SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 2016
BIKE RIDING
We woke up late this morning and we kind of took on the day without any real plan. We ended up renting bikes and riding around Sun Moon Lake. This place is absolutely gorgeous. There’s a bike path all around the lake, so it’s bike friendly. I don’t know how long it would take, but judging from the map, it would take couple of hours. We stopped several times to take pictures and it was great exercise. The only thing I probably wished was better were the bikes. They weren’t of great quality, but you work with what you have, right?
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WENWU TEMPLE
There are many attractions around Sun Moon Lake. Last time Tracy and I were at Sun Moon Lake, we went to the Cien Pagoda. However, the bus did not run as often as we would have liked. I think we waited at one point for an hour for the next bus. So, I really wanted to check Wenwu Temple off the list this time around. Let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint. The views are just as pretty and the carvings are beautiful inside the temple. An earthquake had destroyed a lot of the temple, but was rebuilt, so everything looks new. It doesn’t have the same ancient feeling as a lot of the temples in Taiwan do. If you were to explore all of the temple, you could probably spend a good hour there. I recommend climbing the stairs to the roof. It’s super pretty.
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Just out front of the temple is a spot called A Year of Steps. Basically, there are 365 steps to this stairway, each step representing a day of the year. It currently functions like a wishing well, where visitors can buy wind chimes and write their wishes on it. Then, they walk to the step that represents their birthday and hang it next to the step and ring the wind chime. It’s funny because at the top of the stairs (where we are) is December 31st. So, as you go down the stairs, you get closer and closer to January. Lucky for those who have birthdays in December. Not so lucky for Tracy and I who have birthdays in January and February. Needless to say, we did not walk to our “birthday step.”
WHERE TO EAT
After the temple, we grabbed dinner on the other side of the lake. The area is called Ita Thao. They serve a lot of Taiwanese food. It’s almost like a small night market. You can find bubble tea, Taiwanese hamburgers, Taiwanese sausages and more. There’s also a bunch of shops selling souvenirs. I remember Tracy got some chopsticks, which makes for a great gift to bring back to friends at home. After our stomachs were full, we caught a bus back to Taichung where we all hopped on different trains to get home. The bus stops at both the High Speed Rail Station and Taichung Train Station. When I went to Sun Moon Lake previously, this blog had not been born. But, I really want you to hear about our adventures, so check out Tracy’s blog to hear about fireworks, selfie fails, and how two girls almost slept at a bus station.
