asking around the way to yangmingshan from the hotel counter service man. he said, have to take a train to new beitou, then change bus, did not say how long the whole journey took.
planned to wake up at 6am, and go into action without breakfast(hotel breakfast opens at 6.30am). but had a rough night(ate too much - TEA lunch with vendor in kaohsiung where all dishes were prepared with some tea ingredient, not fancied the caffeine in tea, but curious to find out what's it all about), instead woke up at 6.40am. had light buffet breakfast in the hotel. and made it to the chungshan mrt station. asked the counter service lady there. she said, take mrt, stop at jiantan station, then take bus red-5. mrt about 10 minutes and bus can be 30-60 minutes depending on traffic condition.
he did as told and got on the red-5 within 5 minutes of waiting for the bus beside the jiantan station. the bus was packed like a can of sardine. at 8.20am, the bus arrived at the yangmingshan terminal. he took the walk on the track to yangmingshan park where there's cherry blossom along way and where people gathered to appreciate cherry blossom season(officially opened from 18- feb-2011).
he enjoyed the walk tremendously, for the fact that it was very cooling, the sky was overcast, with some light drizzle, and track was not crowded, maybe it's not weekend. instead he saw quite a number of old people taking their time out from their normal routines to take in the outdoor fresh air and peaceful and supremely delightful scenes that's enhanced with the cherry blossom - mainly of the pinkishprunus iannesiana variety.
some came in groups, some came with relatives, with helpers, nurses...... by bus, by feet, in their private limousines....
except for politics, taiwanese have lots of refinements in other aspects of their lives.
he talked to a lady in her fifties, sitting next to him in a bus, on his return trip. she said, she came from nankang(muni in metro taipei county), and didn't miss any cherry blossom season in yangmingshan for the last so many years. she said, cherry blossom gave her hope, joy and the purpose of living.
he asked her why?
she said, "cherry blossom always reminds me of my first love; the first time me and my boy fren had a date."
"did he become your husband?"
"no. it's a pity. he couldn't care less about cherry blossom, the next year; he cared more about the bosoms of another damsel."
"then cherry blossom shld hv brought you sad memory?"
"well, why should it? whatever is mine is mine..... i know, cherry blossom is mine."
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