall we explore this place... Where to start? We were lost...

In Alishan, you will spot many empty stumps around here...

Many were left forgotten if they looked just kind of meh.

Hmm... Alishan is so big, that we had no idea where or how to start, so the staff told us to take a bus up to Chaoping 沼平, and then we walked down to the shopping area where we started. It will be a lot easier.

Here we were, greeted by cypress trees in Alishan. I remembered watching a documentary about the Redwood forest in Canada; that one was breathtaking. I could imagine that this was like it.

This machine was used in the past for logs.

This tall log was utilized as a lever to move heavy logs.

There are two methods to reach Chaoping 沼平: by bus or by train. Travelling by train offers a unique and exotic experience.

Uncertain of our destination, we decided to follow the crowd and, guided by the map the driver shared on WhatsApp, we made our way to Sister Pond.

(Credit SJ) Most visitors stopped here to take photos, which I observed from a distance. Once they had moved on and the area was clear, it was finally our turn! :D

I finally managed to look at a map of Alishan! Attempting to make sense of our location on my phone's map was challenging. I believed I could navigate unfamiliar places without a physical map, but it seems this suggests otherwise.

(Credit QH) Shall we go and see the giant trees?

The Wood History - Complete Enumeration

In Alishan, there are many t thousands of years old red cypress trees and many generations.

I can imagine that the train journey through these woods will be a mythical experience.

Today's crowd felt overwhelming... How I longed for a forest with fewer people...

The Wood History #2 - err can't figure out what word is that... I was considering naming these wooden sculptures, but the title and description were too blurry to be readable from my pictures.

Quite a few dead ones are left around and we can tell cypress wood is a good wood if it is well preserved. 

These cypress trees' stumps look like they were commonly used as decor in fish terrariums; If I had enough resources and wealth, I would make a terrarium like a mini Alishan..

The Wood History #3 🤔 Honestly... If my blog is in the public... I wish that someone could help me with the naming.

Walking under a dried stump - feeling like fishes

I was wondering why these trees were dead... What was the reason? Old age? I thought trees could grow for centuries?

Its roots or stems seem strong and able to withstand any challenges... Why will it die?

(credit SJ) But its beauty still remains to remind us how small we are, and we should be humbled for it.

I overheard a guide explaining this to their visitors that this stump has two generations, one will be the dead one and another one is the three young ones growing on top of it. Ooh... Interesting fact. But how it worked?

I heard that whatever we were looking at is considered as second ogenerationerations of the cypress tree.

The Wood History #4 - Skidding

(credit SJ) I found a few nice trees to take photos with, and how I wish my hiking journey could have such trees around. They are just nice and beautiful, unlike Singapore, which is messy and unorganized.

Sister's Lake 姊妹潭

I believe this spot will be a perfect dating area for couples.

If it is accompanied by a blue, bright sky, this picture will be perfect.

The funny thing was, no matter what or how the dried log is, how you placed it, it will still look so nice; like a superstar who always looks glamorous in any angle and poses. Unlike me, I can only rely on sharing some of the light by posing along with it.

Just like this, my face just got cancelled out. 😂

👀 This object is stunning from every angle. 

Guess what? More beautiful cypress trees are photobombing the view!

The Wood History #5: Railroad Transportation

(credit SJ) People worried about the dirty ground that I sat on, but they will never understand that this ground isn't as dirty as the hikes that I have experienced.

The ground here is way better than Singapore—cleaner and less thorny!

The Wood History - Timber Pond

(Credit SJ) You know what? Even the wood here has fewer ants or insects looking for food than in Singapore.

If this wood were big enough, it could be used to build a small house.

The perfect wallpaper for my laptop!

Besides cherry blossoms, there were Magnolia trees also flower

ooo, a curved tree! Something new.

I attempted to lie on it, but I slipped and slid down its smooth stem; so, I ended up just hugging it instead.

Or I simply stood and posed beside it, which is preferable to being kicked away by the trees.

Alishan Shouzhen Temple 阿里山受鎮宮

The dragon's design is intricate. I appreciate the effort and creativity involved.

A temple built at a high altitude with an intricate exterior naturally attracts many worshippers.

The fascinating process is where cypress trees grow closely enough to fuse together and this happens when the trees' trunks or branches grow into each other, becoming united.

Now, as you look back at the cypress trees, you will gain a better understanding of them.

We observed a massive tree standing behind the vertical lines...

Here stands one of the giant cypresses before us.

(Credit SJ) It might not seem gigantic in pictures, but I believe there are much bigger ones out there!

Due to time constraints, we had to leave the park before sunset, preventing us from exploring all the ancient trees. Additionally, the high altitude left us breathless after climbing just a short flight of stairs, as the air was thin. My head started to spin... 😵 I am just too weak...

Alishan Suspension Bridge 阿里山吊橋

(Credit SJ) Since there's no crowd, let's take a few pictures here first.

Here is a perfect example of how cypress trees have fused across generations.

Three Generations Wood 三代木

(Credit SJ) Before we head back, let's take one more picture with the blossoms.

We joined the small random crowd, confirming our intended direction; it was a bit of a distance yet still within manageable reach.

Rock with craving words!

Thanks, SJ and QH for exploring this place together.

At last, we had returned to the main entrance. I haven't explored every corner of this park yet, and I hope to return and do so next time.

Taking a photo together? Absolutely, no problem at all!

As we descended, the climate began to cool, and a blanket of fog started to envelop the surroundings. We took this time to rest ourselves to avoid dizziness.

The driver stopped us at one more interesting temple - Longyin Temple 嘉義觸口-天長山龍隱寺

Wow! This dragon looks muscular!

Ah, what a fantastic opportunity to take a photo with the Great Teacher. Such a fortunate moment!

There is a bridge beside the temple.

oooooo! This one is...

天長地久橋 Tencho and Chikyuu Suspension Bridges aka Everlasting bridge

This bridge was built during the Japanese Occupation Period to celebrate the emperor's and empress's birthday.

Legend has it that couples who cross this bridge will enjoy everlasting unity. As for me, without a partner, it seems I'm destined to be everlasting (forever) alone.

It felt as though we needed to express gratitude to the heavens for our safe journey along the winding road.

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My overall experience in Alishan was alright. I was happy, yet I had some feelings... because our plan was to stay in the Alishan Hotel to explore the park slowly and witness the sunrise. However, the cost of hotel accommodations was high, particularly for a solo traveller. Additionally, our driver cautioned us about possible issues such as dense fog or low temperatures, which could make it unsafe for vehicles to ascend to Alishan, resulting we won't staying over in Alishan. Unfortunately, today's weather was neither cold nor foggy, which was somewhat disappointing.

Jeff