Greetings and salutations from Tainan! Thank you for making the choice to join me for another week of adventure in Taiwan. I feel blessed to have your company!
I've thoroughly enjoyed my time in Taiwan to date. While English is less widely spoken, patience and resourcefulness is the order of the day. I can feel how people want to help out. For example, a couple noticed I was having difficulty finding the access point for the walkway over the train tracks in Chaiyi. They patiently used hand gestures and their limited English skills to indicate the stairs were accessible from the train platform. I took their instructions and successfully made my way across.
Heartfelt thanks to all the Taiwanese people who have offered their assistance, like in the example above, in my journey. I mentioned last week the advice I had received from the young man who helped me with my Taichung bus ride. He reassured me that I would get help from his fellow citizens in the days ahead. He was so right. I had help booking my bus tickets at the Chinese language Family Market ticket machines, both in Taichung and Chaiyi. In both instances, someone suddenly appeared to offer me assistance in navigating the screens to book the rides I wanted. I met Zoe at the hotel reception who guided me to St. Paul's Bakery - what a special gift that was! You'll meet Joyce, Jason, Jessica and her daughter Chloe in this week's blog.
I had an important conversation this past week about life expectancy, more specifically, my life expectancy. Apparently, based on the annuity tables, I have about 17 years left to live. You can always give or take a few month/years based on a range of variables. This conversation triggered a broad spectrum of thoughts ultimately reinforcing my focus on enjoying each and every moment, here and now. Once I got over myself, I reflected more broadly on how blessed I've been to enjoy the longevity I've already experienced. If you click this Life Expectancy by Country link, you'll learn how your life expectancy compares with other people around the world. The simple fact I can consider having the potential for another 17 wonderful years is a blessing to be grateful for - every day!
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Thank you to the universe for Taiwan stores
stocking my favourite biscuit! |
I've noticed my desire in the past several weeks to 'linger' in different places to enjoy the amazing experience I'm having. I've found there is a combination of people and location that amplifies this desire. A recent example, from this week's travel, is wanting to spend more time in Sun Moon Lake. There was something magical about where I was staying, the beautiful surroundings I was in, and the fun I had at a local restaurant where one employee had spent a little extra time with me to order and pay for my food. I mention this 'out loud' as my desire to linger is a contradiction in my belief that all I really have is what I am experiencing in the present moment. It would be extraordinary to take this amazing experience in the moment and make it last longer.
What a great weather for the past week, except for the all day rain on Sunday. The temperature continues to be the low 30's with feeling more like high 30's once the humidity is factored in. A combination of sunny skies with passing clouds to provide relief from the direct sunlight!
My ongoing apologies for the blog's occasional erratic photo placement. I have limited tools for photo placement and those tools seem to have mind of their own at times.
May the universe bring endless blessings and moments of magic 🦄 to you and your loved ones in the week ahead. 🙏
Travel Administration
This week's travel tip is a reminder to have your accommodation details, in the local language, with you as you roam about in your current destination.
Travel Maps
My week started in Taichung and the week wound up in Tainan, the former capital, after visiting Sun Moon Lake, Alishan National Recreation Area and Chiayi.
Taiwan: May 11 to May 17, 2025
Sun Moon Lake (SML)
I booked a two night stay in Sun Moon Lake to ensure I had at least one full day to explore. I stayed in the small town of Shuishe which ends up being the SML bus stop destination. There is a second community, Ita Thau on the opposite side of the lake, that also has accommodations, shopping and restaurants.
Just a heads up if your plans to visit the area include cycling, which is a heavily promoted activity. SML is a mountainous area so, depending on your personal fitness level, you may want to consider an ebike! 😁 In retrospect, I enjoyed the area's vibe so much, that I might have booked an additional night.
The other key tidbit of information if you are taking the bus from SML to Alishan National Recreation Area, it is highly recommended you reserve a seat on the bus. The reservation process is somewhat informal. You complete a word document form (name, email address, number of seats and departure date), attach the from in an email to a bus company and the company sends a response, if seats are available, with your seat number. You pay once you board the bus.
