Beyond Taipei: Sun Moon Lake

Sun Moon Lake was somewhere I had wanted to visit, but I probably wouldn’t have made the effort on my own. It wasn’t impossibly far from Taipei, but getting there involved enough transfers that I kept putting it off. Spencer was the reason I finally made it there.

We took the HSR from Taipei to Taichung, then the bus to Shuishe at Sun Moon Lake. From Shuishe Pier, we took the ferry to Ita Thao, where we were staying. We dropped our things off, got some food from the market, then decided to spend the rest of the afternoon biking around the lake.

I already knew how to ride a bike, but apparently an electric one required some adjustment. During my test ride, I lost control and nearly went straight into a car parked near the rental shop. One of the staff had to grab the back of my clothes before I hit it.

After that, we decided one bike for two people was enough.

From there, the afternoon was mostly spent making our way around Sun Moon Lake and stopping wherever we wanted. We visited Xuan Zang Temple, Lady Wang Caiyu Memorial Hall, and Ci’en Pagoda, where we went up and got a wide view over the lake.

We passed Crescent Bay and Xiangshan Visitor Center and stopped at different points along the way for photos and videos. There was always another view of the lake around the next part of the road, so even the stretches between the actual sights felt like part of the day rather than just getting from one place to another.

Later, we reached Wenwu Temple, although getting inside first meant dealing with the monkeys hanging around the bike parking area. We managed to get past them, walked around the temple, saw the Year of Steps, and had Sun Moon Lake Black Tea before eventually heading back toward Ita Thao.

It was a lot to fit into one afternoon, but it never really felt like we were rushing from attraction to attraction. Most of what I remember is just being outside for hours - on the ferry, beside the lake, stopping at temples and viewpoints, and seeing a completely different side of Taiwan from the one I already knew.

I travel alone often, so I know I could have figured out Sun Moon Lake by myself. The more accurate question is whether I ever would have bothered. Considering how many Taiwan trips I had already spent happily staying around Taipei, probably not.

Sun Moon Lake ended up becoming one of my favorite places I have visited in Taiwan.