2012-06-27

     After arriving at the visitor center, we watched the film introducing Yang-Ming Mountain with an awe-inspiring and innovative start of the scene that a woman is playing cello alone on the top of the mountain. The following route introduction is perfectly mixed with the melodramatic story. Our field trip began with this entertaining and knowledgeable Yang-Ming Mountain introduction video, which indicated the good start for the up-coming trip which would be full of wonders.

     During the walk on the Balaka trail, firstly, I was paying full attention to the road, for fear that I would fall down to the mountain due to incautiousness. I personally have been a poor multi-tasker and have never been able to devote myself in two things at the same time; therefore, I was sort of upset since I knew I was going to miss all the beautiful and amazing lives along the trail once I put my mind onto the safety problem. However, thanks so much to Dr. Tsai and Miss Fan, I learned a lot more from their thorough elaboration on insects and plants. The insect living in the self-built bubble house is the one I like the most. Along the trail, we have come across many different kinds of insects, such as a special kind of cicada, a small brown mantis (it was my first time seeing a mantis with my own eyes), a katydid, lizards of small sizes, a dead stag beetle… and so on. The sad story happened this morning is a small lizard accidentally died due to one human step. Hope the small soul can be a happy angel somewhere in the heaven.

     The cute lady in Siaoyoukeng volcanic scenic site did give us a very clear picture regarding to the site. Afterwards, we headed to Beitou. It was the third time I went into the Beitou Hot Spring Museum, but I still learned something new today; for example, I had never known “pataw” means “witch” in aboriginal language. The thermal valley, which we went after the tour in the museum, is another place that says the thermal movement underneath the land without words. Coming to Beitou, the trip is be complete without having a tour in one of the most beautiful eco-friendly library in the world—Taipei Municipal Library, Beitou Branch. It’d be a great pity for foreign students to miss having a visit there.