alishan et al.

So this was the plan; get on a bus at 11:30pm,

ride all night and arrive at the top of Mt. Alishan
just in time to watch the sunrise on easter morning.
And for the first time since I arrived, it rained.
All was shrouded in cloud and no sunrise was seen.
Can anyone say disappointment? *sniffle*

The trip was not a waste for we also came for the cherry blossoms,
still early in their season with a few fine species not yet showing. not a cherry blossom but photo worthy all the same.

they might have mentioned the names of the different species
but it was all Chinese to me

our trip also included a few stops at local markets of note
(or at least the places that paid our tour guide to bring us)

i must note that while i understand people add life to a photo
i do not appreciate being a tourist attraction.
at one point i turned around to find a man
taking a picture of his wife standing beside me.
i felt like i had turned into a monument in a national park.
i should start charging per photo like SF shoe-shiners do.

Sooooo, in the lovely vein of people pictures...
here you see the popular "lunch box" phenomenon in full force.
(can you see the surprised/annoyed look on some of the faces
at my intrusion into their normal world?)

and what road trip would be complete without a stop in at a 7/11?
okay plenty of road trips do just fine without one.
anyways, new taste of day...seaweed flavored potato chips...