Taiwanese Odyssey-III
Enchanting
Sun Moon Lake
 |
| Sun Moon Lake |
Best
described as the “Pearl in the Central Mountain Range”, the Sun
Moon Lake is the largest, fresh-water, alpine lake in Taiwan and is a
veritable paradise for tourists.
Lying in the Nantou County, the
charming lake is on the western side of the Central Mountain Range
and has the magical powers to soothe the tired nerves and rejuvenate
the human mind.
 |
| Sun Moon Lake |
We
were at Hotel De Lago overlooking the Sun Moon Lake set in the
backdrop of green mountains.
The lake has a mirror-smooth surface and
its water colour varies from pale to deep blue. One can take the 1.5
km long winding pathway to capture the magical aura of the lake
through lenses.There
is a 6.9 km bikeway trail around the picturesque Sun Moon Lake.
 |
| Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Pavilion at Sun Moon Lake |
Admiring the beauty of the lake, we visited the Chiang Kai-Shek
Memorial Pavilion where the Chinese leader used to take break to
spend his vacations.
 |
| A view of Shueli township from Sun Moon Lake |
We took up a 45-minute cruise of the lake at
Shueli and went past the lonely Lalu Island that divides the lake
into two halves and the lake gets its name from this island.
 |
| A view of Lalu Island |
The lake
was once under the domain of military cops.
 |
| View of Ita Thao |
After
cruising the lake, we reached Ita Thao that has the Sun Moon Lake
Station -octagonal in shape with a dome.
 |
| Sun Moon Lake Station |
A
seven-minute cable car ride from Sun Moon Lake Station brought us to
Yuchih township. We could get some unforgettable views of the lake at
a height of 1000 metres high from the cable car. Yuchih town is
reputed for its tea production, mushrooms and orchids. It has a
similar growing condition of Indian Assam tea and has been producing
black tea since the times of Japanese colonization.
Formosan
Aboriginal Culture Village- A journey back in time
At
Yuchih township, we reached the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village
that enjoys the distinction of being the largest indigenous theme
park in Taiwan. Here we had a chance to experience the lifestyle of
nine, distinct aboriginal tribes of Taiwan including Paiwan, Bunun,
Amis, Taroko, Puyuma, Rukai et al. The Sun Moon Lake in Yuchih
township area was known as Shue-Sha-Lian in bygone times.
 |
| Naruwan Theatre at Yuchih township |
We arrive
at Naruwan Theatre to watch the martial art and dance performances of
the tribes. It
was indeed an out-of-the-box experience to walk past the life-like
tableaus of aboriginal tribes engaged in their daily chores like
monkey rites or a ball game.
 |
| Life-size tableaus at the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village |
There are live demonstrations of Paiwan
women crafting handicraft works from glazed beads. There are wood
carved lintels on display that form the traditional art of Paiwan and
Rukai tribes and this formed the significant culture of the Pacific
belt. We walked past the quaint houses of Paiwan and Bunun tribes and
it took us to a journey back in time.
 |
| Tribal dress on display |
Once our visit to Formosan
Aboriginal culture Village was over, we came near the grand Ritz
Palace and the European-style garden.
Taichung
 |
| Giant goat lantern at 2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival, Taichung |
We
travelled to Taichung from Yuchih township to watch the 2015 Taiwan
Lantern Festival that took off with a gamut of events including six
minutes of fireworks.
 |
| 2015 Taiwan Lantern Festival |
The USP of the festival was the flaunting of
giant goat lantern measuring 24.4 metre high that heralds good luck
and prosperity for the nation. There were scores of lanterns in the
shape of various animals on display at the lantern festival.
Taichung
Metropolitan Opera House
 |
| Taichung Metropolitan Opera House |
The
most complicated building in the world; Taichung Metropolitan Opera
House came up sometime in November, 2014. Designed by a Japanese
architect, the building is designed like a cave.
We
halted at Howard Taichung and the very next day, we visited Miyahara
that specializes in Taiwanese desserts and sweet delicacies like
variety of sun cakes and black sesame peanut desserts. Opened in 2012
on Chungshan Road, the outlet is widely famed for its local sweet
delights.
New
Taipei City
A
1½ hour drive from Taipei took us to Pingxi in the eastern part of
New Taipei City that enjoys the age-old tradition of releasing sky
lanterns believed to be auspicious. These sky lanterns carry messages
of hopes and wishes of scores of travellers and it was indeed a
memorable moment to watch the lanterns bearing our wishes floating
high up in the sky. The tradition of releasing sky lanterns into the
sky dates back to 19th century in Pingxi resting on the
banks of Keelung river in the mountain valley.
Our
Taiwan sojourn ended with the exploration of exciting night life in
Taipei and we were off to Spark 101 in the down town area of the
city.
No comments:
Post a Comment