I decided to purchase a one day ticket on the round-the-lake bus with the idea of jumping on and off throughout the day. The bus route is just half way around the lake, limited to where most of the tourist destinations are found. My master travel plan was thwarted when the 3 pm departure (hourly departures) was unexpectedly cancelled for the day. Unfortunately, I missed a couple stops I had planned. The unexpected cancellation also provoked me to reconfirm that the last bus of the day was running as that might have been my only way to return.
Road Trip From Taichung
The bus trip from Taichung High Speed Rail station to Sun Moon Lake, a 75 minute ride, had an interesting start. After checking with the bus ticket desk (no reservation this time), I joined a long queue that I thought was forming to take the next bus to SML (multiple bus/day). When a bus appeared at 11:40 am, a bus company employee started canvassing the queue for Sun Moon Lake passengers. I was directed to take my luggage to the bus, ahead of everyone else, and take a seat on the bus (along with perhaps only ten other people). Somewhat mystified why so few people from the queue got on this bus, I reeonfirmed with another passenger that our destination was SML. I also periodically checked Google Maps for the first 30 minutes to confirm the bus was heading in the right direction. Whew! It was.
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| Our almost empty bus |
Lakeside Walk
After receiving the gift of an early check in to my homestay room, I decided to go for a short walk on the lakeside boardwalk which was five minutes from my homestay. I ended up getting a little distracted with the beauty and ended up walking to Wenwu Temple, about 3.4 km (just over 2 mi) one way.
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| Shuishe Pier |
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| Shuishe Pier - short boat ride to Ita Thau |
This temple has an interesting history that you can read about if you click the link in the above section header. In the temple's earlier days, the only way to gain access was to walk up the steep 366 steps (a step for each day of the year) from the lake. The round the lake road has made visiting the temple a much easier adventure. The temple is a magnificent place to visit with great halls built into the hillside. There are great lake views from the temple's highest point. The temple is also a desirable location to experience the sun setting.
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| Walkway leading to Temple stairway |
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| Steps looking down |
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| Steps looking up |
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| Vermillion stone lion - one on each side |
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Sun Moon Lake Recreation
Area map |
This seven minute gondola ride gives you a brief panoramic view of SML. Be aware, unlike so many gondola rides that leave you at a higher elevation than the base station, this destination station is nestled in a valley lacking any scenic views. The end station is colocated with the Aboriginal Village and amusement park. I fortuitously bought a combination ticket that included entrance to the village and amusement park.
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| Lakeside gondola base station |
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| Gondola base station |
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| SML |
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| SML |
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| SML |
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| SML |
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| Returning to base station |
Welcome to the Culture Village. The government has created this village to share aboriginal information and artifacts. I've included a few photos from my walkabout should you have a greater interest in this type of history. I found the experience almost clinical in how the information was presented and the various displays were set up along the path. You should be prepared for the walk uphill after visiting the Village as it is built on a hillside below the gondola.
A visit highlight, which I forgot to record, was having a first-hand experience with an indigenous weaving loom. My experience suggests I should avoid weaving as a career choice as it requires continuous attention to minute detail. Ugh!
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| Village entrance |
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| Village entrance |
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| Totem |
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| Totem |
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| More totems |
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| Local aboriginal trive |
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| Village & park map |
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| More info |
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| Aboriginal tribe |
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| More info |
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| Info on rock carvings - see video for carvings |
Amusement Park
The amusement park is located at the base of the mountainside. Great place if you enjoy rollercoasters, rides on watercraft where you get totally drenched and lots of food options. A second gondola is available, near the Ropeway Gondola terminal station, to whisk you directly to amusement park (and avoiding the Village experience).
There were sooo many school age children, in their school uniforms, riding the gondola and enjoying the amusement park. Funny how I missed seeing them in the Village.
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| Skyline Gondola view |
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| Mountain view |
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Returning to Skyline terminal
- upper elevation |
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Fascinating to see the kids'
faces after the drop! |
This temple, which was the last stop on the bus route, was my last destination for the day. This is the smaller of the two temples that are associated. If I had more time, and the commitment to hike one km uphill to the main temple (
Xuanzang Temple), you would be enjoying additional photos of another magnificent temple. I'll need to leave you in the hands of those photographers who enjoyed the joy of visiting this temple!
