Maokong: A Little Bit of Paradise on a Lazy Sunday

At the very simplest, I think as Van Gogh said and St Francis would have said, we must find nature. Just to be in the presence of nature your feelings and 'little seedlings' start to awake. ... More and more we turn nature into a commodity, into eco-tourism. But we must integrate it into the way (we) live every day...


On Sunday, we spent a blissful morning, slipping in and out of consciousness, on the comfy tatami, taking breaks for Japanese cornflakes (not as good, damnit).

Later, in the afternoon, we met with our Taiwanese mates and headed out to the mountains surrounding Taipei City. The day's exercise was to head out to the latest addition to Taipei's public transport system - a cable car up and over the mountain range into the small tea-growing villages of Maokong.

The cable-car has copped an unbelievable amount of flack in its short time; it's had a few minor blips, but mostly, the biggest oversight seems to be the lack of air-conditioning! It's all over the news here, pandering to the large number of locals who shake their head solemnly every time it's mentioned! As it's a French design, used to transport people up the alps during the ski season, the cars have no windows and only tiny vents for air. Not particularly comfortable stuff!

Nonetheless, beautiful. Travelling up and over the city at sunset, far enough away to enjoy a little objectification too. Just gorgeous. After a twenty minute ride (for $2AUD - obscene!) we took a bus to an old teahouse once favored by one of our friends during her time at grad school.

I can't find the camera cord, but I know that even the photos won't do it all justice. We sat outside on a big wooden table, with a small latern providing light for our little alfresco space. Just like an Australian summer space, fairy lights set the scene against a night as black as anything, crickets serenading with their little tune. We didn't talk so much; just snacked on great dim sum. The unofficial priority; drinking both oolong tea and a setting unlike any other, thus far.

Sighs all round.

We once again took the cable car on the way back, which allowed us to enjoy the view once more, this time the nightscape. Again, so immensely beautiful and a great way to enjoy a city from afar, all the little beings far beneath us.

Back in the heart of the city - Taiwan is such a little island - we stopped off at one of Taiwan's greatest inventories, the xiao chi restaurant. After a session at KTV, in Taipei, people don't head to the local Maccas for that obligatory 3am snack. They head to any number of 24-hour buffet/congee restaurants, which are pumping with people at any hour of the day. These restaurants are designed to service big groups, so they provide a big saucepan of congee rice so you can enjoy the little food dishes chosen from the huge buffet downstairs. A real Taiwanese evening, no? Eating at 11pm on a Sunday night. You can see what I mean about these restaurants at one of my favorite blog sites, "A Hungry Girl's Guide to Taipei."

htttp://hungrygirlintaipei.blogspot.com.

It's all about making the time, dui bu dui?