On the way up, we passed by a sign that shows us part of Taroko Gorge National Park 太魯閣.
However, as it was pitch-dark when we are there, we cannot see much except for the pretty sky that was filled with stars.
At over 3000m, Hehuanshan 合歡山 (Mountain of Harmonious Joy) is located at the border of both Nantou County and Hualien County, on the western edge of Taroko National Park 太魯閣. The area is characterized by rolling green hills that often disappear in a sea of clouds. The weather here is much cooler and provides a nice break from the heat on the coast. It's also the best place to see snow in winter, and for that reason, it really gets crowded on weekends between December and February.
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| A map that details the different parts of the Taroko |
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| Song Syue Lodge 松雪樓 |
Song Syue Lodge (松雪樓) is the highest hotel in Taiwan, standing at 3150 meters, and was recently renovated in 2012. It is a great location for view of sunrise as some rooms are facing east directly. Therefore, you get to see the beautiful sunrise from your own balconies, in comfort. It is the only accommodation with heaters and oxygen concentrator in Hehuanshan because even in summer, the temperature is below 5ºC at night and is below 0ºC in winter. If you want to see thousands of stars at night and see the sunrise coming out from Chilaishan 奇萊山, this is the place you can consider to stay overnight.
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| HeHuanShan |
When we reached the top, it was freezing cold and pitch dark. At there we waited at the viewing platform for the sunrise from Chilaishan 奇萊山.
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| Hehuan Summit Peak 合歡尖峰 |
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| 3158m above sea level |
After the sun rise, we head off back to our minsu and certain attractions along the way are included in the package.
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| We are above clouds! |
Wuling 武嶺, at 3,275 meters, is the highest point on the island of Taiwan accessible by public roads. Furthermore, being saddle between Hehuanshan Main Peak and Hehuanshan East Peak, deep valleys, high cliffs, and rocky peaks are entirely within one’s sight at Wuling.
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| Our breakfast vouchers |
The whole trip took about 4hours plus and we reached back at our Minsu at around 8am. Freshen up and head for breakfast before setting off to Sun Moon Lake.
Along the way, Mr Lin was telling us about some background history of Sun Moon Lake.
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Peacock Garden 孔雀園
Opening Hours: 08:00~17:00
Entrance Fee: Free
Address: No.83, Zhongzheng Rd., Yuchi Township, Nantou County 555, Taiwan (R.O.C.) |
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First stop was Peacock Garden which was founded in 1968. In order to beautify of the Sun Moon Lake, late president Chiang Kai-shek asked General He Ying-qin and Provincial Minister Huang Jie and so on to build this park for tourists visiting for free.
In the Garden , it is said to house more than 30 peacocks and over 150 other rare and valuable birds such as the mountain chicken, the Formosan blue magpie, the long-tailed pheasant, the golden pheasant, the ampherst pheasant, and the black coot.
Next stop is the Sun Moon Lake Ropeway, otherwise known as Cable Car, which I personally will give it a miss the next time round.
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| Sun Moon Lake Ropeway 日月潭纜車 |
The 1,877m ropeway connects Sun Moon Lake and Formosa Aboriginal Cultural Village 九族文化村, takes about 8mins for single way and carries a maximum of 8 passengers. It gives visitors a bird’s-eye view of the area’s lovely scenery. Under good weather conditions, visitors can see the whole Sun Moon Lake.
If it’s raining and the mountains are covered by heavy fog, it makes visitors feel walking on the cloud and entering a mysterious land.
However, once you reach the station, you will not be able to see anything as the whole place is blocked off by Formosa Aboriginal Cultural Village 九族文化村, which is a One-Piece theme park.
If you entered the theme park, you can actually take another ropeway to an even higher ground, in which we didn't went in as we are not interested in theme park. Therefore, if you are not interested in the theme park, you can give this ropeway a miss and head for other locations which give an equally beautiful view of Sun Moon Lake.
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| Can you spot that small little building? It is the Ci-en Pagoda which we visited and more of it will be mentioned below |
After the ropeway trip, we were hungry and Mr Lin introduce us to the following two foods which are really yummy.
