A trip to Sun Moon Lake

Last weekend, the Doctor and I travelled to central Taiwan. The trip was initially triggered by the Doctor having to visit a past University student and conduct a survey. However, we decided to stay a couple of days and see the local sights.

The first stop was a small town called Jiji. After catching the newest High Speed train that travelled close to 300 kms per hour from Kaohsiung to Taichung, we then caught a more modest train to JiJi. The second train was quite different and felt like I had stepped back in time.

The outside was painted very colourful and the inside looked like it was last decorated in the 1960's. You could even sit up front right beside the train driver and see his view. Then after arriving at JiJi station, we had to cross train tracks to get from the platform to the exit gate.

After stepping outside the station, it was clear that this small town takes their railway station very seriously. They had a monument, LED panel outdoor screen and big signs showing that you were in fact at JiJi station.
Some of the other attractions we visited were Confucius' Temple and special species centre. The special species centre had a Butterfly enclosure, an area for injured wild birds and a statue of Taiwan Bear family. It also had an Army memorial park that we visited on our last day; so more pictures later on.

Also in JiJi we hired a motorised scooter that we used for the weekend. I can confidently say that after a weekend riding on the back of a scooter, I am glad that I use public transport for the majority of my travel around Taiwan.

On the first night, we stayed a bed and breakfast in Shui Li and then make our way to Sun Moon Lake. On the way, we stopped at a place that has a moving walk way. I think what it actually was a swamp land with a planked walkway designed to sway with the underlying water. The place claimed that it was one of only two in the world where the earth moved when walked on.

After arriving at Sun Moon Lake, we battled with all the other tourists. It certainly has become a very popular spot for people to visit. The township we stayed at had a small maze of streets that was similar to a bit market. There were many food vendors on the street, but the Doctor and I ended up having most of our meals at 7-Eleven. Unfortunately the street vendors who cater to those who don't eat meat were few are far between. There was one stall that had a Chicken wrap that looked really nice, but after watching the food preparer handle the money with the same glove as handling the food, I decided to pass.

After one night at the Sun Moon Lake, we headed back to JiJi. That small town that was so quiet on Friday had become very busy on Sunday. Anyway, we stopped at the Army Museum Park.


After wandering around the rather busy JiJi township again, we caught the mountain train and high speed train back to home again.

All in all, it was a good weekend but glad to be back home.

Till next time, haveagoodone...