A pleasent weekend.

The weather this past wekend was actually quite nice, so Rebecca and I took a trip to Sun Moon Lake. The lake is deep in the mountains about three hours south of Taipei, so we actually had to start the day at the crack of dawn. However, three hours on the bus is plenty of time to catch up on missed sleep, so by the time we got to the resort, we both were relatively fresh.

The Sun Moon Lake Resort is actually two seperate parks. One part is a touristy aborignal theme park complete with sculpted gardens, "traditonal" dance performances, and a rollercoaster. Rebecca and I watched a few of the performances, had some food and wandered around the park (quite beautiful despite the touristy feel). We wanted to ride the rollercoaster, but the lockers they had to store your stuff were to small for my backpack, so we had to skip it.

To get to Sun Moon Lake, which is, according to the guide books, a favorite honeymoon spot for Taiwanese newlyweds, you have to take two seperate gondolas up and over the mountain the park is on. As you crest the peak, you are greeted with an absolutely stunning view: a crystal blue lake set deep in the mountains. Rebecca said the there are actually two lakes up there but we could only see the one in the time that we had. Regardless, the view from the gondolas was worth the trip all by itself. Once we got down the mountain, we had a cup of coffee on an outside deck overlooking the lake.

After that, it was time to get back on the bus for the long trip home. This was the only dim part of the trip because traffic on the way back turned a three hour bus trip into a five hour trip. That aside, it was a great way to spend a sunny day in Taiwan.