Sun Moon Lake- Taiwan

Jonathan, Peter and Robin at the lovely Sun Moon Lake

Sun Moon Lake is a tourist spot in the middle of Taiwan that Jonathan had always heard of while he served his mission in Taiwan, so it was a place he wanted to visit while we were there. So, we woke up in the morning and our landlord drove us to a bus stop to wait for the bus. Initially we were going to go to the main station, but we saw the bus pulling out as we got close, so we tried to chase the bus down. No joke. Our landlord told us that if the bus stopped at the next stop, we had to jump out of the car and run get on the bus. But, it didn't stop since there were no people waiting for it, so he just dropped us off at the stop and told us to wait there and another bus would be along in about 20 minutes. Sure enough more buses came by and we grabbed the one headed where we were going. It was pretty full, so Jonathan and Beccah had to sit on the steps on the back. Not ideal, but it was only a 40 minute ride, so not too bad. Peter fell asleep for the entire ride! And the kids sitting next to Peter and I stared at him most of the ride. 

We got to the lake, and bought tickets for the ferry. There are 3 main areas of the lake, all on different sides of the lake. We wanted to go to the aboriginal village area of the Thao tribe, which was on the opposite side of the lake. 

Tickets and snacks were bought, along with Slurpees from 7-11, a day late (we bought them July 12), but still a delicious treat. Sidenote: there are 7-11s everywhere in Taiwan. We do more grocery/meal shopping here than at regular grocery stores.

Then, we found our ferry and waited a bit. We just missed the cut off for the boat that was currently there, but we were first in line for the next boat that came. The boats come about every 15 minutes, so, not a bad wait.

Boats and Mountains

The boys on the boat ride across the lake

We started in the boat cabin, and stopped at the first place. There was a temple there, but we weren't interested in seeing it, so we stayed on the boat while it waited and switched some passengers. We decided to leave the cabin and sit outside to get a breeze. It was nicer being outside, but still warm. But, then we had a cool view of everything. A group of American college aged people got on while the boat was at this dock and they loved Peter just as much as the Chinese did! Peter gave high fives to everyone and all the ladies loved him.

Beccah and Robin touching Sun Moon Lake!

We found these steps that led into the water, so we figured that meant we needed to touch the water. I learned 2 things. First, steps that are constantly in lake water are nice and slimy, and feel a little gross on your feet. Second, when you are standing on stairs that lead into a lake, you will constantly get splashed and maybe shriek a little. At least no one fell in the water.

Jonathan and Peter in Sun Moon Lake

Fun Facts about Sun Moon Lake

• Largest body of water in Taiwan
• One side looks like the sun and the other side looks like a moon- thus, Sun Moon Lake
• In 2000, The Thao tribe had 281 people, making them the smallest of all the recognized aboriginal tribes in Taiwan

Puli and Bananas

After our day at Xitou and the drive past the misty mountains, we came to Puli, Taiwan. This is a small town above the touristy spot of Sun Moon Lake. We originally looked for places closer to the lake, but they all came with a price tag of $95+ per night. When we looked at Puli, a mere 30 minute bus ride from the lake, the price came down to around $50 per night. Guess which on we chose? Puli for the win.

Can you find the 3 recognizable English signs/icons?

Puli is a much smaller town than other places we'd been in. They don't have a metro, and their bus system is much smaller. There aren't many sidewalks, but the roads aren't as busy, so we walked on the sides of them. Most of where we were looked like the above picture. Buildings a few stories high, cars and scooters, and a couple of parks. There were lots of restaurants nearby the guesthouse we were staying at, and a Family Mart (small convenience store) around the corner. 

Stephanie and her future mil helped us check in and then took us to dinner, because the Taiwanese love to feed people, and to celebrate my birthday. We had a delightful rainstorm with some great thunder while we ate. We had a good time eating with them and chasing the baby, who wasn't really interested in eating. Then, we went back to our place and said our goodbyes. 

Our guesthouse in Puli was nice. The hosts offered us a different room when we arrived than we had booked. We checked out both rooms. The second one had more beds and was on the side of the building not facing the main road, so it was a bit quieter. They said it would be the same price...so we took it. There was a double bed, a twin and 3 twins pushed together that were really low to the ground. So, Peter got the pushed together twins- extra big bed means less likelihood of falling off. There was also a huge walk-in closet area and 3 desk areas. It was lots of space, which was nice. We didn't have a kitchen, but there was a small fridge in the common room. 

The first night there, when we checked in, we found a number of mosquitoes in the room. Stephanie asked the landlord if they had anything to help with that. We were quickly given a coil thing that they burn to drive the mosquitoes away as well as a hand held electric bug zapper- it looks like a tennis racket, but the wires are electric and they kill anything they touch...super dangerous, but very effective, and much easier than trying to wait for them to land so you can squish them. Then, later that night, I noticed a tiny little ant on the desk. I squished it, then promptly saw another, and another and another! They were everywhere! Jonathan and I started squishing them all and more kept appearing. We talked with the landlords again and they gave us some bug killer spray, which we used and it killed the ones there, but everyday we killed more of them. It was pretty exciting staying in Puli. At least they were really small ants. But they did invade Beccah's bed one day...luckily it was our last day and we had more bed options to choose from, but not awesome.

