With rested feet it was time to tackle the final hike of this trip. It’s still hot, but slightly less than yesterday (32 degrees). Two metro rides, and a taxi later, I stood at the trail entrance.
You know the drill by now, stairs! About 1 kilometer of this 5-kilometer hike is stairs going up.
The shade seems nice, but the trees also block the wind, so it’s stale, humid air, and that means sweat. A whole lot of sweat. About half an hour later, I reached the ridge and was rewarded with a nice view.
I rewarded myself with a snack and a lot of water.
I brought a 1.5-liter water bottle and a 600-milliliter bottle of Procari Sweat, an energy drink, all of which was gone by the end.
The first ridge was topped by a rope on a small edge. The idea is to climb up, take a few photos, and then get back down so other people can take a look.
It’s a pretty good system that everyone seems to respect; you don't have to wait long to get up and take a look.
Everyone is accommodating, and taking photos of people or having your picture taken by others is part of the course on every peak and ridge.
The trail throws a few curve-balls here and there; you'll have to wiggle your way through this rock formation while pushing/dragging your bag along.
While the ridges expose you to the sun, they have a nice cooling breeze flowing, a welcome change from the stale heat under the tree cover.
These paths look like normal forest paths, but are ridges all the same. One step into the “grass" (actually top of plants) and you’ll make a nice 30-meter drop.
Constant attention on where you place your feet is required. Especially since it rained yesterday, so some parts are slippery still.
I had a trail buddy for a while on this trail. A hiker walked at the same (quick) pace as me, and we looked out for each other on the complex parts.
At the end of the “fun part” there were a few ladders to get down the ridge
And began the less fun part, the 1 kilometer hike back down the ridge with mostly stairs.
There was a gate at the other end, too, leading to a small town famous for its silky tofu. So I tried some, and this Tofu cheesecake was delicious and much better than many cheesecakes I had in the past.
I also sat down at the only place in town where the air conditioner was broken to have some iced coffee and a cake.
I took an Uber back to the metro station and an hour later was back at the hotel for a well-deserved shower.
In the evening I went out for dumplings and found a shaved ice place that was really good. There was a nightmarket nearby, so I finished the evening with some potatoe balls.
