Welcome to Shan Ding Lu
After six months of threats and promises I have finally made good on them all and published my blog.
I recently bought a Nikon D40x camera and hope to make good use of it filling the web with photos of life in Taiwan.
What better subject for my camera’s first photo than the salesman…
You have a trust a smile like that.
Lu Shan is a favourite hot springs resort in the mountains. It is nestled in a valley and filled with hotels, restaurants and karaoke bars. Quite picturesque
This is a landslide on a walking track at the back of Lu Shan. Unfortunately the landslide has restricted access to some of the resorts further up the river valley. Lu Shan is at around 1500 metres altitude. It is a pleasant retreat from the hot and humid summer on the Taiwan plains.
But it is only part way to our destination…
He Huan Shan is above 3000 metres.
This is a great escape from the hot, humid, crowded and dusty plains of Taiwan. It is cool, dry, sparse and the air is crystal clear.
Quite romantic too. In those rare moments it is not cloudy, raining, snowing or blowing a gale.
The guest house at He Huan Shan. A dorm bed and two hot meals for 520 yuan
The mountain areas are truly beautiful and varied. The conditions are harsh and the plants and animals adapt.
A juniper that has bonsai-ed itself amongst the rocks and soil on top of He Huan Shan
You are never far from a hot meal
A keen cyclist we met on the way. He rode from 1200m to 3100m on this day. An ordinary bike with pretty ordinary gear. Very keen…
And on the way home we stopped by a banana shop. It could be anywhere in South-East Asia.
This could be the start of something big!
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