It’s the weekend and so time to play!!!   The typhoon had caused disruption on the East Coast, so yesterday my colleague and I decided to head to Sun Moon Lake which is located smack bang in the middle of Taiwan.   I got to experience another high speed train, but it only reached a measly 296km/h – not quite up to the European trains :o)  It was a pleasant journey watching Taiwan landscape fly by, with lots more beautiful mountains and paddy fields.

Sun Moon Lake

Info: It is quite a trek for one day, so if you are visiting from Taipei I would recommend staying overnight at the lake.  Catch the HSR from Taipei Main Station to Taichung (1 hour) , the trains are very frequent running every 15 minutes – cost $675 TWD.  From Taichung you can catch a bus to Sun Moon Lake (1.5 hour).

One of many Taiwanese Tour Guides

It was pretty cloudy probably due to the exciting weather this week, so we didn’t see Sun Moon Lake in its best light.  However, it was still an enjoyable day, joining all the other tourists being escorted around the lake by bus or by boat.  As seems to be the norm in Taiwan’s tourists haunts, no end of yummy food stalls (with lots of new delicacies to taste if you are brave enough!!!) and shops to browse.

Roasted Pigeon

Late afternoon we took a “leisurely” bike ride around the lake .  I only really discovered how much I love cycling this year, first in Sukhothai and then Konavle.  Therefore I am still a bit wobbly on a bike.  One section of the track, tourists kept jumping out in front of me to take photos of the lake.  It was quite nerve racking and I had to slam on the brakes a few times,  almost catapulting myself into the water.  Gulp!!!! However, it was good fun and a great way to see Sun Moon Lake up close.

Watchout for Tourists!!!

Info: There are lots of bike hire companies but the price varies so shop around.  We managed to get $120 TWD an hour (the first one wanted $200 – so we struck a real bargain) at a place right at the start of the track.