The guy selling one of the food that was recommended by Mr Lin. The stall is filled with pictures of artists and famous people together with the stall owner himself, and he is always camera-ready.
Another recommendation by Mr Lin. And yes, both items are yummy!
The next stop was Xuanzang Temple.
Xuanzang Temple was built with the Tang Dynasty architectural style, and the square bricks on the ground create a smooth and unadorned appearance. Inside the temple is a horizontal board with the words “national treasure”, written by President Chiang Kai-Shek 蔣介石. On the outer walls of the temple are carvings of Master Xuanzang during his travels to the west.
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| Lalu Island 拉魯島 |
Sun Moon Lake is the most famous water reservoir in Taiwan which was dwelled by the Thao tribe 邵族in the past and the island, in the middle, had been called Lalu until 1946, when the government renamed it Guanghua Island.
Before the massive migration of Han people to Sun Moon Lake, this area was the reign of Thao people , one of the 16 aborigines. The legend has it that the ancestor of Thao chased after a white deer all the way from Alishan. After days of pursuit, he finally got close to the deer. However, the white deer jumped effortlessly to the island and turned into a Bishop wood. Then the hunter realized that the deer was a spirit taking him here to settle down.
In the severe earthquake in 1999, Sun Moon Lake reservoir was damaged and a historic site of the Thao tribe was discovered. Thus, in 2000, the island was renamed Lalu again. Lalu Island is said to be a sacred place for the Thao tribe. Witch candidates of the tribe would have to come to the island to seek approval of the ancestors' spirits. The witches are in charge of incantation and rituals. The Japanese also left a stone monument, remembering the development of Sun Moon Lake during Japanese occupation.
The distance of the island to the shore was much shorter before Sun Moon Lake becoming a reservoir, so the priest of Thao actually lived on the island. This sacred land is not for tourist to get on board to respect the Thaos. However, one can still take a good look of the island from the hills around the island or take a boat to tour around. The island was going to collapse because of the wave effect of the Sun Moon Lake and as such there had been a debate about whether should it be protected, resulting to the government putting more soil on the island and building a fence structure under water.
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| Cien Pagoda 慈恩塔 |
The next stop is Cien Pagoda. Cien means kindness, grace and mercy in Mandarin, and Cien pagoda 慈恩塔 was built in 1969, finished in 1971, in memory of Chiang Kai-shek’s mother. From parking lot to pagoda, it’s 570 meters and there is a number on the stone stairs for every hundred meters. Cien Pagoda is located above 954 meters sea level, and the pagoda is 46 meters high. Combined these two height and we know the height of peak of the pagoda is 1000 meters. It’s the highest architecture in Sun Moon Lake. You can try to ring the bell on the top of pagoda, which can be very loud.
Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most commonly Buddhist, and were often located in or near temples. As time passing, there are more functions for different pagodas, such as memorial, tomb, keeping treasure, tourism, lighthouse…etc. Originally, it was from Indian and was adopted in Southeast and East Asia architecture. Its base may be square, hexagon, or octangle.
However, on the day we went, Taiwan just got an earthquake not long ago and the pagoda was closed for safety reasons, and hence we are not able to see the inside of the pagoda.
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| Final picture of the pagoda |
Maybe because the closure of the pagoda, the area was serene and quiet. A really good place to rest and relax while enjoying the peace and beauty of the pagoda.
We took a rest and head off to the next location.
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| Closer view of Lalu Island |
In year 600s, Xuanzang was a well-knowledged monk. He learned different version of Buddhist texts 佛經 from different masters, and it confused him, therefore, he decided to travel 25,000km to India by feet and brought original texts to China. Through deserts, mountains, and river, he spent 20 years to finish his journey and his efforts made great contributions for the spread of Buddhism in China.
During the war between China and Japan, a Japanese person managed to acquire a fragment of Master Xuanzang’s bones from Nanjing. They were enshrined and worshipped at the Jion-ji Temple in Japan’s Saitama Prefecture. In 1955, the remains were taken to Taiwan, where they were enshrined and worshipped at Xuanguang Temple 玄光寺, located next to Sun Moon Lake. After Xuanzang Temple 玄奘寺 was completed in November 1965, the remains were relocated there.
