Don’t forget to place your vote for Team Formosa and stay tuned for more exciting updates!

The weather is heating up all over the island of Formosa and so is the race to win the Best Trip in Taiwan. Ever since the Tourism Bureau announced early in May that they planned to host their own contest, based loosely on a Australian contest called Best Job in the World, online sources such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube have been all aflutter. In an effort to promote the beautiful island of Taiwan and its unique culture and history, travelers from around the world are being invited to show the rest of the world what Taiwan has to offer. Hundreds of groups have already signed up to participate. Fifty lucky teams will be chosen to compete against each other. The first stage of the contest is almost complete. Teams must submit their ideas for a unique travel theme, an inexpensive four day travel itinerary, and a team introduction via video before June 3oth. Winning teams will be announced on July 10th.

I can’t be too far off the money because the team that I am rooting for was featured in the China Times today as the best team to win. I contacted Team Taiwan late last week to offer them some free publicity on My Several Worlds. We’re placing all bets on this team of four intriguing young men who are passionate about Taiwan and bring an array of talents to the table. Make sure you head on over to the website and place your vote for Team Formosa.

We are the Formosa Adventurers. We have over 20 years of combined traveling experience in Taiwan and around Asia. Between us, we have four web sites; three of which are travel blogs. This trip is just one step in our ongoing mission to promote tourism in Taiwan. At the end of the trip, the entire itinerary will be available on our blogs, in English and Chinese, so that anyone planning to visit Taiwan will also be able to experience our trip first-hand. We have planned every part of our trip in English. Our goal is show people that you don’t need to speak Chinese to travel in Taiwan and get off the beaten path. Furthermore, our journey can be easily recreated by just about anyone.  We have kept our costs low to make the trip possible for a larger number of people. During our four day excursion, we will help you learn about Taiwanese culture and take part in various adventure sports, such as white water rafting and river tracing.

PHIL DAWSON: I have been studying Chinese for several years and currently writes a travel blog in Chinese. I’ve also traveled extensively throughout Taiwan and have a vast knowledge of local culture, particularly aboriginal culture.In 2003, I graduated from Leeds University in England with a degree in maths. After I graduated, I wanted to see the world, particularly Asia. At the time, I was reading the novel River Town by Peter Hessler and it helped me decide to come to Taiwan to teach English. I never thought I would stay in Taiwan for longer a year, but I fell in love with the island. It’s six years later and I’m still here. Almost every weekend I travel to various places around the island and explore the truly spectacular natural scenery the country has to offer. For over two years I have been studying Chinese at NTNU and that has helped me to discover more places here and learn more about the fascinating culture and people. I recently started to write my own travel blog in Chinese to give Taiwanese people a foreigners’ perspective of their home.

MSW: What do you hope to accomplish by entering this contest?

Phil: All of us have lived in Taiwan for some time now. We’ve travelled the four corners of this island and love everything about it. We feel that Taiwan is all too often over-looked as a tourist destination and hopefully, by showing the world Taiwan’s natural beauty and friendly locals, we can encourage more people to visit.

We have all been blogging about the many wonders of Taiwan for a while now and, in addition to this, we have recently come up with a plan to help improve the English environment of Taiwan’s tourism industry. Through my blog, I will be offering free English translation for restaurants and other tourism industries.

Stu Dawson

STU DAWSON: I originally came to Taiwan, like so many people, with the idea that I would have a bit of fun and teach English for about six months and then I’d be off on new adventures. I just passed the four year mark and I’m still in Taiwan and I’m still enjoying myself! I’ve always liked doing sports, particularly swimming. Since coming to Taiwan, I’ve developed a bit of an obsession with the great outdoors. I spend almost every weekend in the mountains and valleys of Taiwan river tracing, hiking, camping, and searching for hot springs. However, I’ve always felt that the amount of information available in English for these kinds of activities is very poor and so I decided to start a blog called Hiking in Taiwan to keep track of all of the wonderful places Taiwan has to offer visitors and expats. My photos from these journeys are available on Flickr.

