我有群愛登山的朋友，其中幾名是從大學時期，就認識的，他們那時就是登山社成員，而我當時，亂入幾次登山社的活動，也就和他們熟悉起來了，出社會後，他們持續維持登山習慣，倒也不奇怪，之後也找我幾次一起爬山，不過，他們已經開始挑戰難度很高的目標，我早就無法勝任那些進階行程了，不過，這次他們的登山初級班行程，我覺得還算可以，於是就參加了，這次挑選的是紅淡山步道，這次一起走的山友，聽說大部份也是很少爬山的人，大家可以一起抱團取暖，應該不會很有壓力，麻煩的是，我需要起個大早，搭車到基隆和山友們會合。
步道長度有1.4公里，粗估一個小時左右就能走完，剛好下山後，可以去附近的基隆廟口夜市，補充體力，順便吃些基隆美食，和山友們沿著小徑慢慢地走，一邊欣賞山景，一邊吸收芬多精，一路上，常爬這步道的朋友，也給我們講解一下，這條步道上知名的景點、逸聞及生態，至少，讓這爬山過程中，不會那麼無聊，下山後，朋友就帶我們去吃道地的基隆美食。
朋友說基隆有三腸，大腸圈、豬肝腸、蛋腸，這是基隆人心目中一定要吃的基隆美食，朋友解釋過後，原來大腸圈就是糯米腸，豬肝腸我知道是甚麼，而且我有吃過，其中的蛋腸，我還真沒聽過，蛋腸，又稱為鹹的馬卡龍，其實就是用蛋液取代肉作成的香腸，朋友並沒有帶我們去知名的廟口夜市用餐，反而帶我們去傳統市場，在熙來攘往的人群裡，此起彼落的攤販叫賣聲中，找了一家沒甚麼裝潢的街邊店家，朋友幫我們點了簡單的飯菜，切了一些滷味，說這就是最在地的基隆美食。
在菜單中有一道菜，菜單上就寫著基隆馬卡龍，這應該就是蛋腸了吧！上菜後，發現真不虧是命名為馬卡龍，它的外型，真的看起來就像是知名法國甜點馬卡龍，一樣的呈現圓形、平底、圓周有褶邊，卻不知道，口味如何？基隆馬卡龍的外表較甜點的馬卡龍光滑，一咬下去，不似蒸蛋的滑嫩口感，中間帶一層腸衣，讓它很有嚼勁，不知道為何，我嚐到了些許鹹鹹的海味，真的是口感特殊，朋友介紹，蛋腸是將豬小腸作為腸衣，將調味好的蛋液填入，加熱過後製成的，不適合冷凍，只能冷藏保存三天，所以，只有基隆較易能吃得到，嗯，雖然朋友很推薦，但是這道特色小吃，只是我個人覺得，談不上美味，也說不上難吃，我應該不會再嚐試啦。
I have a group of friends who love hiking, some of whom I've known since college when we were members of the hiking club together. Although I only joined the club sporadically, I got to know them pretty well. After entering the workforce, they continued their hiking habit, which wasn't surprising. They've invited me to join them on hikes a few times since then, but they've started tackling much more difficult trails that I'm no longer fit for. However, this time they planned a beginner-friendly hike, which I thought I could handle, so I joined in.
We chose the Hongdan Mountain Trail, which is about 1.4 kilometers long and should take roughly an hour to complete. It's perfect because afterward, we can head to the nearby Keelung Miaokou Night Market to refuel and indulge in some Keelung delicacies. Walking along the trail with my hiking buddies, most of whom are infrequent hikers like me, we can stick together and enjoy the scenery, soaking in the fresh air and learning about the trail's landmarks, anecdotes, and ecology from friends who frequent it. At least that should make the hike less boring. After descending, our friends plan to take us to savor authentic Keelung cuisine.
They say Keelung is famous for its "Three Intestines" – big intestine rings, pork liver intestines, and egg intestines. Big intestine rings are essentially glutinous rice sausages, and I'm familiar with pork liver intestines, having tried them before. But I've never heard of egg intestines, also known as savory macarons. They're actually sausages made with egg instead of meat. Instead of taking us to the renowned Keelung Miaokou Night Market, our friends decided to take us to a traditional market. In the hustle and bustle of the crowd, amidst the vendors' cries, we found a modest street-side eatery. Our friends ordered some simple dishes and braised snacks, claiming it's the most authentic Keelung cuisine.
One dish on the menu caught my attention – Keelung Macaron. This must be the egg intestine! When it arrived, it truly resembled the French macaron, with its round, flat bottom and pleated edges. However, I had no idea how it would taste. Unlike the smooth texture of sweet macarons, the Keelung Macaron had a chewy casing with a hint of saltiness, almost like seafood. It was quite unique. Our friends explained that it's made by filling seasoned egg mixture into pig intestines and heating it. It's not suitable for freezing and can only be refrigerated for three days, so it's something you can easily find in Keelung. Well, although my friends highly recommended it, I wouldn't say it's delicious, but it's not bad either. I don't think I'll be trying it again though.
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