Last Minute 最後一分 (Alishan 阿里山)

(The cycle continues...)

Here in Taipei, it seems like we're always doing things- if it's not going on a trip, it's organizing some event, or if nothing else just going out to eat or to the movies together. It's a fun kind of busy, but one of the biggest reasons we do this is because we always seem to have people coming and going. When we have a new friend arrive to help us out, obviously we want to have a party to welcome them, and when someone leaves, we naturally want to send them off well. It's a really good cycle we've got going here; people come, they learn Chinese, they get accustomed to Chinese culture, they make new friends, we make new friends, and then they go off, either to some new land or back to their home congregations, well equipped to expand their ministry and assist the congregations. That doesn't mean it's easy when someone leaves though- for anyone!

These past few weeks, we've had the cycle hit us pretty hard. Almost ten people have either already gone home or are going home soon, and we've been doing some last minute activities with as many people as we can! First, we had a group dinner/game night at Alix's house to send off Ayaha and Kiara- Ayaha going home for a time, Kiara going to expand her ministry in Australia.

I am not good at selfies!

Then we had another party, again with food, games and music, for Jessica, who has been here for over one year and is going back to her home congregation in England. Jessica actually lived underneath a sister's store- she has a huge basement that she's outfitted as a kind of hostel, with bedrooms and a common area, but only for Witnesses- so we got to invite more people to her party!

No party is complete without a game of Swedish Mafia or two...

She wasn't leaving fast enough, so we decided to carry her out

We'll miss all of you! No matter where your service takes you, I know Jehovah will bless you, and I hope your time in Taiwan has helped you. Come back any time you want!

People haven't just left, either; the cycle works both ways, and it has brought Harry Sparks back to our island!

The man himself! (Liang Teng was just visiting sadly...)

Harry came to Taiwan just a few days after I did, and we lived together for a good six months before he went back to the States to take care of some business and see some family. He's told me he plans to eventually retire in Taiwan and help in the Chinese field as much as he can, and he's taking steps to make that plan a reality! This time, he'll be here for three months, then will go back one more time in the summer to save up a little more money. After that, maybe the next time he comes will be permanent?

By the way, the picture above is when we went to a hot pot place 火鍋- some places call it Shabu Shabu, for a reason that no one can explain to me. It doesn't sound anything like that in Chinese, maybe it's a dialect or something? Anyway, it's amazing, and most of those places are all-you-can-eat. :-D

The major trip this time, however, was a trip I took with two sisters, Tomomi and Amy. We three have worked together at the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall for five months now, every Monday morning for three hours, and have had many good experiences preaching together, not to mention the myriad conversations we've had during times when not many people were in the square. And sadly, this situation must change, for Amy is also leaving Taiwan! She's going back home to Korea, hopefully to come back one day...

We were talking, and she mentioned one place she'd never gotten to visit that she had always wanted to was Alishan 阿里山, a famously beautiful mountain in central Taiwan. So I figured, why not go?

We three made plans to take a Wednesday off work and service, wake up early and take the first train down to Chiayi, then board a bus up to the mountain and walk from there. The train ride was unremarkable, but as our bus climbed into the mountains, we all knew that this was already a good idea.

Getting higher...

Alishan is not particularly tall, as mountains go- only 7000 feet (2,400m) high or so- but considering how small Taiwan is it dominates the surrounding valleys. One day I'd like to climb 玉山 Jade Mountain, Taiwan's tallest at about 12,000  feet (3,900m)... but that will have to wait, as there aren't any buses to the top of Jade Mountain!

In fact, there was hardly a bus route to Alishan! There is only one small two-lane road up the mountain, and on our way up someone in front of us had an accident, which completely blocked traffic for about 90 minutes. At least the view was still pretty good.

There are worse places to get stuck... like Cleveland

But finally, after sitting in a bus for way too long, we arrived!

Since Alishan is so tall, it was quite a bit colder than Taipei! That day, Taipei was about 21 C, about 70 F, but on top of the mountain it was a chilly 2 C- about 35 F! In fact, we missed snow by only one week!

From left: Tomomi, me, Amy

Alishan fully deserves its reputation for beauty. The flowers were just opening, the small plants were green with new life, and the trails had been very artfully made.