MSW: How did you hear about the contest? Do you have any concerns at this point?Stu: We heard about it through a friend. At the moment I don’t think we have any major concerns. We’re just anxiously waiting to find out if we are one of the top fifty winners and praying for good weather!

ROSS TWEEDIE: I’d always dreamt of travelling, and the travel experiences that I had when I was in my teens and early twenties were great, but fleeting. After living in a traveller household in London crammed with Aussies I realised, ” These guys are travelling every day that they’re here”. I was  determined to get on the road myself. I had friends living and working in China, Japan and Korea, so being the obstinate person that I am, I went for Taiwan. I’m still here. I left after the first year, but was drawn back. I felt I hadn’t really experienced and seen enough, and I still don’t. There’s so much to see: amazing things, beautiful things, unique things, and the ease with which I can indulge my passions and do the things I love most, whether it is hiking mountains that dwarf Scotland’s own mountainous territory or jumping into rivers for no apparent reason. It’s all here, and so am I!

MSW: How did the four of you decide to enter together as a team? How do you all know each other?

Ross: Phil and Stu are brothers, so they have obviously known each other for a long time. We all met through work or class and discovered that we shared the same passion for traveling and the outdoors. For about three years now we have been traveling all over the island together and most weekends we get out and about to try and explore somewhere new. When we heard about the competition we all immediately knew that we should do it together and pool our collective talents and enthusiasm in order to show Taiwan’s beauty to the world.

NEIL WADE: I’ve spent my whole life traveling and taking pictures. My first photography article was published at 16 and I went on my first big trip when I was 17. Some friends and I set out in an old VW camper across the US and the travel bug was firmly set. Many years and road trips later, I found myself with a Biology degree and a desperate desire to come to Asia, and not go home. Six months in Southeast Asia led me to Taiwan, where I heard life was good. I’ve been here for four years and I still don’t have any plans to return to the US. I love everything about Taiwan: the people, the mountains, the cities and the beaches.

I stay busy with photography, traveling, writing my blog, hiking, skateboarding, swimming and just living the good life. I haven’t watched TV or been bored in years, and I couldn’t be happier! Neil Wade Photography.

MSW: You all have different talents and come from pretty diverse backgrounds. What do you think your respective talents will bring to the contest?

Neil: Although we all share the same passion for travelling, we each bring different skills and talents to the team. Being a professional photographer, I hope to cover the trip much like I would an assignment. After fulfilling the contest requirements, I’ll try to get our story published to help promote Taiwan. Adventurous traveling with interesting subjects always make for good articles!

Ross is the all around adventurous guy. Always ready for some action and not afraid to get his hands dirty. He also has a lot of experience filiming and editing and will be our primary cameraman for the tour (and we needed a token bald guy).

Stu is an avid hiker and lover of the great outdoors. On the weekends, if he is not out in some far off corner of Taiwan exploring mountains and forests, then he will be busy writing his excellent and informative hiking blog. His writing talents and outdoors experience really add something to the team.

Phil has been studying Chinese for a long time and currently writes a travel blog in Chinese. He also has travelled extensively throughout Taiwan and has a vast knowledge of local and particularly aboriginal culture.

MSW: Thanks very much to all of you for sending in your bios and introducing yourselves to my readers. We’re really excited to see what happens with the contest.

Dear readers,
Don’t forget to place your vote for Team Formosa and stay tuned for more exciting updates!

This is what traveling is all about.  A hiking expedition in Northern Laos brings us to a small mountain village situated along a peaceful riverbank.

Life around Taiwan’s northern coastline is a treasure trove of scenic spots and possibilities. Providing the weather is nice, it’s one of the best scenic drives in Taiwan for motorcycle enthusiasts, because everything is easily accessible and within a day’s ride.

If you’re looking for an interesting day trip, you don’t need to go much farther than Yehliu Geo-Park (野柳) in Wanli, Taipei County. At $50NT ($1.64US) per person, you can spend the entire day wandering along the paths of this gorgeous stretch of mountain and time-eroded rock. I don’t think you can find a better deal in Taiwan.

