NCNU Appreciation, Puli, Taiwan

Ahhh, the central mountains of Taiwan- this is where Alishan, Xueshan, and Sun Moon lake reside, where the air is fresh, and the mountains are covered with lush vegetation.  This is also the location of my school; that's right, I'm still in school, but hopefully not for too much longer since my oral defense is coming up in just a few months.

OK, so, this is mostly just a humblebrag post because I happen to go to school in one of the most beautiful places in the world (no joke- just look at some of my other posts for Sun Moon Lake and you'll see exactly what I mean).  In Kaohsiung, where I currently live and do research, the city is sandwiched with factory zones in the north (Nanzi- 楠梓) and south (Xiaogang- 小港） so the air chokes you to death daily.  In fact, after a brief hospital trip recently, doctors told me that my internal organs are swelling from exposure to the air and the only 'cure' is to leave.  No joke.  I have been declared allergic to Kaohsiung.  This means that my original plans to stay, find a job, and make some money here will have to be adjusted because I'm developing asthma from breathing this air.

Anywho, back to Nantou (南投) and the central mountain range.  Japanese tourists flock to climb Taiwan's mountains en mass over the weekends and long holidays.  In fact, we've heard plenty of tourists saying that they are 'collecting' Taiwanese mountains, or trying to climb as many as possible.  Taiwan has 100 mountains over 3000 meters so if you're here every weekend for two years, it's possible... but who really wants to fly all the way over here to climb a mountain?  Half of Japan.  Because they're THAT beautiful.  For serious.

So where does my school fit into this?  Well, my school is on a mountain in that central mountain range, believe it or not!  My campus used to be the site of an old sugar refinery, but the land was sold and my school was built atop it.  In the morning, we can see the sea of clouds on our way to morning classes, in the evening, you can watch the sunset over the mountains.  Sound good?  I bet it does!  In fact, for all the faults I've found with the school itself (and there are many, which may be the subject of another blog entry), there is absolutely nothing to fault with the campus itself; it's flawless.  Just inspiring landscapes, fresh rejuvenating air, and FLYING SNAKES!!!  No really, there are signs all over campus.  But even despite the snakes, it's a wonderful place to be.

Teaser 2: Relaxation along the banks of Sun Moon Lake, Nantou, Taiwan

日月潭： Sun Moon Lake

Sun Moon Lake at Sunrise

Sun moon lake is near and dear to my heart because I went to school just a few minutes away at National Chinan University or NCNU (國立暨南國際大學).  Although the area around the lake has become more and more developed in recent years and has definitely lost its wild beauty, the bike paths around the lake are a great way to take in the natural beauty without damaging the environment.  There are plenty of bike rentals around town, so I recommend picking one up and then busting a move out of town- town is where the buses, traffic, and smog are, and who needs that?

Wishes hung on the rail of a temple, Sun Moon Lake

Once on a bike and out of the tourist center of the city, the air will instantly improve and so will the views.  Taking the bike path along the lake's edge will yield gorgeous views of not just the massive lake, but also the surrounding mountains, brilliant green all year round.  In fact, much of the mountains surrounding the lake are farms- and the area is famous for its black teas (from Yuchi 魚池) and many kinds of mushrooms.  Once done with the biking, I highly recommend heading into town to the Agricultural Association's shop and buying some mushroom chips- they're absolutely delicious (last time I went, we bought 10 bags of them, meaning to give them to friends and family... but Jenny and I ended up eating ALL of them!  That's how good they are!).

View from the temple at one of the ferry's stops

Another fun lake-exploring activity, if you have the time, is taking one of the ferries across the lake to one of its numerous stops on the far side of the lake.  These stops have their own interesting sights, such as temples, and come complete with the usual tourist shops.  A ride on one of these ferries will give you a unique view of the lake and take you to more out of the way spots in less time, but it comes at the expense of your nose, since the boats run mostly on smokey diesel gas and there's a fee (which I can't remember!).  To take one of these boats, just head down to the lake-front area and follow the stairs down to the dock, here there will be tons of boats waiting to pack on the tourists.  It is also possible to buy a ticket before you head down, but in my experience it's better to head directly to the dock.

Although I haven't been yet, one of the biggest draws to Sun Moon Lake is the cable car on the far end.  Everyone I've spoken to has said it's absolutely amazing, and you can get some pretty great pictures, especially if you can get yourself on during/near sunset.  For an awesome look at the cable car trip, have a look at this youtube video that chronicles the journey up and over the mountain and into the Aboriginal Cultural Village.

Yearly lake swim with floaties!

One final note on Sun Moon Lake is that it is illegal to enter the water for any reason.  The purpose of this law is to protect Aboriginal fishing rights on the lake, and prevent the water from becoming polluted (think of all the sunscreen that would end up in the lake!  Yuck!).  So, if you visit, please don't try to throw yourself into the water!

There is only one day a year that swimming is allowed on the lake, and you must register to take part in the cross-lake swim.  Usually the swim is held on the first weekend of September, but because you don't necessarily need to know how to swim to take part (floaties are mandatory), it isn't the most pleasant experience and it's not unusual for at least one person to die (this doesn't necessarily have to do with the person's swimming ability as it's common for people to get kicked in the face by oblivious swimmers!).  If you're planning to enroll, try to get the DL on when most swimmers head out, and try to go at the tail end of a shift, otherwise you could find yourself kicked and prodded by non-swimmers!

All in all, Sun Moon Lake is absolutely gorgeous, and if you have the time I definitely recommend heading out there for a day trip (if not longer).  It's just an hour away by bus from Taichung (there are direct buses from Taichung City/台中 and its HSR station), and with the high speed train (HSR) it's pretty convenient even if you're coming up from Kaohsiung or down from Taipei.  I highly recommend a trip to the lake, but maybe not a trip to participate in the annual swim- it's just too congested with human traffic for my taste!