My daily commitments require me to move no more than 40 feet in a tiny small apartment. Luckily Fuzhou Mountain Park is a 15 minute walk from our home. For centuries this mountain was a gravesite. The state is gradually moving cemetaries to larger columbariums and converting the hillsides to forest parks. Logging has been illegal in Taiwan for a few decades.
The view from the top of the mountain Eastward. You can see more green mountains in the background.
The ascent steeply climbs up the small mountain, a brisk 5 minutes to the top.
City view in the NorthWest. Taipei 101 lumbers through the near perpetual haze of Taipei.
In the adjacent Fouzhou Eco Park Mags finds a hula hoop for public use!
Mags never misses an opportunity for Hoop Dance!
We take the frog path, and behold!
Horny Formosan Frog
This frog is as large as my hand. On another day at Dahu Park we find the tiniest frogs ever.
Tiny frog, smaller than my fingernail
Amphibians are a good sign of water quality. They are usually the first to disappear in polluted areas. The water is safe enough for fishing as well!
Fishing at Dahu Park
18 Turtles on a log
I think living in such a dense environment gives Taipei dwellers a sense of longing for nature. Even grocery shops and construction sites grow “living walls” of plants.
Living wall
Orchids grow abundantly both in nature and under the tender care of humans.
Orchids are everywhere in Taiwan. These are at the Talu hotel.
Coming soon! Rites and Rituals, and City Life