Shanshui V

I took the Makong Gondola up to Maokong in the rain.
  In my experience, there are different kinds of gondola rides.  They can be awe-inspiring, blissful, or they can be filled with existential dread like this one was.  It was either the rain, the high winds, the impending Inauguration, or my impending unemployment, but something about the journey had me brooding.
But once outside, it was like another living Shanshui painting.  Few things soothe my soul more than the sound of rain falling on leaves.  (I should remember that.)Maokong is known for being crowded with teahouses.
I loved seeing these birds happily sitting out the rain in this tree.  And then — like coming down to earth from out of the clouds — I was back in the city.