Taichung City, Taiwan

After spending the first part of our Taiwan trip hiking and biking, we made our way to Taichung City to meet up with our friends Shing and Rainbow who were visiting from California.  Rainbow was actually in Taiwan for a family gathering and graciously invited us to stay with her and her mom (Auntie Snow) at her uncle’s house in the city.  Rainbow and Auntie Snow were incredibly gracious hosts and took us to eat at some very good restaurants.  We also enjoyed accompanying Rainbow and Auntie Snow to see their ancestral home which is near Taichung.  Much of the ancestral home compound has been removed for condos, but the main worship house and surrounding grounds still remains intact and is well preserved. 

Auntie Chen and Rainbow at their ancestral home.

Shing walking the streets of Taichung.

There are many motorbikes in Taiwan, but not nearly as many as Vietnam.

Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan

Sun Moon Lake is the largest lake in Taiwan and a great place to get away from the city and take in the scenery.  We spent two nights there biking, boating, and watching the sunrise and sunset.  The highlight of Sun Moon Lake was the 25-mile bike path, which is one of the “10 Breathtaking Cycling Routes” around the world according to CNN.  The first section of the route was very leisurely and reminded us of biking along the Mt. Vernon Trail back home.  The leisurely bike ride became hardcore exercise though when we reached the second part, which became winding, narrow, and very hilly.  Our muscles became sore after biking so we decided to spend the next day just relaxing. 

This dock was used by Chiang Kai-shek for his boat rides on the lake.  Photo by Yen.

Sun Moon Lake Visitor Center

The tough part of the bike path.  It looks much steeper in real life.

Did Yen make it up the hill?

The Thao people are a small group of aborigines that live near Sun Moon Lake.

Taiwan has a lot of stray dogs.  Yen fed this one and they became best friends.

Wenwu is a large and beautiful temple that overlooks the lake.