Calla lilies and sulfur smoke in Taiwan

The four of us finally made it Taipei for Spring Break, the first week of April. Gene has been coming here for several years on business trips and was anxious to have us visit as well. We were very fortunate that his Taiwanese Xiamen colleague, Sam, was back in the city at the same time and offered to take us around. He and his wife took us on a tour of a mountain that is just outside Taipei, thankfully the rain cleared long enough for us to have a really fun day.

I have never seen calla lilies growing on a farm before so I was glad that our timing was perfect for their apparently short season. After winding along a narrow mountain road and enjoying a lunch at a famous outdoor restaurant, we walked among the fields of lilies. They were a bit like the "u pick" strawberries fields that we have back home, though less strict! We saw young ladies climbing through the mud to pick their favorite blooms. We stayed on the paths since we were not going to take any back to the hotel with us.

Lily fields on both sides of the stream.
My girls weren't as enchanted as I was, but they liked walking along the narrow paths.


The main road was further narrowed by the many stalls selling flowers. These beauties always remind me of my college roommate, Kate, as she had them in her wedding bouquets. Wish you could be here too, Kate!
Next on the agenda was the volcanic sulfur part of the mountain. A different kind of beauty?! I didn't notice much scent from the lilies (unlike other types of lilies that can be detected from far off) but the sulfur most certainly made its presence known through its awful stench. Funny how the flower fields were teeming with people but we almost had the volcano park to ourselves!
It is difficult to capture the size of this outcrop of volcanic rock but try to see the short segment of fencing along the bottom left of the photo...

Now, here is Amanda next to that fence. This was like a crater, except that it was along the side of the mountain. It looked like a giant landslide, though I couldn't read the signs to learn the history and it's been a long time since my freshman geology class! We were mesmerized by the swirling smoke and the little pools of bubbling hot water that emerged from the ground.
Looking back at the road that leads to the viewing area and the lovely farming village beyond. It was refreshing to spend time in this lush mountain park after living in a city of high-rises. Xiamen has lots of nice city parks, but it's hard to compare with this kind of natural setting. I'm sure he'll never read this, but I'll say it anyway...thanks, Sam, for sharing this part of Taipei with us!