Weekend in Alishan

sunrise view from the top of the mountain where the half marathon took place 

my "grunge-chic" look that made me look a bit like a grandma  as I hobbled around after the race with sore legs 

you don't see many clear blue skies like this in the city!

hanging out after the race with my finishing medal. I was very happy to see a monkey in Taiwan for the first time on this trip! he had stolen a racer's bag of food before the run and put on a bit of a show that morning

odds and ends in a tourist stall

Alishan sunrise- quite a sight too see! the second 4am wakeup in a row to see this. painful, but worth it!

Last weekend in Alishan was both an unbelievably beautiful and incredibly challenging experience. 

After a six hour drive by car arriving at about 10pm, we woke up the next morning at 4am for an incredibly difficult half-marathon which ended up being straight downhill the first half and only uphill the second half on a mountain so high that we were far above the clouds!

I couldn't believe that I finished the race- and with what I think is my new record for a half- marathon distance at 2 hours and 14 minutes. I also placed in the top 50 of the entire race (which was around 1,000 people total), as well as the top 20 for women! My housemate who came along couldn't believe that she made it through the race either- and we were both incredibly relieved when it was over. 

The boyfriend didn't run along with me- but was a great sport and cheered from the sidelines at the end. I was so happy to have someone help me through the last few yards!

Of course the next day I could barely walk though, so I just hobbled as well as I could through the forest as I did a bit more sightseeing before we left later that morning. 

I had never visited this area of Taiwan before, and was blown away by how beautiful it was! However, a week later I am still recovering from the craziness of it all! 

I hope in the next couple of months I can sight-see even more around Taiwan! Isn't it beautiful?

Xoxo,

Camille