Yes the hills are nearly 80 degrees and falling and rolling down would not be good, as nothing will break your fall till you hit bottom, some 1500 meters down. In the blinding fog, how do those 80 year old tea pickers manage?
We made it up above the clouds! At close to 2000 meters on top of San Lin She, home of the high mountain oolong, the intense fog drenches the leaves and nourishes the new leaf buds, getting ready for the winter harvest. The hike was a good hour long 70 degree incline. Along the way, monkeys were eating leaves, bees picking flowers, and toads were leaping out of our way. A little tea adventure.
Life at Tung Ting revolves around the typhoon, when it last came, repairing from damage, and when it’ll come next and whether they can recover enough yet. Today, we have blinding fog on the mountain. Hearing the chorus of birds early morning gives me hope. That might portend a lessening severity? I wish I was more connected to all the messages that nature gives us, instead of relying on weather reports that are usually wrong anyway.
A fun time is had by all: My tour group is enjoying the warm hospitality of the farmers and Taiwanese people.
Harvest time for Tung Ting will be in mid November this year for the winter crop. It is getting later each year, due to massive weather pattern changes. Not good, but that is what we face. My tour group is taking turns coming up with new stories. Perhaps, there will be a typhoon tea! That is, whatever is left on the ground after the mad typhoon hits in a couple of days.
The fertilizer? Sesame seed pulp. Weeding? By hand. The handsome dark green varietals of Ruby 18 or 21 flourish amongst a wild forest of birds, snakes, and beetlenut trees.