ELEPHANT MOUNTAIN: A Climb Worth My While

After a long week of work from Monday to Friday, the weekend is something I look forward to. Let me share with you the activity I recently did on a weekend.  Hello Hivers! There are many things I can do and places I can visit here in Taiwan but on the 13th of April 2024, a Saturday, I decided to climb a mountain. Yes! you heard me right! I climbed the Elephant Mountain or Mt. Xiangshan, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan.  I was so excited when I arrived at the place. The steps looked narrow at this point, so I thought that it was going to be a hard climb. I warmed my body up for quite some time.   The entrance to the mountain is located in the middle of two narrow streets with buildings surrounding it. The view at the foot of the mountain was nice already but I knew it would be nicer when I reached the top.  As a first-timer, I read the signs placed on the side of the rails to learn more about the mountain and to kind of prepare myself as well.  It was foreigner-friendly because there was an English translation, except for the map, because it was written in Chinese. Nevertheless, the English translation is still a bonus I must say!  I found out that to reach the top is an eighteen-minute hike. Honestly, I was having a second thought when I read it. Yet, I tried to convince myself that I can do it!  So, I started climbing! From those narrow-looking steps at the foot of the mountain came wider and longer steps that blew my mind.  Many people were climbing too. Others were foreigners and some were locals. I could tell they were ready for the feat judging by the clothes they wore.   I had to take a pause and rest from time to time because I was grasping my breath. I think it must have come with age!   Many climbers paused and took a rest too. Good thing benches were provided anywhere so climbers can sit down whenever they feel exhausted.  When anyone needs a drink or food to eat, a seller can be found there too. Convenient right?   At the beginning of the climb, I counted the steps, but I lost count because I was slowly getting more and more tired.  As I was going on with the climb, I could only see trees, ladders, railings, benches, and people. I was hoping to reach the top any time soon.    Soon enough, I reached a certain deck where I could see a beautiful view of Taipei City with its ever-known building Taipei 101. The view was extremely breathtaking. The wind gusted freely which somehow eased my feeling of exhaustion.   I immediately posed for a photo to commemorate this moment of hurdle. Though it was not the peak yet, I was too tired to continue. I bet I could still get the same beautiful view as these.  I can say the climb was hard, but it was all worth it! If you come this far, thanks for your time! See you on my next one. Bye! [//]:# (!pinmapple 25.02694 lat 121.57440 long d3scr)