TAIWAN 美

Traveling to the other corners of the world, we can experience new cultures, learn new languages, try something new and see something we have not seen before.

In every journey of mine, it consists of exciting, happiness, nervousness, and lots of expectations. This time I will tell the story of my trip to Taiwan which I name it ‘Taiwan 美’. The trip will be separated into 3 main part due to the places I went. In this post, I will narrate the first part of my trip, Sun Moon Lake.

Sun Moon Lake is a famous tourist attraction located in Nantou City, the middle part of Taiwan. It is the biggest lake of Taiwan, it also known as ‘The Switzerland of Taiwan’ since its water is turquoise color and its background is a beautiful mountain range.

My plane landed at Taiwan Taiyuan International Airport in the early morning, I then took the airport MRT to Taoyuan High-Speed Railway Station to buy the ticket to Taichung, where the bus station to Nantou is located. The high-speed train in Taiwan offers many departure train schedules, it is very convenient and easy for the traveler. When I got to Taichung bus station, I went to the supermarket to buy my first meal in Taiwan and picked Taiwanese Tea Eggs and OuDeng a long with orange juice.

The ticket to Taichung

High Speed Train in Taiwan

My first meal in Taiwan

After that, I went to buy the ticket for the bus to Sun Moon Lake named Nantou Bus, at the bus ticket counter I bought the One-day Pass Package of traveling in Sun Moon Lake which includes the ticket of the boat, local bus, and ropeway ticket. I took the bus around 3 to 4 hours to Nantou, after I arrived I picked up all my luggage and bags and walk directly from the bus station to the boat station. I headed to the hotel I have booked by the local traveling boat, the boat stopped at the first port, the second port, then the third port named I Ta Thao where I got off the boat. About 10 minutes walk from the port I arrived the hotel.

Later I took enough rest, I started to go exploring the lake and the local street, I wandered by following the small and quiet route to see the local culture and meet local people. I really appreciate the nature here, maybe it is the rainy season so that why all the trees and plants are green and there is fog surrounding the mountain top and some part of the foothill. After wandering around my stomach cried for food so I decided to go to the night market, where a lot of good foods served. The most pleasant menu of mine is the fried shrimp, the taste was super good. It tastes like the mix of salt and pepper but sweet also, the shrimp was fried crispy, If you go to Yuchi night market I suggest you to try! I ended up my first night with Taiwan beer and noodles before I went to sleep.

Happy children

First street food shop I stopped for

The tasty fried shrimp

The BBQ

Chicken with rice in the middle

The next morning, I woke up earlier than usual and went to the ropeway station, unfortunately, the ropeway is open at 11 a.m. when the bus will leave to Taichung, so I have no choice but I walk bake to the hotel. However, I did not feel disappointed since the view along the route is very beautiful, I enjoy taking photos and talking with other people so much.

The second day is a bit hotter than the first day

encamping location near the ropeway station

Around 10 O’clock, I left the hotel and went to the bus station. On that they there are so many people taking the bus to Taichung. When the bus arrived at Puli station, the station between Nantou and Taichung, the staff told us to move to another bus because it is faster and will arrive at the train station in Taichung. At that moment the word ‘faster’ made me decided to get off from the bus quickly, and that was the mistake. The bus I changed stopped at the station where I could not find any high-speed railway station, the chauffeur told us to get off the bus because it is the last stop. I was very confused and frightened, I ask the chauffeur has the bus already stopped at the high-speed railway station or not and he replied me that the bus only stops at THE TRAIN STATION! Shocked me a minute that the high-speed railway station and the train station is not the same place, however, the disaster did not stop yet. I went to grabbed the taxi to go to Taichung High-Speed Railway Station located about 17 kilometers far. When I was sitting in the taxi, I found that my camera lost! I tried to think where I put it on and yes! I remember that the last time it was on the bus. So I ask the taxi driver to go back to the bus station and search for the camera.

I will stop the story here if you want to know what will happen next please stay tuned and I will upload the entire story of part 1 and start the part two, traveling in Taipei next week.

ps. 美 Mei (adj.) beautiful, I named my trip Taiwan Mei which sounds like the word 太完美 (Tai Wan Mei) in Chinese language, means completely beautiful.