It was 4.30 am and our sad, sleepy asses were already out of bed so that we catch the sunrise train to catch possibly an amazing picture of the sun waking up and the sea of clouds.
The pitter-pattering outside our room at Alishan Gou Hotel already hinted that it might not hard to catch even a single ray of the sun but let's hope for the best as I dragged my feet towards the Chao Ping train station.
Damn, is it Chao Ping or Zhao Ping?!
Temperature that morning was said to be a comfortable 11 degrees Celsius but it felt much colder. Nevertheless, it wasn't as freezing as that time I climbed up this early for the failed sunrise experience at Hehuanshan.
Mesmerizing sculpture that seemed to be made from wood and stone on display at the Chaoping train station. What's that orb she was holding so dearly?
The exhibition was on Alishan Forest Railway, its historical and cultural importance to the development of Taiwan's forestry, and the glory of it.
There's even a showcase of nine sister railways of "The Forestry-Railway Good Friends Alliance", including from Japan, India, United Kingdom etc.
What?! Did I just miss the train? Nope, I didn't. The train originated from Alishan station which would usually carry the full load given its proximity to most accommodations at the main traveller town.
Waiting for the next train at the platform. From my understand, there were only two train timings for the sunrise train and the timings would only be confirmed the day before.
Arrival at Zhushan Station after a twenty-minute slow train ride. Sunrise timing was clearly stated on the platform and according to the time on my phone, we had about 30-minute of wait.
Dad with the old school train that appeared to have gone through a few decades of service along this old forest line.
Be mindful of timing for the last train departing from Zhushan Station. You can miss it of course; just that the trek back would take you about 35 minutes according to Google Map.
Exercising early in the morning isn't a bad thing.
Sadly, the weather remained bad, with a morning mist that would make it impossible for us to see through in order to catch the eye-squirming sun rays.
Those hungry or cold can consider getting hot food and beverages from the stalls outside the train station. I should have gotten some tea-leaves eggs...
Zhushan Sunrise Observation Deck was crowded with people since it's the nearest to the train station. There were two other observation decks; 550 meters versus 950 meters away.
From Zhushan Sunrise Observation Deck, we should be able to see the peak of Yushan, tallest mountain in Taiwan. Well, it's just a cloud of white in front of us.
We decided to walk to the other observation deck, still bearing hope and optimism that god might still let us bask in sunshine upon our arrival.
This observation deck, known as Xiaoliyuanshan Lookout, was 550 meters away and recommended by KK given the shorter walk that would be less taxing for us. And I think she was also worried that we might not make in time for the last train if we went to the further one.
Two photographs of dad!
About to reach Xiaoliyuanshan Lookout! It only took us about 8 minutes of walk that was so refreshing given the crisp, morning air in the forest.
The platform with 360-degree view. Many were still holding on to umbrellas as there were still a very light drizzle with raindrops that were so fine; it felt so therapeutic.
Pictures of my dad again; the last picture said it all, the disappointment that we didn't have to luck to catch the sunrise and the sea of clouds. Maybe the bad luck was as I have never once been able to catch the sunrise when I am overseas; aside from Hehuanshan, i failed in Redang and Cameron Highlands too.
Time: 7.02am.
No sun at all.
Decided to make our way back.
Although the sunrise eluded us, we were fortunate enough to catch sight of the Mikado pheasant, which was endemic to the mountains in Taiwan and also featured on the 1000 Taiwan dollar note!
Rain got heavier!
Time to quicken to pace!
Reached Zhushan Station at 7.17am. Guess we had to wait for the last train out of the station since the train ahead was already full.
At 7.50 am, we were back at Chaoping station. I didn't take photographs in the train since it was quite similar to the train we took from Shenmu to Alishan stations.
Video for viewing! You may also check out my YouTube channel here. I think I should seriously consider investing some time to take a course on video editing!
=====
No comments:
Post a Comment