However, most of visitors come to Xuanguang Temple just for the tea eggs, Grandma’s Tea Egg, nearby Xuanguang Pier. The grandma has sold tea eggs here for more than 50 years and more than a thousand sold per day. Try it and see whether you can taste the tea and mushroom from the egg.
As you can see, I did not take much photos at Xuanguang Temple as the crowd there is really scary and it is really disappointing to encounter huge groups of people who refused to move or even cut queues to take picture, ignoring all the people in line. Therefore, the pictures taken there are always photobombed by others and some just literally stand in front of your camera, ignoring the fact that you were there first and you were taking picture. -.-|||
So after that, we told Mr Lin to bring us away from the crowds.
In which he brought us to Toushe Basin (also known as Living Peat Basin 泥灰活盆地) located close to the current location of Shuili, to the south west of Yuchih Township. For thousands of years, due to the effects of alternating water-plant growth and silting, the basin has accumulated a large, vast area of peat bog, which is about 50 hectares in width, and 10 meters deep. Peat soil in the lake area is formed of decomposed vegetation. It is mostly organic, with a small proportion of mud, and rich in humic acid with a pH value of about 3.6.
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View of Redwood Cottage紅木農莊
Address: No. 76, Heping Lane, Toushe Village, Yuchih, Nantou County, Taiwan |
After the 921 Earthquake, the basin area experienced much rain and was easily flooded. Consequently, most of this land had to lie fallow. Because the surface area of the peat soil lacked irrigation, it formed hard crusts. When walking on the basin, the ground bounces like a water bed. This is the widely renowned “field of waves” , accessible from in front of Toushe's Redwood Cottage紅木農莊.
On the night of the 921 Earthquake, an industrial road located at the center of the basin was shaken down 10 meters to the bottom of the lake, revealing a special geological characteristic of the “living basin”. Thereafter, all buildings are built on the edge of the basin as a safety precaution.
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| Shuishe Dam 水社壩 |
Next stop was the Shuishe Dam 水社壩 where it is really scenic and you can see many couples taking their wedding photos.
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明潭傳奇風物館
Address: 日月潭水社村中山路510巷10號 (水社堤壩公園盡端右轉進入約200公尺)
Phone number: 049-2855067 (Do give a call before you pop by)
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Round a corner along the dam is the "Miracle in Bottle 瓶中乾坤" 明潭傳奇風物館. This place does not have an English name and neither does it have a website. It is like a small museum displaying the miniature realistic scenes-in-a-bottle and other handicrafts created by a local man, Master Chang Lian-kuei 张连桂大师 also known as 瓶中大師.
It is a miracle as the bottles are not forced-opened in any way except for the bottle opening, and the scenes are so detailed.
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| The spider web is actually made up of real fish bones. |
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| This cable car miniature can actually works and moves. |
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| Animals made using aluminium cans. |
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| A huge dragon made by aluminium cans. |
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| The Master on the news articles when he passed away in 2008. |
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| Hibiscus mutabilis, also known as the Confederate rose or the cotton rosemallow. |
Flowers are white in the morning, turning pink during noon and red in the evening of the same day, before they drops off the plant.
Ah Ming Shi Lao Dian 阿明師老店 was our next stop. Once you reached the shop, the assistant will serve each of you a cup of tea and a huge piece of their sun cake. The shop is definitely proud and confident of their products as they allows tasting of each and every kind of their products. However, as their items are without preservatives, the shelf life of the products are sadly limited. The max shelf life is a month while the shortest I remembered is 3 days.
But fear not, this shop allows delivery of goods to a specific location in Taiwan on a specific day. For example, we still had a few days of travelling to go and will only fly back on certain date, you can request the shop to send the goods to your hotel on the day before your flight and the products will be made fresh on the day of delivery. So you will save the energy to lug your products around and your products have a slightly longer shelve life! One stone kills two birds!
