Yangmingshan National Park

Only a short ride outside metropolitan Taipei is another world filled with lush greenery where you can hike into the mountains and enjoy the natural scenery while taking advantage of the panoramic views of the city.  Our hosts, Edward and Grace Chen, drove us out toward the Yangmingshan National Park with a few stops along the way.

We drove along the meandering roadway, stopping to photograph a calla lily farm.

We also stopped in the park known for its dormant volcano. The area is known for its hot springs formed from the volcanic terrain and although we did not visit one of the many baths, we walked along an area where the steam was escaping and we felt its warmth in the air.

Our driving tour also took us through old towns. We stopped in one town, got out of the car and strolled down a busy street punctuated with old vendor stalls that are still very relevant to the local residents.

Our featured destination that day was the Yehliu Geopark.Geopark This unique national park is located on the cape of the sea with breathtaking cliffs and beaches that would be worthy of the drive by themselves. 

However, the reason tourists flock to the park is the unique rock formations created by the sand, wind and water that fused here thousands of years ago. Everywhere you look are mushroom rocks.

 Local legend came up with imaginative names for the most distinctive rocks, appropriately named for what the rock resembles... like how people sometimes see something formed by clouds. The most famous rock is The Queen's Head whose long, slender neck is being eroded ever so slightly over time.  Here are a few photos of what we saw:

Queen's Head

The Sandal

It was a wonderful day and refreshing to be out of the city and feel the brisk wind at the sea and the cool mountain air.  Before driving back for the evening, we had to stop for a few photos of the sun setting over Taipei.