Yehliu is truly unique because the rock layers near the seashore contain substantial quantities of limestone, which are subject to sea erosion, weathering and earth movements, thus making the 1,700 meter-long peninsula almost lunar-like in many ways. The wild-looking landscape leaves little to the imagination. It’s easy to imagine what life could be like on another planet.

The area is studded with seawater-eroded holes teeming with sea-life, as well as unusual rock formations, which make the surrounding environment rich in ecological resources. Sun, wind, rain, waves and strong northeastern typhoons all make a major impact on this narrow strip of land.

Mushroom rocks

Yehliu’s famous rock formations run along a thin sliver of land jutting out into the ocean. Upon entering, visitors must walk through a plant nursery before emerging out on the bare stretch of rock running parallel to a low-slung mountain range, making it a wonderful habitat for sea-birds. The immediate area boasts a large cluster of candle, ginger and mushroom rocks, all of which gain their names from their odd-looking appearance.

The Queen’s Head Rock is the park’s most famous attraction.

The majority of the rocks in this area are mushroom rocks. There are about 180 of them in different states of erosion. Some of them have no neck, while others have a broad or extremely thin neck. Yehliu’s most recognizable landmark and claim-to-fame perches majestically among her subjects. It’s known as the Queen’s Head Rock. Not only does it play its role well over all the little mushroom rocks, it really does resemble a queen’s head when looking at it from the right angle.

Another fascinating aspect of the landscape are these seawater-eroded holes, which teem with sea life. Pebbles and rocks brought in by the waves cut into the soft limestone rock and nestle deeper and deeper to form these lovely little puddles. Seaweed, fish, crabs and other small insects make their homes here.

Visitors have two options upon entering the geo-park. We opted not to follow along behind everyone else and did the whole area backwards. Rather than head directly to the Western side of land, we veered right and wandered out along the sea-eroded puddles before heading in-land a bit to traverse along the bitten, mustard-colored landscape.

A candle rock.

The entire eastern side of the peninsula is dotted with funny rocks of all shapes and sizes. It’s easy to tell the difference just by looking at their appearance. Candle rocks have a ball-shaped core standing out from the rest of the rock in a candle-wick shape. Sea erosion creates a circular trench on top. Honeycomb rocks are mushroom shaped, but the surface of these rocks is covered with sea-eroded holes of different shapes and sizes. Ginger rocks actually look like giant pieces of ginger root.

Honeycomb rocks.

There are several sea caves to explore and it’s easy to become entranced with the gorgeous patterns created in the rock by the weathering rings. I never knew stone could be so brilliant or colorful. We didn’t see another soul as we wandered along the long stretch of land. When we reached the outer-most tip, we climbed up a set of stairs leading to a lone gazebo on the mountain running adjacent to the land. We sat and enjoyed the view for awhile before heading inland along the mountain paths running along the Western side of the peninsula.

This stretch of rocks on the West side is called Bean-Curd Rock. These rocks were squeezed together as a result of weathering and have developed a lattice-like appearance. Even more interesting are the number of fossils embedded in the rocks, which tell ancient tales of creatures from a not-so-distant past.

Things You Need To Know:

Hours of Operation: 8:00am to 5:00pm

Admission: $ 50NT

How To Get There By Bus: Information Dated: June 3, 2008

From Taipei City, take a Kuo Kuang Hao bus bound for Jinshan from the Zhongxiao-Fuxing MRT station 9exit 2). Buses come every 8-10 minutes.

From Tamshui, take the express bus bound for Jinshan at Tamshui Station (near Tamshui MRT station). It comes every 30 minutes from 5:50am until 8:20pm.

From Keelung, take the express bus bound for Jinshan or Tamshui at Keelung Station (near Keelung Railway Station). It comes every ten minutes from 5:50am to 10:00pm

How To Get There By Car/Motorcycle:

Note: Be sure to check which routes are appropriate for your bike. We take option number four because it’s scenic and we can make pitstops in Tamshui and at San-zhi Pod Village.

