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A Trip to Tianchic
On the first weekend of May, I returned to Kaohsiung, where I come from, and luckily my friends also went back to Kaohsiung on that very weekend. On that lovely Saturday morning, while we were having breakfast together, one of my nut friends came up with a wild idea out of a whim. He suggested that we should take a ride to Tianchih, a lake which is located at 2280 meters above sea level, then all the boys agreed with the crazy idea without any hesitation. Though I hesitated, I couldn’t help but join the gang.
That's about 280 kilometers we rode.
A sudden visit to Tianchih was no picnic. The distance to Tianchih was extremely long. It’s located in the north part of Kaohsiung and about 143 kilometers away from where we depart, not to mention the route is mostly a rough road. Ironically, the bro who came up with the idea actually gave us another option to go with, which is Taitung, yet they are almost equally far away. Besides the distant location, the weather that day was killing us. The scorching sun was blazing us right on the top of our heads. However, I think I was the last person to complain about the weather since I was not the one riding. It’s kind-hearted of my friends that they are always willing to ride me anywhere even though I have my own driver's license and motorcycle. I did want to ride with my friends, but I don’t think my bike is able to make it to a place so far yet so high. (Thank you for the ride, Michael) Anyway, the route itself was very satisfying. To see the landscapes change as we rode from the city to the outskirts, valley, then the mountain is fantastic. I remember vividly I saw a dry stream between valleys, and the view was magnificent. I wish I could stand there and take pictures. Unfortunately, I couldn’t because it’s not reachable.
After hours of riding, we finally arrived at Tianchih with our sore and numb asses, and what met our eyes was a mere disappointment. To be honest, the attractions were mediocre. In my imagination, Tianchih should be a beautiful lake, but in reality, it’s just a little filthy pond with nothing eye-catching, to say nothing of the huge crowd of tourists. That was such an anti-climax. The only features I appreciate are its high aptitude and fresh air. That’s all. Still, we were not really down on the tourist site. We managed to have a great time then; we stayed there for a couple of hours sitting on a rusty bench, talking nonsense, and making silly jokes. Eventually, we did enjoy the place. I guess it’s just as the old saying goes: ”It's not the Destination, It's the journey.”
To conclude, Tianchih is not worth visiting, but my homies and I had a good time together.
The best view and the best bros(though only one of my friends were presented in this picture but you can get the idea)