4ever Discovering

One of the beautiful advantages about living in Taiwan is that there is always

a mountain to be climbed on the weekend.  You will never find yourself bored

living here, especially in Taipei.  With such an amazing landscape in this

country, you can go for a hike one day and take a dip in the ocean the next. 

Emily and I decided after about five weeks of living in the city, we should see

our new life from a higher view.  We packed our backpacks and headed out to climb Elephant Mountain!

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Elephant Mountain is very accessible when you live in Taipei; all you need to do is take the MRT all the way to the end of the red line and follow the signs (and tourists) leading you to the entry point.  If you still find you are lost, just walk uphill!

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When we found our way to the entrance of Elephant Mountain, we were quickly greeted by a never-ending set of steep stairs.  Before we came here, we were told that this was an ‘easy’ hike, so naturally I was expecting a leisurely stroll to enjoy the view.  WRONG.  Take my advice on this one; it is not the best idea to attempt this hike when it is over 35 degrees and not a cloud in the sky.  It makes for a great picture though!

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Once we made it to the first rest stop near the top, all the sweat was worth it when we got our first photo op.  There is a little platform off to the side where you can get an incredible view of Taipei and the infamous Taipei 101 World Trade Centre.  This is the first time where we were able to take in the beauty of the city and not focus on the hustle bustle when immersed in it.  It’s hard to believe that we are living here, especially when behind the skyscrapers it seems like there are endless mountains.

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After we took our classic tourist shots and even tried to sneak across the boundaries for some cool snaps, we continued uphill to see what else there was to see.  There are lots of trails to hike in Elephant Mountain, all leading to different entrances and exits.  There are signs around the trails to help guide you and warn you about the length if you are struggling for time (or to catch your breath!)  Now, I know everyone is wondering: why it is called Elephant Mountain?  Great question, I asked the same thing.  It turns out that if you look at the mountain from afar, it outlines the shape of an elephant.  I found that if you close your left eye and tilt you head to the right a little, it faintly resembles an elephant.  But hey, maybe the person who named it had a few too many to drink that day (I won’t judge).

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As we continued our way along the trail, we decided that it was always best to choose the path that led uphill when there was a fork in the road.  We figured the higher we climbed, the better the view would be.  Makes sense, right?  Well, with the altitude so high, the air was getting pretty thin and the heat didn’t help our cause; we took much needed breaks along the way and eventually came to the conclusion that we needed some lunch.  The next obstacle was to find our way to the exit (we forgot to leave a bread crumb trail to help us).

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Along our trek back to the exit, we encountered some really cool areas that we would have never found if we didn’t (*cough cough*) get a little lost.  We are never LOST, we are 4EVERDISCOVERING.  But in all seriousness, we stumbled upon this tranquil area with golden statues creating a path to a fifty-foot Goddess statue.  We still aren’t entirely sure what it was, but there was a cool aura and vibe to the little sanctuary.  Emily and I also found our way to a temple in the middle of the mountain.  This was our first real time entering a temple so it was awesome to see how other cultures worship their Gods.  Let’s just say it might have been our first temple, but certainly won’t be our last.  Welcome to Asia folks, where it is normal to stumble across temples hidden deep in the mountains.

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After about half of a day spent in Elephant Mountain, it is safe to say that we survived the trek and lost about 10 pounds from sweat.  If you are planning to go for a hike anywhere in Taiwan, always bring a sweat towel or even an extra shirt (we learned this the hard way).  After you get over the initial shock of all of the stairs when you first get here, I promise that once you tough it out, the view makes it all worthwhile.  But believe me when I say going downhill has its challenges too; it isn’t as easy as you think.  The stairs are so steep, you can’t even stop because your body is just dragging you down.  This hike isn’t just great exercise; it is an incredible way to see the city from afar and take in the beauty of Taipei.  Next time we will take a trip here around sunset to see the views from a different light (and hopefully not sweat as much).  Your Fitbit will love this hike as much as you will, I promise!