• 1. Sun Yat-sen Freeway – leave at Jinshan/Badu Interchange – Provincial Highway No.2 – Wanli – Yehliu.
• 2. Second Northern Freeway – leave at Keelung/Wanli Interchange – Provincial Highway No.2 – Wanli – Yehliu
• 3. Yangmingshan-Jinshan Highway – Jinshan – Provincial Highway No.2 – Wanli – Yehliu
• 4. Tamshui – Provincial Highway No. 2 - Sanzhi – Shihmen – Ginshan – Yehliu — OUR PREFERRED ROUTE.
• 5. Keelung – Provincial Highway No. 2 – Feicuei Bay – Yehliu

Trumpet flowers and a waterfall are just a few of the delights found in this little piece of paradise near Luang Prabang, Laos.

The ancient capital city of Luang Prabang has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1995; the city and surrounding area boast so many attractive options, we weren’t sure how to start our first day. After an early outdoor breakfast and a short discussion on how best to spend our day, we opted to save our town walkabout for the next day.

An afternoon hike was the tall order of the day and we decided to do so at Tat Kouang Si, a gorgeous scenic area 32 km south of Luang Prabang. This beautiful public park boasts walking trails, shelters and picnic tables. Its biggest drawcard is the tiered waterfall, which flows down over limestone outcroppings and into idyllic natural aquamarine swimming pools. We hired a tuk-tuk to take us there and paid a modest $1.50 US admission fee.

We ventured along the left side of the pools, following the trail enveloped in cascading trumpet flowers in white and yellow. At some points, we had to cross over streams as we progressed slowly up the hillside. There were swimming pools at various stages of our climb. We decided to climb to the very top to see the mouth of the waterfall, which was a good 100 meters in height. Our afternoon swim was well-deserved at the end of our hike and we were more than happy to shed our things and jump directly into the cold, clear water. I highly recommend making this journey to anyone traveling to Luang Prabang. It’s heaven.

John sizes up the depth of the water before making the plunge.

A young local boy watches as John makes the biggest splash of the day.

Several months ago, I wrote about my journey to Mount Chang Bai in August 2003. My trek to Changbaishan was one of the first of many pilgrimages throughout North East China. To date, it still remains one of my favorite excursions.

Chángbáishan is located in Jilin Province, China. It straddles the Chinese/Korean border, making it a popular tourist destination for travelers in both countries.

Locals will attest that a pilgrimage to Chángbáishan should be made between the end of June and August for those who want to view Heavenly Lake, the mirror-like volcanic lake nestled in a crater at the summit of Chángbáish?n.

Chángbáishan means “Ever-White Mountain” because it appears white all year long. Snow covers the mountain from November to June. The north side of the mountain often appears shrouded in mist from a famous group of hot springs in the area, which can reach temperatures of 80C and are renowned for their medicinal value.

The best way to see Chángbáishan is by accessing it through the North Hill. A long and extremely steep stairway winds its way up the mountain. It takes about two hours to reach the summit. The mountain is covered in wildflowers and natural wildlife.

At the exit of the tunnel, my friend, Jack, emerges into bright sunshine and a serene and quietly flowing river.

A beautiful photo of Heavenly Lake at the top of Chángbáish?n. Photo: John Kellenberger

This is why everyone climbs to the summit! The view is more than worth the hard work it takes to get there. This volcanic lake is the deepest alpine lake in China.

One of the highlights of trekking up this side of the mountain is the stairway which gives climbers a direct birds-eye view of The Waterfall of Chángbáishan. When seen at this distance, the direct 68m drop of rushing water will inspire any traveler. The waters from the Heavenly Lake flow to this waterfall from over 1250 meters away.

The surrounding area has a variety of rare animals, including the black bear, the Siberian Tiger, the leopard and the lynx. There are plenty of local attractions for avid eco-trekkers. Wild ginseng grows in abundance and is harvested and sold by local vendors. The waterfall, mountains, lake and hot springs are sacred to both the Manchu and Korean inhabitants within the area.

