We did stop to savor the scenery and the fresh air. Rosa, our tour guide cum driver, pointed to an obscure, small, grayish mass of land in the ocean. She told us that it is Green Island. The name struck a chord in me, and I therefore focused my attention in the direction Rosa was pointing to. As I carefully combed the ocean, my eyes finally landed on the island. Sometimes, the speck of land in the aquamarine water becomes clearer especially when the waves splash on its shores creating a thin line, like an elongated white string floating in the vast ocean.

After our brief visual encounter with the Pacific Ocean, we continued our ascent of Golden Dragon Mountain. As we drove up the mountain, the road that in some sections is just carved out on the mountainside and so narrow that we can see the deep gulch below and at that time wet because of the slight drizzle, was enough to tickle that acrophobia in me. Finally, after a hard-earned drive, we reached the apex of the mountain and we were rewarded by the sight of a captured wild boar with its pointed white tusks, probably being readied for the abattoir and the cherry blossoms around.

Rosa also told us that it is only on this mountain where the famous Gin Lung Flower is to be found. A soup made from this flower is delicious and undoubtedly Taitung’s pride.