A cohort of 30-strong septuagenarians, most of them are my erstwhile classmates and their spouses, took part in a three-day tour to Lishan, Fushoushan, and Valley of Wuling in the cetral part of Taiwan from 8/30 thru 9/01.  You may have been to the three tour sites, or even more than once, so I will not talk about the landscapes of the places today, they are "nothing" but valleys, green lands, ; instead, I would like to talk about something else.

We must pay tributes to late President Chiang Chingkuo and those anonymous heros of veteran who excavated the tunnels, paths from precipitous cliffs many, many years ago when we were still kids.  Because of their sacrifices, we could get there by tour bus, not trudged on foot to see the beautiful scenery.  Thanks, Mr Chiang and your veteran brothers.  We owe you a lot.

In Fushoushan, a volunteer guide led us to the vast farmland and introduced to us many a flower and plant that is unfamiliar to most of us.  The tour guide intruduced himself that he was a graduate from Academy of Army in 60s and became a tour guide in, but not limited to, the farmland after retired from the army.  It is quite amazing for a non-professional guy like him who have possessed himself so much botanical knowledge.  To me, a guy of "五榖不分, 四體不勤", he is a successful man.  Well, you do not have to earn much money nor gain some achievements to be great, you just have to be a useful person to our society, and so you have acquire a successful life.

Amid of our turning to Taipei last evening, some classmates delivered their description of impression about the journey on the bus.  Everyone was calling for health and regimen which are the most important things for the people of seventies like us.  One of the most impressive phrase I heard of was classmates are like brothers without ties of blood.  Indeed!  Let us continue to cherish this kind of brotherhood till the end of our days.