I miss my daily visits to Datong Mountain in Shu-lin City.  This lovely little mountain is located a few short blocks from my apartment and I love making the hike up to the summit and running along the footpaths with the city of Shu-lin at my feet.  On this particular day, spring flowers were in full-bloom and the mountain was erupting in clouds of butterflies. I miss the feeling of being able to escape from the busy streets to find solitude and a quiet place to think and reflect.

I climbed up a set of stairs extending up the mountain and emerged at a mountain temple tucked in amongst the trees.  I stopped to wander the temple grounds and pay my respects to the guardians of this mountain retreat, who keep this sacred mountain so quiet and serene.  I gazed upwards in awe at painted skies and god-folk staring down.

Further, further, up I climbed, until I hit a mountain road that diverged.  Both roads lead to quiet places that are perfect for escaping the heat and the noise of the city.  I’ve been fortunate to have the whole place to myself and I often take my journal with me to write in.  Sometimes I take a deck of cards and play solitaire.

Chángbáishan is a large series of mountains which run northeast to southwest along the Chinese-Korean border in North East China.   The huge lake, nestled in a volcanic crater at the top of one of the mountains, is one of the major attractions in this wild backwater country deep in North East China.  We traveled there by bus several summers ago.  It was the scariest and worst bus ride I’ve ever been on, but the haunting and gorgeous scenery of North East China has made this trip an unforgettable one in my mind.

That bus ride into the northern moutains of China was like taking a step back in time. Imagine lush green rice paddies, farmers tilling the wet soil with water bison, long rows of corn and giant sunflowers. It was breathtakingly beautiful and it looked like something straight out of a book. I was astonished to see how unspoiled the land was, especially after being in the dirty and polluted cities of North East China.

Farmsteads were small, low, worn down and in desperate need of repair. Flocks of poultry, pigs and other barnyard animals roamed freely on the roads. There was no electricity and most of the people were dressed in handsewn clothing or second hand clothing. We passed a creek where women were washing their clothes by hand. Obviously, these people had endured hardships that I couldn’t begin to fathom, yet they looked so at peace. There was none of the hustle-bustle rat-race of city life. Chores weren’t hurried, people took their time and moved slowly through the paces of life. It was enchanting to see and I almost wished to have such a simple existence for myself.

We stopped for a short lunch break in a small village and the news that foreigners were in town must have spread quickly.  As we descended from the bus, people came out of their houses to greet us.  Most of them were old people, many with gnarled hands from hard labor.  There were little old women with bowed legs and old men hunched forward as if they were still carrying something heavy on their backs.  We were instantly surrounded by curious brown skinned faces.  Some people smiled and called out greetings, baring their toothless gums at us.  I also saw a few suspicious stares and quite a few wandering hands. We were brought bowls of boiled pork dumplings, warm beer and tea eggs.  I was a little sad to leave this tiny village.  It was the only place where we were treated kindly on our four day adventure to Chang Bai Mountain.

Our bus become more uncomfortable with each hour that passed as we picked up more passengers along the way.  The cricketly old bus seemed to have some seriously ill shock absorbers. We spent most of the journey trying to hold ourselves down as the bus climbed and bumped treacherously across bridges and over narrow mountainous roadways.

Twelve hours later, we were bruised and aching and we still had to locate accommodations for the night.  We were able to locate and bargain for a cheap hotel room in the small city of Bei He, which is at the base of the mountain.  Although we bargained, we paid an outrageous price for our crappy little room simply because of our white faces.   Our room had four dorm style beds with a slab of wood to sleep on with a quilt thrown on top for extra cushioning.

We could barely stand the thought of sleeping there for the night and opted to go for massages to waste some time. The massages ended up making everything worse as the young Chinese ladies working on us were pounding so hard that we woke up with bruises the next day. Let me tell you, sleeping that night was not an easy feat after bouncing in a bus for 12 hours and then getting pounded by two Chinese girls for another hour before jumping onto a bed made of wood. 

We managed to get some shut-eye and woke up early the next morning to meet our guide. Our trip was ill-fated right from the beginning and we knew it. Nevertheless, we persevered in the hope that things would start to get better. Ha! Nothing is ever easy in China.  Our guide didn’t have a driver’s license and we were stopped at the foot of the mountain.