I forgot whether there is a delivery charge, but you can combine the products you ordered with your friends for the delivery but ask for separate packing, and their packing is real good which you can even bring on plane. There goes the worry of food being flatten in the luggage.
We passed by a whole building that was so brightly lighted and looking grand, and I was like " Wow~ It looks so grand!" and Mr Lin laughed out and said that it is actually an "entertainment venue" purely for men. So I don't think that sentence requires any explanation.
One more paiseh thing is that, nearby this building, I saw a building that allows the car to drive straight into the building and asked what building is that, and Mr Lin replied saying that was a motel and went on to explain that the motel is built in a way that when people from the car alights in the building, no one will be able to see who they are, hence creating a privacy that people likes.
Next stop was the Jazz Street that happened between 19 Oct 2013 to 27 Oct 2013. It is an area with temporary stalls from different vendors and some are even from hotels, of course, there are live jazz performances on the stage which makes the music everywhere around the area.
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| Street artist using spray can. |
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Recycling to the best!
Different bins for food waste, plastic containers, paper.
I think we should start doing this if we really want to recycle things. |
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| Screens everywhere to let everyone enjoy the live performances. |
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| Sitting area around the stage. |
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| Cute telephone booth! |
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Their Family Mart actually grills potatoes on the spot.
Why can't our 7-11 do that too? :( |
After the walk around the Jazz street, we ended up at a Family Mart to wait for Mr Lin.
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| Parking lot in the building! |
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| The famous Takoyaki in Fengjia, but we gave it a miss cos of the long queue. |
Next stop, Fengjia Night Market 逢甲夜市! My favourite night market in Taiwan! There is not much pictures as we were busy shopping and eating away!
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PG Shop! The once-famous online bag shop during my secondary school days.
We did pop in and see, but nothing appeals to us. |
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Ji Guang Xiang Xiang Ji!
Yummy chicken and mushrooms!
They do have an outlet in Singapore now, in Tiong Bahru Plaza. |
After shopping till 12am, we head off to Taipei. 2hours of non-stop driving finally brought us back to Taipei, Ximending, where we check in at ECFA Hotel.
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| The main building |
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| The two concierges bringing us to our room in another building. |
Mr Lin ensures that we are safely in the room before he heads off to the airport for his next appointment, a local couple who are heading home after a flight.
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| Big room with big beds! |
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| Our loots of the day! |
However, once you reach the station, you will not be able to see anything as the whole place is blocked off by Formosa Aboriginal Cultural Village 九族文化村, which is a One-Piece theme park.
The guy selling one of the food that was recommended by Mr Lin. The stall is filled with pictures of artists and famous people together with the stall owner himself, and he is always camera-ready.
The next stop was Xuanzang Temple.
As you can see, I did not take much photos at Xuanguang Temple as the crowd there is really scary and it is really disappointing to encounter huge groups of people who refused to move or even cut queues to take picture, ignoring all the people in line. Therefore, the pictures taken there are always photobombed by others and some just literally stand in front of your camera, ignoring the fact that you were there first and you were taking picture. -.-|||
Flowers are white in the morning, turning pink during noon and red in the evening of the same day, before they drops off the plant. 
Ah Ming Shi Lao Dian 阿明師老店 was our next stop. Once you reached the shop, the assistant will serve each of you a cup of tea and a huge piece of their sun cake. The shop is definitely proud and confident of their products as they allows tasting of each and every kind of their products. However, as their items are without preservatives, the shelf life of the products are sadly limited. The max shelf life is a month while the shortest I remembered is 3 days.
We passed by a whole building that was so brightly lighted and looking grand, and I was like " Wow~ It looks so grand!" and Mr Lin laughed out and said that it is actually an "entertainment venue" purely for men. So I don't think that sentence requires any explanation.
Next stop was the Jazz Street that happened between 19 Oct 2013 to 27 Oct 2013. It is an area with temporary stalls from different vendors and some are even from hotels, of course, there are live jazz performances on the stage which makes the music everywhere around the area.
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