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| View from temple |
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| View from temple |
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| View with the sun |
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| And so ends a beautiful day! |
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| Obligatory Tea Egg at the temple - Delicious! |
I had the most extraordinary two nights at this homestay. I felt like I was embraced as a long lost friend even before I checked in. I also felt that I was exactly where I should be at this point in time in my life adventure - if that makes sense for you! I received texts to welcome me along with detailed instructions on how to find the location - both from the bus stop and if I was driving.
Then, I met both Joyce and Amanda upon checking in. Amanda, who is Joyce's mother, owns the homestay that bears her family name. Joyce, who is 26 years young with great English language skills, truly understands an exceptional customer experience. While my Booking.com reservation excluded breakfast, I received the gift of daily, home cooked, breakfast along with a hand written note from Joyce on each day. My Day 2 breakfast including extra food for my lunch given the three hour bus ride to Alishan. Joyce and Amanda wanted to ensure I was well nourished. My Day 2 breakfast was prepared 30 minutes earlier than usual because they wanted me to have sufficient time to eat before my bus departed at 8 am. Talk about being made to feel special.
The added hospitality that was extended to guests was a treat area by reception that included biscuits, sodas, and a variety of small packaged snacks. Coffee, tea, and sundry items that a traveler may need were also available. Joyce and Amanda had thought of everything. I also found the additional signage they posted in English/Chinese helpful in using the homestay facilities.
I left two gifts with my hosts. I left my copy of the
Tao De Ching, which I carry with me throughout my travels, with Joyce. A gift from my heart. Joyce graciously accepted my gift mentioning that the book would help her strengthen her English. I left one of my two beautiful Karbi scarves for Amanda. Red is such a powerful colour in the Chinese culture. Just felt right!
I left the homestay wishing I had booked an additional night. How blessed I continue to be in this adventure!
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| Making it easy to find the homestay entrance |
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| Home stay entrance |
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| Joyce and Amanda with my gifts |
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| Treats area |
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| Fridge and water cooler on each floor |
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| Coin operated washing machine |
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| Common area on 6th floor |
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| Balcony view |
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| My room |
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| Looking towards balcony |
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| Eating are |
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| Eating area |
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| Terrace eating area |
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| Terrace view |
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| Terrace view |
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| Day 2 breakfast |
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Chinese pancake with
Joyce's note |
Sun Moon Lake to Chaiyi
My next destination was Chaiyi via Alishan. My master plan was using Chaiyi for my base to do a day trip to Alishan National Recreation Area. I was unhappy with my accommodation options in Alishan. I had also been considering the train ride from Chaiyi to the Recreation Area.
Road Trip to Alishan
The three hour bus ride to the Alishan bus station was on a road that snaked through the most beautiful mountainous vistas. The ride was interrupted by everyone's phone sounding an earthquake alert. Thankfully the 4.5 magnitude earthquake, with the epicenter south of Chaiyi, was a non-event for our ride.
I had the delight of meeting brothers Ben and Jacob, from the Santa Barbara area in South California on the bus. Ben was traveling for four months with the blessing of having traveling time with his finance (six weeks in New Zealand), his mother (two weeks in Tasmania) and now Jacob (two weeks in Taiwan). The father was looking for two weeks with Ben as he was feeling left out. I spent most of my time talking with Jacob, who was sitting next to me. Jacob was a manager of ceramics creative space in the Santa Barbara area for the last five years - his first real job. Jacob had great questions about my work experience as he had a future interest in working on his own. We said our good byes at the Alishan bus station. The brothers were saved from my offer of receiving the link to my blog. 😃
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| Trying to capture the road across the valley |
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| Earthquake alert |
Taiwan Earthquake News Story
Alishan Bus Station Layover
I enjoyed a 90 minute layover in Alishan before catching my second two hour bus ride to reach Chaiyi. I had a chance to take a few photos and stretch my legs. We spent about 90 minutes during the second bus ride driving downhill, on a very windy road, as we were descending from 2200 m (7200 ft) to sea level.