We waited at the side of the road for an hour for the driver’s friend to arrive to take us to the summit. Our new driver was a maniac and we almost flew off the side of the narrow road several times before arriving at the top of the mountain. When we arrived, he gave us 20 minutes to look around.  The view of Heavenly Lake was incredible and we would have loved more time to explore, but we were on a strict time limit.  So we snapped a few pictures and headed resolutely back to our car and driver. Alas, both had disappeared with all of our gear as we had stupidly left it in the trunk of the car. The day was getting worse.

We had to wait for another hour before we could secure a ride back down the mountain. When we finally found someone to take us down, we were crammed like sardines in a can.  I couldn’t believe it when the driver stopped to pick up another passenger!  I actually had to sit crossways on my friends laps to make room for the new guy.  When we were dropped off, we wandered around dejectedly for a few hours looking for our driver and as luck would have it, we finally found him and he still had our stuff.  We still had some time left, so we decided to take our things and make the hike up the mountain to the volcanic lake. Needless to say, the lake was spectacular and well worth the hike. 

Heavenly Lake (??)  The magnificent glass-like surface of ‘ti?nchí’ also known as Heavenly Lake.  If you’d like to know more about China’s largest nature reserve, Beijing Expert has written a fabulous article about the the local attractions and numerous sightseeing treks in the area. 

Our driver actually stuck around this time and he stopped off at a few other scenic spots on the way back to our hotel.  To be honest, we weren’t even interested in seeing anything else that day.  We just wanted to go back to our guesthouse and figure out what to do next.  Our energetic driver insisted on taking us to four other nearby attractions.  We thought he was just being nice after messing up our day so badly.  Boy, were we ever wrong. He was busy racking up a bill of seismic proportions. We politely refused to pay the total bill and offered him what he had originally quoted us with a generous ‘tip’ thrown in for good measure. He took off in his car and returned an hour later with three friends and threatened to beat the hell out of us if we didn’t pay up. By that time, we were thoroughly disgusted and although we hated to do it, we paid up. There was nothing else we could do.

The next morning, we decided to cut our trip short.  We high tailed it out of there and climbed back on the bus from hell. The ride back to Changchun was easily the scariest ride I’ve ever been on. As we came down out of the mountains, there was very little road to be seen between us and a long drop into a deep valley. The roads were marked with piles of sand. Drivers are supposed to stay inside the sand piles but our driver had a death wish.  We counted ourselves lucky when he actually hit the middle of the pile. Our faces were glued to the window as we watched the pebbles and dirt from our passage tumble into the depths below.

To top it off, the bus stopped every 15 minutes for anyone who was standing on the side of the road. The driver made a hefty amount of cash by picking up peasants and villagers that were headed into the city for a few days to find work. Soon, our bus was packed to the brim. People were sitting in the aisles, on the stairs, on each other. One woman was crammed against the front window. About two hours in, a man threw up and it caused a chain reaction. By the time the driver stopped, people had the windows rolled down and were squeezing out the windows to escape the foul air.

We were stopped twice on the way home by the police. Each time, the driver had to pay a fine for overcrowding. He would yell at everyone to get off and they would start walking. As soon as he had dealt with the police, he would drive up the road and pick everyone up again. I have never been more relieved to arrive safely home in my entire life. 

Despite our travel mishaps, I would love the opportunity to go back to Chángbáishan.  I missed out on a great deal because of our misfortune and while it certainly made for an interesting and memorable trip, none of us were able to enjoy it completly.  John and I are returning to China in the summer of 2008 for the Beijing Olympics and we plan on returning to Chángbáishan after we’ve spent some time getting re-aquainted with our old friends in Chángchun. 

Photos by John Kellenberger

We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day to explore  Sun Moon Lake and the area surrounding it.  We arrived around 11am and stopped for awhile to admire the boats on the water near the harbor.  Sun Moon Lake is nestled amongst mountains and I can easily understand why it is such a popular tourist destination in Taiwan.   We were especially surprised that there was no admission charge to the lake.  We had been told to expect one.  In fact, our day at Sun Moon Lake was the cheapest day of our whole journey.  We were admitted to all sightseeing attractions free of charge.  I was mightily impressed.   