House slippers which fit Jonathan...well, not quite. 

Besides the ants, we really did like staying in Puli. Our landlords were super helpful and drove us to catch a bus one day and drove us to church another day. It was nice to be in a less touristy place for a couple of days. 

The Banana

In Xitou we bought some bananas for Peter, and when we broke the top one off for Peter to eat, we found these bananas. They were growing together, but you can see there are 2 bananas when you look at the bottom, but they were sharing a stem and were in the same peel.

We peeled them in Puli and found- 2 bananas in the same peel! I've never seen that before! They weren't stuck together in the peel, they were 2 separate bananas. Super cool.

Misty Mountains

Stephanie's boyfriend's mom drove us to Puli from Xitou. It was so nice of her to first drive us to the mountains, and then take another hour and a half or so to drive us down to Puli. We drove along, chatting and letting Peter crawl across Jonathan, Beccah and myself in the back seat. Then, as we were driving, we came along some of the most beautiful scenery I'd ever seen. Huge tree covered mountains with peaks jutting out of the mist that had gathered from the rain storm.

At first, as we drove along, it was raining, so the best shot I could get was through a rain sprinkled window.

But then, the rain let up for a bit, and Peter was kind enough to roll my window down, as that is his specialty, and I was able to get a few photos of the gorgeous mountains.

The mist on them gave them a very old wise feeling. I felt like if I were to go in them, there would be some sort of magic there. Maybe some hobbits I could travel with, or a wizard to teach me.

I think I like these so much because they are unlike any mountains I've encountered in the US. Although they are grand and mighty, they are reminded me of cloth on the ground as the peaks were all rounded and therefore seemed serene in a way. I think it would be amazing to watch a fast forward video on how this island was formed because I think the mountain making process would be incredible.

Taiwan is amazing. What more can I say?

Xitou- Hiking on the Mountain

Entrance to Xitou

Before we went into the mountain park area of Xitou, we had some snacks of bananas and ice-cream....Stephanie had packed a pint of Super Extra Chocolate- or a similarly named- ice-cream. It was divine. Best ice-cream I'd had in a loooooong time. After our treat, we went in and looked at the map to decide which paths we wanted to take and what things we wanted to see. We decided upon The Giant Tree and the Skywalk. 

While we looked at the map, Peter chased the chee chee chee!

This is the first thing we saw on the first trail we decided to walk along....amazing. Super cool gate, slightly swinging bridge, trees and bushes everywhere...green! Beauty! Love!

Peter, Robin and Stephanie peeking up behind, on the bridge.

The Nelson clan- Peter, Robin, Jonathan and Beccah, on the bridge.

View from the bridge to the little creek below.
Don't be fooled, those rocks are huge!

Jonathan,  Peter and Robin on the bridge. We could have let Peter run on the bridge all day and he would have been content.

We crossed the bridge and continued on the path. We were all overwhelmed at the amount of greenery. Anything that stayed still and wasn't constantly walked on was green. 

It was around this time that we also realized that the bugs might be more abundant. We all donned the Taiwanese bug repellent that Stephanie brought. It was the consistency of lip balm, but had menthol in it, so your skin was weirdly cold for a bit. But, it must have worked, as we did not get eaten alive.

Peter, Beccah, Jonathan and Stephanie

One thing very different about the woods in China and Taiwan verses the US, is that there are always paved paths to walk on. It makes it hard to get lost or dirty, which is nice, but it is also different when you are expecting walking on the dirt and grass.

As we walked, we came upon these ducks made of PVC pipe. I don't know why they were there, but Peter loved them. He would say, "Dah" which clearly means duck, and then pat his head- because of the game Duck Duck Goose. 

After a short rest break with the ducks, we continued walking towards the Skywalk area. At this point, Stephanie and I were a bit behind Jonathan, Peter and Beccah. Stephanie started asking me about dating Jonathan and how it was with in-laws. She has been dating a guy who is on a mission now, and she sometimes has a hard time with her future mother in law. She knows that if they get married, they will most likely live with his parents for a while, as many Asian families do. She was asking me if I have similar difficulties with my mother-in-law. I told her that I really hadn't had any problems with my mother-in-law. She has never criticized me or made me feel like I wasn't doing a great job with life. I always have felt accepted and loved by her. Jonathan and I have talked about how we feel like we hit gold with our in-laws on both sides. I tried to relate in other ways and give any advice I had to help her. It was nice to have time with Stephanie and talk with her.

View looking down from the Skywalk.

The Skywalk was a walkway that was above lots of the trees and paths we had already walked on. It was super high up so it gave a great view of the trees below and surrounding the path. It was neat to walk on.

