Born in Kentucky, when I first moved to Ohio for College in 1977 at the age of 18, my accent earned me the nicknames, “Briar-Hopper” & “Hillbilly”. Having since lived in the UK, Japan and now Taiwan, I seem to move around a lot – Willy Nilly if you like. Now if this all seems like a manufactured set-up for that headline, you’re probably right. But now that we’re really rolling here in the Magic Rock (see earlier post), we figured it was time to pack up the minivan and head for the mountains.

On of the many benefits of our apartment’s location is that the immense, bustling metropolis of Taipei lies before us. While the stunning natural beauty of Yangmingshan National Park lies just behind us. So we did some homework to find a family-friendly hiking trail, loaded the vehicle with beverages, snacks and canines and chose the Lenshuikeng area. According to the Yangmingshan National Park website, “The Lengshuikeng region is a low-lying depression which was created when the lava from Mt. Qixing and Mt. Qigu formed a barrage. Water then accumulated, turning the area into a lake, which eventually leaked out and dried up to expose the lake bottom and form today’s landscape. The water temperature of the hot springs in this area only reaches 40°C (104°F), far below that of other springs in other areas, hence its name Lengshuikeng, which means “cold water pit”.” 

All this sounded great as we described it to Griffin and Bodhi once they had clicked their seat belts and we were on the road. Griffin asked where it was exactly and when we told him it was in the mountains, he moaned, “Not the mountains! I hate the mountains! It STINKS up there.” Of course the stink he was referring to is the sulfur smell of the fumaroles and hot springs since we sit atop an active volcanic area. So we rolled down the windows and made it into a game.  Whenever we drove through a cloud, we guessed – was it a raincloud or a stink cloud? More often than not, it was a stink cloud but the kids enjoyed it.

We decided on a hike to the Juansi Waterfall that started on a suspension bridge and ended at a waterfall – 1.2 kilometers, 2.4 there and back. First we needed water for the dogs.

And then we were off and hiking. Of course Griffin and Bo complained a fair bit. Their legs hurt, they were tired, they got on each others’ nerves, etc. but it appears they occasionally enjoyed the  walk and Mommy & Daddy were not backing down.

The trail was paved and wound through beautiful bamboo thickets and thick vegetation.

After much trudging, we made it to the waterfall which was beautiful and the perfect relaxing spot for a snack.

And what post would be complete without video?

But as with any other trail into the mountains in Taiwan, there were other, slightly smaller waterfalls everywhere.

Hiking back we discovered the loudest insects on earth engaged in their late afternoon song. We are now convinced these little buggers are what chased the Japanese from Taiwan. Turn up your speakers (but not too much) or put on your headphones to experience their full ear-splitting glory in this video.

After further trudging, we made it back to the suspension bridge for a family photo next to the “Keep off the Grass” sign.

More adventures to come. Thanks for reading our posts and don’t forget to click the embedded images for larger views and leave plenty of comments.

We love and miss you all…

–The Klars Afar