Kuanghua Island, now known as Lalu Island is in the center of Sun Moon Lake. 

It was nice to get off the bike and stretch our legs a bit, but we were soon surrounded by a group of people all asking about the bike and inquiring about our travels.  So we hopped back on the bike.  It took us about an hour to travel the road around Sun Moon Lake, which was built in 1964.  There used to be two lakes, the Sun and the Moon, before the Japanese built a hyrdo-electric dam and raised the water level. 

We drove around to the other side of the lake and stopped at Hsuangchang Temple to look out across the lake.  In particular, we were looking for Lalu Island, which is located in the center of the lake.  Lalu Island is a rather unique place that isn’t open to the public.  It is a sacred place to the Shao, the aboriginal tribe that once flourished in the area and made their home on the island.   Lalu Island was once a large island.  When the water was raised, the island disappeared under the water and sadly, the Shao were forced to move from their sacred homeland.  Today, only the tip of this once mystical place is visible. 

Once inside the temple grounds, I noticed a group of carved animal stools.  I quickly made the connection and located all twelve of them, one for each animal of the Chinese zodiac.  I made sure that we had our pictures taken on our representative animals.  I’m a tiger and John’s a rooster.  We also made sure we had our pictures taken on the pig as well.  Everyone smiled to see the ??? playing too.  We spent about forty minutes here.  I wish we’d had more time to spend here as the temple grounds are immaculately kept.  Apparently, the temple holds some of Asia’s most sacred Buddhist relics.  This temple was named after a Chinese Buddhist scholar by the name of, you guessed it, Hsuan Tsang.

Cí?n T?

The Pagoda of Filial Virtue was a must-see on our list of things to do at Sun Moon Lake.  It was built by Chiang Kai-Shek in memory of his mother.  The pagoda is on Mt. Sabalan, which is 954 meters in height.  The pagoda was built 46 meters high in order to meet an elevation of 1000 meters.  We really wanted to see the lake from the highest viewpoint available.  Tsen Pagoda provided the perfect viewpoint.  We were able to drive the bike up most of the way, but we had to climb the last 570 meters on foot to get to the pagoda.  The trail leading up to the pagoda was cool and shaded, which was nice because it was a bit of a climb.  It’s gorgeous though.  There are lots of trees, flowers and ferns on the way up and it’s very quiet and green.  When we got to the top, the entire area was covered in blinding white pebbles.  The pagoda seems larger than 46 meters and the white pebbles made all the colors jump out. 

And looking way down

The giant bell at the top of the staircase can be rung by visitors who have climbed to the top of the pagoda.

An interesting view of the netted staircase in the pagoda.  I also noticed this netting in a couple of places in Toroko Gorge as well. 

My lovely lion guardians again!  I’m always pleased to these mythical creatures.  This one and its mate stand guard over Wenwu Temple.  They are the largest in Taiwan. 

Wénw? Miào is a Taoist temple dedicated to Confucious and Kuan Kung, the red-faced god of war.  It’s a temple of martial and literary arts.

 Blessing Wind Bells

This beautiful historical stairway is located across from the entrance to Wen Wu Temple.  Originally, visitors had to take a boat and climb 366 stairs to make the pilgrimage to Wen Wu Temple.  If you look closely, you can see that these bells are hung on wrought-iron ladders.  Each ladder represents a year of birth. 

You can buy a set of these blessing wind bells in Wen wu Temple.  Write your prayer on the wind catching paper and then hang your bell on the approprate age ladder.  The wind will send your prayers to the saints and gods of Wen Wu Temple.

Prayers on the wind. 

 I’m a little sad that we only had the day to explore Sun Moon Lake.  We only just got our toes wet on this trip.  We had a chance to take in the sights, but we really didn’t have enough time to properly explore as much as I would have liked to.  I can’t complain though because John has already promised to come back with me.  I’ve got something to look forward to next year.

