After a mediocre breakfast, we were on our way. Just a five-minute drive up the road, we reached the entrance to the hot spring, but a slow drive and a long hike (or climb!) still lay ahead. We parked and started getting ready. I was wearing sandals when it suddenly hit me: my hiking shoes were back at the hostel!

Waking up rather early, I walked back to the restaurant and ordered breakfast, another five-course meal. Soon I was packed, in the car, and on the road. Since we were driving through Jade Mountain National Park, there was almost no development. What a relief. We drove and drove, finally reaching the base of the mountain I was about to climb. I was under the impression that the mountain would not be cold, so I had brought only a sweater and a pair of shorts. Even at the base, I was cold, so I put on my trousers and hoped I would stay warm enough. Everybody else was wearing double-layered waterproof jackets, warm trousers, and large backpacks. Indeed, the two of us looked a bit out of place. Even though I got …

We were on the road by 8:00am, heading to the mountains. Still a little tired, I napped for part of the way, and sometime later we arrived at a roadside seafood restaurant. We met the rest of the “group,” twenty people in total. They brought out the food and we started eating. The plates were quickly empty, and I thought, “Hmm, still a little hungry.” Somebody joked, “OK, let’s go,” and everybody started laughing. What I did not know, or what had been lost in translation, was that we would be having something like ten courses.

Several months ago, I debated what to do during the Lunar New Year break. Should I fly somewhere or travel around Taiwan? Because everybody was trying to fly, ticket prices were triple their usual level. I was also likely to visit Tibet soon, so I needed to save money. One of my friends lived in southern Taiwan. I decided to make an adventure of it and join her, along with several other people, for a trip into the mountains.

It is Chinese New Year! Today is the 17th, the final day of the lunar year. Early in the morning, I packed some things from my apartment and gave it a quick clean, then returned and spent some time cleaning the dining room. The highlight came at dinnertime, when I sat down to a generous feast. There was plenty of seafood, including raw fish, which her mother knew I loved. She also bought me a few beers because she knew I didn’t care for rice wine. I had a bad experience in Zhongshan; ask Ian if you want the details.

My brother owns a coffee shop and a restaurant, which means there is plenty of coffee equipment around the house. One item is a waffle maker, which, as you know, I love. The main thing I did for my birthday was have waffles for dinner. They weren’t ordinary waffles, either, but waffles with Nutella. Now that’s a birthday dinner I can appreciate.

I love curry; there is no denying it. I prefer a hot, spicy Indian curry to the milder varieties often found in Thailand and Japan, although Thai curry can certainly be fiery. I went to a pleasant little curry restaurant, had a beer, and thoroughly enjoyed myself. This one felt especially well balanced.

The Palace Museum, ranked as one of the world’s five best museums, had just completed a renovation. Since I lived in Taipei, I had no excuse not to see the exhibition. From start to finish, the experience inspired a sense of awe. The Palace Museum building alone was splendid enough to make the bus ride worthwhile, but the true treasures were inside.

I’ve finally taken the time to rotate, crop, and upload the photographs from my trip to China. I posted about 100, along with a few from my previous visit. If you are interested, you are welcome to view them in my gallery. Feel free to email me if you find any of them interesting. I would love to hear what you think.

Luckily, there was an internet cafe next to the hostel, so I bought a membership. For the rest of my time in Shenzhen, I spent much of the day there watching movies. My new roommates, one from Taiwan and the other from Canada but originally from Mali, both snored heavily (and you know how much I like snoring). I enjoyed some excellent conversations with the Canadian, who shared his efforts to secure a better future.