The Green Tunnel

Last weekend we went for a leisurely Sabbath drive to the small tourist town of Rueli. Using our vast knowledge of Taiwan's topography and road systems, it was estimated that the drive would take approximately 3 hours. So off we went. A couple "detours", minor road construction, three treacherous mountain roads and 4 ½ hours later we arrived.

We went over two huge mountains on roads like this.

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Don't drive off the edge!

Guard rails are optional on these mountain roads, paying close attention while you are driving is not.

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After such a long drive we were all starving, so we located the closest restaurant and went in. Moriah, our friend and 4-6th grade teacher extraordinaire, requested a menu in Chinese. It was, shockingly, all in Chinese. I used my crazy skills to identify two items that contained chicken. We pointed at them to order. Shortly thereafter our food arrived. It had what you might expect from any touristy restaurant: a very high price to flavor ratio. Oh well, at least we were full. Time to check out the bamboo forest!

This place was really amazing. We walked into a small valley with tea farms surrounding us on the hillsides. The tea bushes are grown in rows that are reminiscent of the lines on a topographical map. The farms always look very well landscaped. This is because they constantly trim the new growth because it makes the best tea.








We then arrived at the beginning of the stairs. I don't know how many there were, but let's just say we got our exercise for the day.



As we climbed up, we entered the bamboo forest. It is incredible. You feel like you are entering into a set from Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. In fact we were inspired to do a recreation:



This place is incredibly beautiful. The forest is very quiet which adds to the surreal, dreamlike ambiance.



This trail is known as the Green Tunnel.





I really wish we had more time to explore the area, but due to the fact that our car has really dim headlights and the roads are crazy, I wanted to do as much driving before dark as possible. Thankfully, we made it back in one piece.