Sun Moon Lake

Last stop in Taiwan was the Sun Moon Lake. It sounds very poetic and indeed it is a picturesque place. The main attraction there is to ride a bicycle around the lake, which I did on my second day there. (On the first day, I rested from the fairly short night in Donggang).

I had heard before that the route is quite challenging because there are many uphill sections. I was also somewhat disappointed to find that there is no dedicated cycling path that goes all the way around the lake, and for the most part, you have to ride on the road. But my hostel owner reassured me and said that there is not much traffic on weekdays, and that turned out to be true. I chose not to use an electric bicycle (if you're going to do it, do it right!) and set off on my way.

Along the route, there are several temples that I partly visited and in general, I took my time and enjoyed the view. For lunch, I treated myself to a small picnic from the 7/11 - again with picturesque views - and after four hours, I was back in front of my accommodation; much less exhausted than I had expected. In the evening, I met up with Alisa, who had followed me to the lake, and prepared for my onward journey to Taipei and then to Hong Kong the following day.

My last stop in Taiwan was the Sun Moon Lake. It sounds poetic and indeed the landscape is breathtaking. One of the typical things to do there is to cycle around the lake. And that was what I did.

I heard before that the path is not easy because it is steep at several points. Also, I was disappointed to find that there was no cycling path going around the Lake, but one has to take the road for most of the way. However, my host at the hostel ensured me that there would not be a lot of traffic on a weekday, and he was right. Along the way there are several temples to visit. I also took my time to enjoy the view and a small picnic which I had picked up at a 7/11 before. After four hours I was back at the hostel, far less exhausted than I had expected. That night I was joined by Alisa again, and we had dinner together. The Rest of the night I prepared for my journey to Taipeh the next day and to Hongkong the day that followed.