Each frond of these ferns was the size of Peter, or bigger!

Another great thing I loved about Stephanie is she always offered to take pictures for us, so all of the good people shots are thanks to her skills!

After we walked on the Skywalk bridge, we went to find the Giant Tree! We stopped for some drinks to keep hydrated and then we found it. It was kind of a let down. At one point it was most likely magnificent, but it had been damaged by an earthquake, or bugs or something, so it's dead and hollowed out in the middle. But, it was on the same path we were already walking, so no time lost finding it.

The Giant Tree

We continued down a path called Riverside, which is Jonathan's hometown, so it seemed fitting to walk along it. This path was lots of stairs, luckily headed down, but still, lots of stairs.

Stephanie and Beccah heading down

Green growth

I love this place. So many cool plants!

More stairs.

Jonathan started jumping down the stairs with Peter in his arms. Peter thought this was hilarious and would laugh and have the biggest smile. I tried capturing his smile a number of times, but each time he looked drunk or had his eyes closed, so, just know it happened and it was adorable.

Then we came to an area where the path crossed a little stream. There were tons of rocks in a place where I imagine at the right time of the year is filled with water. But at this time, there was just a little pool of water

Which happened to be just the right size for a little toddler to play in with his dad.

I love this because I feel like it captured Xitou the best. Mountains, streams, huge rocks, green surrounding you, and absolutely breath-taking.

Group shot on the rocks. Pretty well captures everyone.
Robin, Jonathan and Peter and Beccah.

Jonathan and Peter, Beccah and Stephanie. I believe the theme for this one was kung-fu.

After crossing the stream, we found an area that was the University area for gardening and green houses. There was a really cool bridge made from a tree trunk, some cool dinosaurs you could play on, and a neat path covered in hanging plants. 

While I was walking though the hanging plants area, Jonathan and Peter were waiting and when Peter saw me he pumped his fist up and said "Mama!" So Jonathan did the same, but I took the picture 2 seconds too late. I love these boys.

On the way to the exit, we found these wooden cutouts to stick your face in. So, in went Peter.

Then it was Jonathan's turn.

Then we tried finding the exit. After 2 or 3, "Guys, the exit is this way." "Do you know for sure it's this way?" "No, but it looks like this way." "Should we ask someone?" "No, I think it's this way." We finally found the exit. And, it was good timing, because soon after we got to the exit, the skies opened up and dumped some rain on us. Stephanie's boyfriend's mom picked us up in the car, with pizza! That was a delicious treat! Then, we were on our way to our next stop, Puli Taiwan. Stephanie and her future mother-in-law were great to take us to the mountain and then to drive us all the way to Puli. It was really nice to have a car and not have to worry about lugging our things onto another train and figuring everything out.

Good thing we had to walk so many different ways to find the exit, or we wouldn't have found this lovely pig family to pose with. 

Xitou was a great place to visit. We told Stephanie that if we ever come back to Taiwan that we will come back to Xitou. It's beautiful way to get out and see some of Taiwan without feeling crowded or busy. It was amazing and a great way to spend a birthday.

Xitou- The Little Village

We went to this mountain with Stephanie on my birthday! It is named Xitou (pronounced she-toe). It was such a beautiful place. It took a little over an hour to drive there and Peter did pretty good in the car. His favorite thing to do is to roll the windows down. When Jonathan held him, he would roll down the window and then stick his binky out the window (it's attached to him with a clip) so it bounced around in the wind and let the wind blow his hair. 

Just like a puppy. 

When we got to the mountain, we drove up and up and saw bamboo groves, and trees everywhere. Then, we came to a touristy place that we stopped at to walk around for a bit. It was a little village that had many things modeled after a Japanese village. It was fun to walk around and see things. The first part we walked through had tons of little souvenir shops, then we came to some fruit stands, and then cool statues. 

Robin, Jonathan, Peter and Beccah at the little village.

My favorite thing about this village area was the strangeness of buildings or statues. This little house was shaped like a tea kettle with a little monster/spirit coming out of the spout!

Or this lantern turned face.

If I remember correctly, this was a mailbox.

I don't know what this is, but it's interesting!

And, just in case we missed it, more pictures with strangers! 

Jonathan and Peter in front of a tori gate.

Another mail box, and some strange wooden thing, and the same stranger as earlier. At least now I have proof of where Peter gets his finger picture taking from, even if his fingers aren't so dexterous yet.

As we were about to go, we saw this green guy running past followed by the floral print dressed woman with a walkie talkie. I have no idea what was happening with him, but it was exciting to see him run by.

As we were walking up to go to the mountain area, we went passed this. It is more Japanese than Chinese. Below the red monster is a little fountain of water and a ladle. You have to pour water over your hands in a specific way to help keep the evil spirits captured. It is right outside of a police station which was very fitting. Jonathan and Beccah washed their hands to help. Good job team! Then, we were on to the mountain to walk around some neat trails.