Ali Shan and Sun Moon Lake

阿里山 (Ali Mountain) and 日月潭 (Sun Moon Lake)

I went in June with Auntie and Uncle and their Godson and daughter in law to 2 of Taiwan's most famous sights - Ali Mountain and Sun Moon Lake.  Much gratitude to them for the wonderful trip!

Ali Mountain is a red cypress forest.  Most of the forest is second growth since the trees were extensively harvested during Japanese occupation.  The railway originally used to transport timber is now open to take tourists up the mountain.  It is quite unique since it runs up the mountain face in a zig zag pattern, the front of the train becomes the back of the train as it zig zags up the steep mountain, instead of turning corners.  It is OLD!  Accidents and service issues are not uncommon -- it was out of service when we were there due to a fatal accident in April.

It's been so incredibly hot in Taipei - the cool mountain breeze and cypress trees reminded me of California!

Strolling around the forest with our tour guide.  He grew up in the mountains so he knew a lot of information on the local history and it was really interesting to hear his prospective on his "backyard" becoming such a tourist attraction.  This is a second-generation forest, trees are relatively young save for a few old growth trees.  

Skinny Cypress trees

Many tourists peel the bark from the trees  because tour guides tell them that  it makes good tea or to smell the fragrance -- protective covering has been used to prevent this but it often does not help.

See the hog?

My A-yi and one of the oldest trees in the forest.

I love clouds.  You will be seeing a lot of cloud pictures.  We went up to see the famous AliShan sunset but the clouds rolled in at the last minute! -- I still thought it was beautiful.  P.S. I love Taiwan's clouds and mountains!  

The clouds sped by pretty quickly - the cloudscape changed every few minutes -- it was beautiful!!

You can't help imagining the refreshing, clean and crisp air, right?

This is actually sunrise the next morning!  Gorgeous!

Sunrise from the mountains - a must see when you are visiting AliShan.

A-dieu and A-yi

Love the mountains and clouds that go on forever.

日月潭 Sun Moon Lake  - This is the largest body of water in Taiwan.    A hydroelectric dam was built here during Japanese occupation - I'm not sure how big the lake was originally.  What is interesting is that the Japanese completed many demonstration projects for emerging technologies in Taiwan, before implementing them in Japan, such as the hydroelectric plant at Sun Moon Lake.  A lot of improvements in Taiwan's infrastructure and modernization took place during the Japanese occupation.    

Pagoda hidden in the clouds

ri yue tan = sun moon lake

Early morning - so tranquil!

Early fog uncovers the still waters and lazy mountains.

View from the gondola lift.

At the pagoda that was on the top of the hill.

View from the hotel.

Group picture!

A-dieu's cicada friend -- They are so loud - I hadn't heard them before coming to Taiwan -- they are surprisingly loud for such a little creature!  They seriously sound like some kind of power tool.

Adding in a random cloud picture taken from the window at school - looks like coral!

it is so

I just liked the geometry.  

The mass transit system is quite extensive in Taipei.  The MRT is clean and  convenient, for most lines, a train comes every 3 minutes.  Announcements are made in Mandarin, Taiwanese, Hakka (another local dialect), and English.

Went hiking with Big Uncle!  I love how communal it is along the trail -- people have brought tables and chairs for rest stops along the way, and some kind hearts carry gallons and gallons of water to the top for folks who need it.  Everyone is up for sharing a snack and a cup of tea.  Don't forget to sign your name in the guestbook!

Cute and tasty

Mom's high school in Taipei

These little monks looked cold with their shaved heads, Big Auntie knitted them their beanies and scarf!  How cute! :)

Hiking in YangMingShan with Big Auntie and uncle!

Fisherman's Wharf in 淡水.

Dong Long Temple in Ping Tung, southern Taiwan

It's how they roll

International Flora Expo

International Flora Expo was held in Taipei this year.  The event lasted about 6 months with acres of outdoor gardens, indoor displays and cultural performances. 

 

Street Celebration

I was in Pingtung in southern Taiwan where my dad's family is from.  My aunts and uncles still live there.  It's a bit more countryside than then big cities.  Taiwanese, rather than Mandarin is spoken here much more than in Taipei.  So I'm trying to pick up some more Taiwanese when I can.  Anyway there was a celebration for the birthday of the child deity in Taoism/Chinese Folk Religion.

I also happened upon a random parade, too.  People were setting off fireworks in the middle of the street.  See the boxes and boxes of fireworks! They really know how to have a celebration.

Maokong Tea Gardens

My old college friend Justin has been coming to Taiwan for business trips for the past few years.  We got the chance to take the Maokong gondola into the mountains for tea, right outside of Taipei (reachable by the metro).

We're about to take the gondola.  The route is about 2.5 miles into the mountains.

Tea Garden

There are lots of tea houses in the area - here are tea leaves being dried.

There's an art to brewing and serving tea.  Glad Justin knew what to do.

The tea was cute and delicious!

Taipei 101
Taipei 101 had the title of tallest building in the world from 2004 - 2010.  Here it is from the Sun Yet-Sun Memorial (Founding Father of Republican China.  It was constructed to represent simultaneously segments in bamboo, a stack of ancient Chinese money boxes, and pagoda.  Also, the number 8 is very lucky in Chinese culture-the building is made up of 8 segments, 8 floors each.

101 is lit in a different color each day of week for a few hours.  I guess it was a Sunday when I took this picture.

HotPot

All you can eat hot pot.  All kinds of veggies, mushrooms, tofu, mochi, noodles and if you are into seafood and meat - all you can eat, too.  Spicy soup and not spicy soup - half and half. 

Juice/tea box cheers :).  My new favorite teas - Barley tea and winter melon tea...though these are not made with tea haha.   

National Taiwan History Museum

frogs!