Howard’s plans are always an adventure, and he had planned a full day of activities for us. Sean, Annie, Howard, Tammy, and I all met up at a pizza place for lunch before heading straight for Yangmingshan, a mountain near Taipei. It was spring, flower viewing season, and we were headed to a field of white, trumpet-shaped lilies in a scenic area called Zhuzihu (Bamboo Lake). We climbed up steep, winding roads in Howard’s car before finally parking in a misty clearing. It was only a short walk to the field of lilies.

White flowers stood atop green stems as far as the eye could see. A dreamlike fog settled over the field. The misty haze floated through the air and it felt like we were in a magical, woodland forest. When we came across a small, whimsical house decorated with an assortment of junk, it felt even more like we had just stepped into an elven village. We watched white birds fly towards the sky under our umbrellas.

It wasn’t long before we headed to a quaint coffee and tea shop near the entrance of the lily field for some warm drinks. Howard shared his caramel and chocolate covered figs from Egypt with us. It was the perfect pairing with the hot, honey infused tea. We chatted for a while and looked at Howard’s photos from Egypt, many with pyramids in the backdrop. It was time to head to another mountain with more flowers and fireflies, about an hour’s drive away. I fell asleep for most of the ride.

When we got out, we spotted big trees with the flower we came to see called “Snow of May.” Fluffy bunches of white flowers dotted the trees. We headed up a path of stairs that had a ton of these flowers. Many of the budding flowers had fallen at this point, so it truly did look like snow covering the ground. A white layer of flowers coated everything on the path. It was beautiful.

It was starting to get dark, so we headed to the firefly viewing path. We entered down a dark set of stairs in the woods. Soon after, we began seeing quick dots of glowing light: fireflies. It dawned upon me that I hadn’t seen the familiar bugs since I was a kid trying to catch them in a tennis ball can in my backyard. Seeing the lightning bugs brought back many warm memories of summer nights with no homework, only having to worry about which cereal I’d choose in the morning. We passed other groups carrying red tinted lights, to keep a dim and dark atmosphere for the fireflies. We tried to cover our phone lights with our finger as much as possible while still being able to see the path. We pointed as we passed groups of yellow blinking lights, fascinated by something that was so common to me in my Ohio backyard.

Before we headed back up the steep trail, we met a guy willing to share squares of red translucent film to cover our phone lights. We all took one, and headed back up a different path on the hill with our newly red-tinted lights. On our way up, we came across a very scenic lookout, showcasing the night view of Taipei. It was framed by the foliage on the mountain. It was peaceful being on a mountain, in the dark, surrounded by friends and warm air, looking down on the city. It felt like a summer night, even though it wasn’t.

We trekked out of the firefly paths as it got later, and ordered some food at a nearby restaurant. Sean informed me that I said “mango juice” in Chinese with the perfect intonation. I was flattered because I don’t think anyone’s told me I’ve said anything perfectly in Chinese before. We ate rice burgers, fries, and chicken nuggets overlooking Taipei. Then, we all packed into Howard’s car. When we got inside, Annie’s shoelace was glowing. There was a rogue firefly wanting to hitch a ride into the city. We opened the door and knocked it off her shoe, back into the mountains where it belongs. Howard dropped Tammy and I off at an MRT station and we took public transport all the way home. It was a long journey, and we were both exhausted by the time we got back. It was great to spend time appreciating nature with old friends. It was definitely a welcome and needed excursion. I hope we can all get together again before my time here is up.