Today marked my first visit to "Monkey Mountain," as it is colloquially known by my fellow foreigners, or as the locals call it "Shoushan Mountain" or "Gushan Mountain" (many maps say different names).

If you ever visit Kaohsiung, Taiwan, you definitely should check out this place, especially if you like hiking and/ or monkeys!

But be prepared to spend at least an hour or two; "Monkey Mountain" is quite large. There are a few different entry points and many hiking trails for you to discover. We spent at least a good three hours up there and we didn't even cover half of the map.

How to Get There

To get to the area you can walk, scooter, taxi or bus to it. If you decide to bus, take the "Shoushan Zoo" bus # 56. It goes right by the park.

My boyfriend and I took our scooter up to the park entrance right by the "Shoushan Zoo" and started our hike from there.

If you aren't sure if you are going in the right direction, just look out for the giant yellow banana signs with arrows and a monkey (they're about 6ft tall). I'm sure you'll figure it out even though it has writing in Chinese.

It bears mentioning: going in December was great!

The weather stayed cool, so I didn't sweat too much, even though I covered a lot of ground walking on many of the mountain's trails.

Here are some of the things you might see before the hike. If you spot these, you'll know you're in the right direction.

If you come up from the north, you'll most-likely see these sights!

A great spot to see the city on higher grounds.

The road up to the park.

A panorama of the road up to "Monkey Mountain"

If you come up from the south side you'll see signs about the "Martyr's Shrine." You're in the right direction. Keep going up!

Stairs up to the "Martyr's Shrine"

"Martyr's Shrine"

Here are some of the sights I saw while exploring "Monkey Mountain."

Twisted tree roots

"Bamboo Sanctuary"

An intricate path to a great 'vista' of Kaohsiung.

Chairs for sitting on.

Wild flowers and plants.

And of course, the MONKEYS!

A monkey in hiding.

Just sittin' around.

Monkey getting it's daily check up.

Don't forget to dress according to the weather and bring some water!

There are bathrooms and people selling food and beverages by the main entrance, in case you forget.

Happy Monkey Spotting!

Two Little Monkeys Swingin' in a Tree

Almost everyone in Kaohsiung, especially those over the age of 50, hang out at parks for part of their day, literally.

You can always find old men hanging off of pull-up bars or in this case, trees.
It may seem like these people have nothing better to do, which may be the case, but the Taiwanese believe that stretching and exercising is vital to living longer, healthier lives.

So get on it!

Check out these cats:

Stretching it out in Central Park

Thinking Tree

I think I've found the perfect tree to contemplate under.

There are many in the area, but this tree is different. If this man leaves, I call dibs.

My Thinking Tree
location: Central Park

Photo of the Day

One of the first day trips Sean and I made in Kaohsiung was to Cijin Island. 

There is much to see and do on this little island and I'll tell you about that later, but one of the coolest things they have on the island is a windmill park. It's one of the prettier sites and it's a great method of alternative energy creation.

Windmill Park, Cijin Island

Asian Nickelodeon?

This is what I spotted along the Love River by the Film Archive in Kaohsiung.

Secret Garden

I found this "Secret Garden" in the old city of Yancheng looking out from the roof of my friends' (Tristan & Al's) apartment.

I must find the entrance to this garden oasis! It's beautiful!

Kaohsiung Thus Far

I've been living in Kaohsiung, Taiwan for about two weeks now and all I can say is: so far, so good. 

I could really get used to this! …I better, since I'll be here for at least a year.

Here are some of the reasons why Kaohsiung is such a great place to live:

1)Taiwanese people are so modest, polite and always willing to help. 

Although, I could look like the typical Taiwanese and have been told that I might be allegedly 'tricking people with my inability to speak mandarin (ha ha ha),' pretty much every person I've encountered has tried to help me or has passed me on to someone who might be of better help (aka a better English better). 

I have met a few people who have 'demonstrated' an understanding for English but I think more people have a basic competency in English than one would initially have been lead to believe. Taiwanese modesty just prevents them from floundering in a language that they're not fully fluent in.

Here is one of the friendly faces you might find in Kaohsiung: a local, happy to welcome us to his restaurant on a sunday afternoon.

"Why you so handsome?"