Ahhh, the central mountains of Taiwan- this is where Alishan, Xueshan, and Sun Moon lake reside, where the air is fresh, and the mountains are covered with lush vegetation. This is also the location of my school; that's right, I'm still in school, but hopefully not for too much longer since my oral defense is coming up in just a few months.
OK, so, this is mostly just a humblebrag post because I happen to go to school in one of the most beautiful places in the world (no joke- just look at some of my other posts for Sun Moon Lake and you'll see exactly what I mean). In Kaohsiung, where I currently live and do research, the city is sandwiched with factory zones in the north (Nanzi- 楠梓) and south (Xiaogang- 小港） so the air chokes you to death daily. In fact, after a brief hospital trip recently, doctors told me that my internal organs are swelling from exposure to the air and the only 'cure' is to leave. No joke. I have been declared allergic to Kaohsiung. This means that my original plans to stay, find a job, and make some money here will have to be adjusted because I'm developing asthma from breathing this air.
Anywho, back to Nantou (南投) and the central mountain range. Japanese tourists flock to climb Taiwan's mountains en mass over the weekends and long holidays. In fact, we've heard plenty of tourists saying that they are 'collecting' Taiwanese mountains, or trying to climb as many as possible. Taiwan has 100 mountains over 3000 meters so if you're here every weekend for two years, it's possible... but who really wants to fly all the way over here to climb a mountain? Half of Japan. Because they're THAT beautiful. For serious.
So where does my school fit into this? Well, my school is on a mountain in that central mountain range, believe it or not! My campus used to be the site of an old sugar refinery, but the land was sold and my school was built atop it. In the morning, we can see the sea of clouds on our way to morning classes, in the evening, you can watch the sunset over the mountains. Sound good? I bet it does! In fact, for all the faults I've found with the school itself (and there are many, which may be the subject of another blog entry), there is absolutely nothing to fault with the campus itself; it's flawless. Just inspiring landscapes, fresh rejuvenating air, and FLYING SNAKES!!! No really, there are signs all over campus. But even despite the snakes, it's a wonderful place to be.
