AmyHuang
Taiwan: Alishan - a beautiful mountain
Right down the centre of Taiwan is the central Taiwan mountain ranges. One of these is Ali-shan (Ali Mountain) national park, a popular place for locals and visitors to watch the beautiful sun rises and the so called 'Cloud Seas', low floating clouds hovering mid-way throughout the mountains, making it look like you are above the clouds.
The peak times to visit Ali-shan is during March to April when pink and white cherry blossoms bloom seeking visitor's attention. However, visiting during December doesn't mean I miss out on everything. It's maple season when different breeds of maple trees absorb the winter chill and turn their leaves into bright red gems.
Many old trees dwell in Ali-shan, and the aboriginal tribes here call these the Sacred Trees. Many of these tress have lived hundreds of years, some even growing through generations, with new trees growing on top of the old roots of trees that had fallen previously.
A walk through the forests calms the nerves and refresh the mind. I enjoyed the wild bird calls and the fresh smell of nature, and even if the cherry blossoms are still shy from the winter air, there is still a certain ambiance about the skeleton trees and red maples.
I had paid to join a bus tour to watch the sun rise. There are only certain spots you can see the sun rise from and many are too far to walk to, so the bus took us mid-way up the peak. Unfortunately it was slightly over cast so we didn't get to see the sun break through the peak. Although, the rapid cloud formation changes were still quite impressive.
You can take the train up to Ali-shan, however we didn't get to enjoy a train ride as the train was under maintenance at the time (the low down on travelling Taiwan during their off-peak season...) If you have the chance, definite visit at the end of March to catch the cherry blossoms!
Isle of cherry blossom trees
The peak times to visit Ali-shan is during March to April when pink and white cherry blossoms bloom seeking visitor's attention. However, visiting during December doesn't mean I miss out on everything. It's maple season when different breeds of maple trees absorb the winter chill and turn their leaves into bright red gems.
Many old trees dwell in Ali-shan, and the aboriginal tribes here call these the Sacred Trees. Many of these tress have lived hundreds of years, some even growing through generations, with new trees growing on top of the old roots of trees that had fallen previously.
The three generation tree - each tree is living off the original roots of the first tree!
A walk through the forests calms the nerves and refresh the mind. I enjoyed the wild bird calls and the fresh smell of nature, and even if the cherry blossoms are still shy from the winter air, there is still a certain ambiance about the skeleton trees and red maples.
A suspended bridge along one of the Ali-shan trails
I had paid to join a bus tour to watch the sun rise. There are only certain spots you can see the sun rise from and many are too far to walk to, so the bus took us mid-way up the peak. Unfortunately it was slightly over cast so we didn't get to see the sun break through the peak. Although, the rapid cloud formation changes were still quite impressive.
Thin mist of 'Cloud Sea' hovers mid-peak
Impressive cloud formations and the sun trying to peak through
You can take the train up to Ali-shan, however we didn't get to enjoy a train ride as the train was under maintenance at the time (the low down on travelling Taiwan during their off-peak season...) If you have the chance, definite visit at the end of March to catch the cherry blossoms!
The Sacred Tree train station in Ali-shan
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