day 87_cemetery hike & simple market

Today a friend & I decided to check out some hiking trails very near my home. Taipei is in a basin surrounded by mountains, and there are said to be some great trails starting up the mountainside about a 15 minute walk from my place. We had both read about the great trails, and the views of Taipei 101 from the mountainside... but somehow, as we tried to find the supposed trail head... it just seemed like we were in a cemetery... because we were! We were headed in the right cardinal direction, and it seemed like the many moss-covered stairways might lead further... but we couldn't find what we were looking for - it didn't seem like this was what the books had described... no mention about the trails running through a cemetery.

Hillside cemetery near Taipei 101

Looking back at the city.

The cemetery was interesting. It reminded me of the cemeteries I visited earlier this summer in New Orleans... some ornate mausoleums, and others that looked aged, overgrown and deteriorated almost like ruins. The hike up the winding stairways was a really great workout (I was panting non-stop more or less!) but we felt a little defeated that we hadn't found the trails. Either way, we had come to a dead end, so we headed back down the mountainside to check out a nearby market.

Go figure we found the nicely laid trail on our way back!

Of course, luck would have it that after an hour and a half of trekking the city, we found the actual trail that we had been seeking this whole time - and because the sun was soon to set - we admitted sadly that we will have to go back another day! Oh well. At least the cemetery was interesting.

On the way home we stopped by the "Simple Market" a small, somewhat quaint vending grounds with mostly food and resale clothing/accessories stalls (today). According to my accomplice, on her last visit the market was filled with handmade crafts, so apparently the market selection rotates. It was a pretty quiet place compared to my busy night market visit last night. The quaintness made it pleasant though. I would like to check it out another day to see what's new in the rotation.

Simple Market