Cherry blossoms against a brilliant azure sky.

The Yangmingshan 2007 Flower Festival in Taipei kicks off today and according to Taiwan Headlines, hundreds of thousands of tourists are expected to visit Taiwan’s famous northern National Park from today until the 26th of March to watch and admire as the mountain side bursts into a riot of color this spring.

Yellow fever.

In the cool shade, tiny white Chinese hydrangea blossoms flourish.

We thought we’d beat the crowds and go a day early to avoid traffic jams and hundreds of thousands of tourists. Ha! I should have known better. There are two things that are always a certainty with the people of Taiwan. The Taiwanese love nature and they love their pets. That meant that we had a huge combination of all three yesterday when we arrived at Yangmingshan National Park yesterday afternoon.

Despite the crowds, we immensely enjoyed wandering around the park. The park has been landscaped beautifully to look like a traditional Chinese garden. There are pavilions, kiosks, fish ponds, streams, fountains, ponds and of course, flowering shrubs, trees and plants everywhere the eye can see. I can only imagine how tranquil and imperturbable this place when it’s quiet. It must be utter paradise. No wonder everyone comes here to escape the city life. Now I understand why people also call Yangming Park “Forest in the City” and “Imperial Garden of Taipei”.

Despite the hoards of people, we enjoyed our day in the park. We limited ourselves to Yangming Park, which is roughly 107 hectares in size. We barely had a chance to explore, as the fabulous and well-kept grounds provided oodles of breathtaking flowers of an amazing variety.

Yangmingshan National Park itself is 11, 455 hectares and is sited along a system of dormant volcanoes. The Beitou area in particular is infamous for its hot spring resorts. We haven’t had a chance to indulge yet, but this is on our list of things to do. We are quickly discovering that Taiwan’s National Parks are a spectacular treasure trove of natural beauty.

Nature loving at its best. Walls of melastoma candidum provide the perfect amount of shade from the sun.

Ubud, Bali is rather a special place, but I think what makes it most special, apart from all the fabulous art, glorious food, haunting music, and incredible rice paddies, are the monkeys at the Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary. We drove by the sanctuary everyday on the appropriately named Monkey Forest Road and marveled at monkeys calming sitting in the streets or on the walls of the temple itself. They seemed undaunted and unaffected by the traffic and pedestrians nearby.

In addition to monkeys, there are several temples and ceremonies performed within the sanctuary each and every day. Tumpek Kandang, is celebrated by making small, special offerings of flowers and fruit to the forest and to all of the animals. Tumpek Nguduh celebrates plants. Bali is a very spiritual place and one instantly feels in tune with the natural world as soon as you step foot on the island.

The Holy Monkey Temples were built during the mid-14th century during the Pejeng Dynasty or the early Gegel Dynasty. There are three holy temples within the sacred monkey forest. Special attire is required in order to enter the temples (sarong, full blouse or shirt sleeves and sash).

The monkeys that live in the sanctuary are called Balinese macaques, also known as long-tailed macaques. There are approximately 200 macaques living in the forest. They are divided into three groups and each group uses a different area of the forest at different times of the day.

Unlike the monkeys we encountered in Thailand, these monkeys, although wild, showed no fear in approaching us, whether we had food or not. I sat down for a rest and a baby monkey jumped into my lap and started picking at my pants. Then it jumped up on my shoulders ran off with my sunglasses! We had to locate some Balinese forest guides and ask them to keep an eye out for a monkey with sunglasses. Much to our surprise, they said it happened all the time. Shortly after, they found the monkey and retrieved my sunglasses.

In addition to the novelty of playing with monkeys, we couldn’t help admiring all the amazing temple architecture and carved stone guardians situated throughout the area. The details on the walls of the temple were absolutely breathtaking, but I thought the statues were somewhat gruesome. There were fierce lions, monkey carvings, skulls, statues of local gods, dragons and other mystical creatures. A thick green moss has crept over everything and an ancient energy radiates within this place. Sacred walkways lead the way to a peaceful soul here in the Monkey Forest Sanctuary.