Since Computex doesn’t officially start until tomorrow, we got in a little site seeing by heading to Yangmingshan Nation Park. The park is really a mountain, and a fairly high one at that. We were told you will get a great view of Taipei from the top.
The driver dropped us off near the base so we can take a little hike to one of the many viewing areas. The hike is a winding trail that has some stairs. It’s not very long but because Taipei is so damn hot and humid, you work up a sweat right away. I made the mistake of wearing pants instead of shorts. Good thing there was a nice breeze.
When we finally got to the top of the first view station, the only thing I wanted to do was sit down, relax and let the breeze cool me down. Sarah went off to the visitor center to get some information on which part of the park offered the best view of Taipei. We were told to get on one of the small shuttle buses that drive people around from one part of the mountain to the next. The bus would take us to the peak and from there I would be able to take the most amazing picture of the city. However, that never happened.
The Worst Ice Cream In The World
In order to make change for the bus, Stephen and I each bought an ice cream cone. We’re not exactly sure what the stuff in the cone was, but calling it ice cream was a crime! It was the worst ice cream I have ever tasted. And the cone tasted like a Styrofoam cup. Instead of eating it, we tossed it away. Stephen complained that I should have warned him that the ice cream was that bad since I ordered first. However, I wanted him to experience the pain I went through. 😈
The Failed Mountain Assault
We got on the bus that was going to take us to top of the mountain. The road was very narrow and every time on coming traffic came at us, it looked like we were going to have a head on crash. It was a bumpy and scary ride.
As we got higher and higher we realized that our visibility got worst and worst because we were driving inside a cloud – so much for the great view of Taipei. To make matter worst, the cloud turned into a thunder storm of wind and rain. Instead of getting off at the top, we decided it was best to remain on the bus and have it drive us back down the mountain.
Hopefully, we’ll have better luck at the Taipei 101.