So close to the Chinese New Year, there were unfortunately a lot of tourists from Mainland China, who are not known for their great respect for others' space or their exceptional manners, but we solved that problem pretty easily. The Chinese usually like to travel in large groups, with a tour guide wielding his megaphone directing them around and continually yelling at them not to destroy the park or the plant life, so they're pretty compact. Any time we heard one coming- and you could hear them from a long way off- we just ducked into the forest until they left. Problem solved!

Just go over there and look at flowers for a few minutes. Easy!

It's a bit of a shame how paved all the 'hiking' trails were. When I checked online and saw that you could hike in the Alishan National Park, I thought hiking meant, you know, dirt trails and fording creeks, not so much walking across artfully designed bridges and along white granite pathways. They do make for good pictures, though...

There wasn't really a whole lot to do in Alishan besides walk around and appreciate nature, but there's nothing wrong with that. Nature is beautiful! Taipei is a particularly green city, even compared to an American city like Sacramento known for its trees, but this forest was quite different than Taipei's. Taipei is more of a rainforest, lots of ferns, moss and mushrooms... Alishan, probably because it's colder, reminds me more of redwoods than rainforest.

This one looks fake, doesn't it? It's completely real, I promise.

About an hour along the path, there's a feature called the Sisters Lake. According to a sign, the local legend is that long ago, before the Chinese came to Taiwan, there was a tribal chief of the nearby tribe who had two beautiful daughters who were soon going to be married to two sons of another nearby tribe, and everyone hoped that would bring the two tribes closer together. Sadly, before they could be married, the two tribes fought about something, and their two future husbands were both killed by members of their own tribe. Overcome with grief, the two sisters came here, and cried themselves to death. Their tears formed the Sister Lakes, and their love makes them beautiful.

The story probably isn't true, but the lakes are nonetheless very beautiful!

Big Sister

Little Sister

...and then another few Chinese tour groups came through, so we went off the trail into the forest to wait for a while.

Surprisingly comfortable, actually

Probably less comfortable, but definitely cuter!

As the day grew later, it also grew colder, and a fog began to roll over the mountain. This made for some amazingly beautiful scenery.

This looks like the backdrop to a movie...

But sadly, far too soon the time came for us to go. One of the problems of going somewhere with only one brother and two sisters is if you stay the night somewhere, people might get stumbled by it (or at least start talking), so we decided that although it would be awesome to stay the night and see the sunrise over Taiwan- a glorious sight if the Internet can be believed, and from what I've seen of Alishan, I believe it- it would be best for us to get back to Taipei that same day. So, before the sun had even set, we headed back down the trail-

-without passing up photo opportunities, obviously-

-and headed back to the bus stop, where we boarded a bus back to Chiayi (fortunately with no delays this time), then the high speed rail back to Taipei. Although it was short, it was definitely worth it to go, and not only to make Amy happy- Alishan is gorgeous, and if I can I'd like to camp there for a few nights next time I go!

Although, look at those happy faces!

That's the third or fourth time I've gone somewhere in Taiwan and I've thought "man, I should really camp here". I should probably actually camp somewhere one of these days! I wonder where I can get a tent...

One of the beautiful things about Jehovah God is that there are so many ways to make him happy. No one is limited to only one course of service; there are many, many ways to serve our God, and none of them are better than the others. Bethelites, missionaries, pioneers, circuit overseers, Kingdom Hall construction workers, and publishers are all equally important, and all receive an equal amount of approval from Jehovah; and similarly, no matter where you go to fulfill your ministry, you can be useful in the field and to the local friends. Although some people must leave Taiwan to fulfill their own ministry or to further their own spiritual goals, Taiwan will always be OK. We have plenty of new people coming in, from across the seas and from inside the country as new ones get baptized, and the preaching work is progressing at a pace never seen before.

As for me, who knows what the future holds? I originally only intended to be in Taiwan for six months, but it's been nearly 18 now and I'm still finding new reasons to enjoy it here. Still, I know there are areas that need even more help than Taiwan does. Who can say for sure? One thing is certain: in Jehovah's organization, the horizon is bright.