Hidden in the deep verdant jungles and towering limestone hills of Central Taiwan is a paradise literally shaped like a celestial body. Sun Moon Lake, with its varied landscapes, and rich cultural diversity has always been a favorite holiday destination for both local and international tourists.
Sun Moon Lake is four hours away from Taipei. As we traveled south, we got marveled by the surrounding landscapes - lofty mountains with clouds covering its summit, lush palm forests carpeted the valley, and huge limestone hills scattered like toys of the gods. The overcast weather added drama to the whole trip, not to mention the van's radio was playing top chart hits of Linkin Park.
It was almost one in the afternoon when we arrived there. The Lake has three stations, each has its own shops and restaurants. After purchasing our individual tickets, we then rode a speedboat to Station 3. From there, we're going to eat our lunch at a nearby restaurant. As expected, there were a lot of tourists during that time because it was a weekend, and the locals were celebrating their long weekend holiday since Monday (the following day) is also a holiday. It took us around 20 minutes to reach the third station. While on board, the air was very cold, the weather was overcast with low clouds covering the mountains. Centuries ago, this was home to the Thao tribe, one of the aboriginal tribes of Taiwan.
As the speedboat docked on our final destination, we were in awe. Let the photos speak for itself.
| Speedboat. |
The town in station 3 reminds me of Jiufen, only that the sidewalks are wider. You'll never get hungry here since the choices are endless! We ended up eating a large bowl of Beef Brisket Noodles, a few pieces of dumplings, and some flavored deep fried sweet potatoes at a restaurant with staff who didn't know how to speak basic English. It was a mortifying experience, but a memorable one.
| Taiwan Street Food. |
| Beef Brisket Noodles. |
| Tatlong Bibe of Taiwan LOL |
We strolled around the old town until 3 PM before we proceed to the flower garden in Taichung. But because the traffic on the freeway was really terrible, we decided to just go back to Taipei. Traffic SUCKS! Well, the flower garden can always wait.
Nonetheless, it was a day well spent with my travel buddies at Sun Moon Lake. I never had the chance to visit this place when I first went to Taiwan a year ago. No wonder a lot of my friends who have been to Taiwan got disappointed when they found out that I missed this place.
Sun Moon Lake is a great place to chill and just be with nature. It's lovelier if there are only a few people around, but I guess it will never run out of tourists because of its grandeur and beauty.
