Saturday, November 14
View of Sun Moon Lake from Wenwu Temple
We woke today to a beautiful sunrise through an overcast sky.
And then an early departure to drive up into the mountains.
We spent the day at Sun Moon Lake, so named because of its shape - one basin round like a sun, the other crescent-shaped like a moon. This is Taiwan’s largest lake, and at an elevation of about 2,450 feet is ringed by forested hills and small harbors. This is a lovely vacation and recreation area with trails for walking and biking around the lake and other touristy things to do, as well as historic and religious sites to visit.
Our first stop in the area was the Wenwu Temple (20th C.) overlooking the lake. This is a large three-hall complex dedicated to civil and martial dieties. This temple houses Buddhist, Confucius, and Toaist gods.
People bring offerings to the gods of ordinary items for them to bless.
These were all over the place!
From there we drove along the lakeside for a bit until we were across from where the temple was, and we climbed 800 meters through a forested path to Ci’en Pagoda, completed in 1971 at the direction of Chiang Kai-shek in memory of his mother. Once we got to the pagoda we were thrilled to realize we were able to take the stairs on the inside all the way to the top!
By the time we had walked back down to the bus it had begun to sprinkle. And by the time we arrived at our lunch spot, a restaurant on the lakefront, it was really raining. Here's the “after" shot of our lunch table: (new today was wild boar 🐗)
After lunch we boarded a boat for a short tour of the lake, which I'm sure we would have enjoyed more if it hadn't been raining!
Then we walked through the market streets just off from the wharf. Originally, this area was a market with stalls of shops and food of the Thao people, the smallest of the 17 remaining aboriginal tribes in Taiwan, with fewer than 1,000 people left. Now it is a typical old town tourist street with street food and souvenir shops.
By the time we loaded back on the bus, it was starting to get dark and we still had one more stop left in our day! The Jiuhe Tea Factory and Museum: We received a brief overview of the different types of tea grown in Taiwan and the processes for processing the tea, taking it from the plant to what we drink. I had no idea that some teas are fermented and roasted! The woman giving the tour through the museum, gave the eldest person in our group (Mom of course!) a little pouch of tea.
After the museum, we drove down the road to their factory and had a tasting of a black and a green tea. They also served the most amazing sweet potato chips that were the consistence of kettle chips, and had a light dusting of a fine sugar on them.
Random signs…We often see signs that are interestingly translated or cleverly using the English language. Here’s one I saw today:
I’m not sure I’d want my doctor washing at the laundromat….
Today was a FULL day, and it felt good to be getting some exercise. Our tour leaders wisely planned our outside walking time for the morning! Tomorrow is supposed to be rain-free!