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| Info board on vista |
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| Recreation Area map |
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| Mountain vista |
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| Mountain vista |
Chaiyi
I spent three nights in Chaiyi so I would have a little flexibility for my Alishan Forest Recreation Area day trip should there be a weather issue. I was also debating taking the Alishan Forest Railway train which I ultimately decided to omit (more details below). With the train ride off the plan, I spent a few hours exploring a few Chaiyi tourist destinations that were within walking distance (up to 10 km round trip is my typical limit, especially in hot and humid weather).
My hotel was a convenient ten minute walk from the train station where I could also board the bus for my Alishan day trip.
With the help of the hotel staff, I discovered St. Paul's Bakery, an oasis of bakery delights that was a five minute walk away. In my first of three visits, I met Jess and her seven year old daughter Chloe. I would swear that Chloe spoke English with a North American accent. Chloe certainly had much to share about what was going on at school. She was the one who volunteered her mother's name. I ended up purchasing one bakery item based on Jess' recommendation. Jess also suggested that I visit Hinoki Village (more details below). She mentioned that if I was in the city over the weekend, I would have a chance to ride in a train carriage made from the hinoki (cypress) wood. What an extraordinary gift of hospitality to receive. The store staff were equally engaging and sweet. What we lacked in the ability to share through speaking was made up in kindness in gestures and smiles.
Night Market
The only evidence I visited the Chaiyi night market near my hotel is the photo below. Night markets are fairly similar, the biggest difference is how many people are out and about on any given evening. I ended up finding a place serving deep fried tofu. I was also interested in having noodles which the vendor declined to let me buy. He indicated, using his hands and facial expression, that the broth the noodles were served in was way too spicy for me. Thank goodness for responsible vendors!
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| Deep fried tofu |
So, there is this tile museum that I included on my walking route. I missed the museum's non-descript entrance so I had a little backtracking to do - with many thanks to Google Maps for its help. While tiles rank fairly low on my interest scale, I let my curiousity guide me to spend 100 TWD (about $4.50 CDN) to pay a visit. You'll notice my fascination with peacocks in the photos below. The visit was a good break from the hot and humid day!
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| A wall of tiles |
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| More tiles |
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Peacocks were my day's
fascination |
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| Interesting level of detail |
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| More peacocks |
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| Telling a story |
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| Another story to be shared |
Jessica, the local resident I met in St. Paul's bakery the previous afternoon, suggested visiting Hinoki Village. The Village background as a tourist destination is:
'Hinoki Village (aka Cypress Forest Life Village 檜意森活村 Guìyì sēnhuó cūn) is the largest group of Japanese era buildings in Taiwan, with over 30 restored era wooden structures. Located in Chiayi City, it is a remnant of the logging industry that existed in Chiayi during the Japanese era.'
What I experienced, when I visited, was a whole bunch of retail stores in the restored wooden structures hence my lack of interest in taking photos. I'm including this information as I suspect anyone with a keen interest in these buildings built with cypress wood would enjoy themselves immensely.
This art museum was an unexpected gift in my Chaiyi visit. I stopped in mainly because of its proximity to my hotel. What a fabulous space! I loved the art on display, the background information included to introduce the displays and the whole vibe that had been created throughout this building.
I'm sharing the series of photos I took during my stay. I included the information card for each piece of art should you want the additional information. You'll notice, in some instances, I needed two separate photos given the painting's size. The video clip captures a piece of art that involves moving parts. It was an interesting experience to watch.
I also spent time in a special display area dedicated to Hiroshima that was in the process of being set up. Heaven forbid we ever do down that road again!
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| Museum exterior and entrance |
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Art installment featuring
upcoming art festivel |
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Love the open space and
wooden features |
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| Artist bio |
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| Artist bio |
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| Artist bio |
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| Background info |
Baseball in Taiwan
My unsuccessful search for a noodle shop recommended by my hotel resulted in me receiving two gifts from the universe. The first gift was meeting Jason at the restaurant I stopped at after learning that the noodle shop was closed. Jason had spent two years in downtown Toronto studying at the University of Toronto's Rotman Business School for two years (followed by two years remotely courtesy of COVID). Jason helped me with ordering my meal. He also shared he loved baseball and was a Blue Jays baseball team fan. With Jason's help, I may be attending my first baseball game in Taiwan on May 21 in Kaohsuing, my next destination. He used Google Maps to identify where the baseball stadium is in Kaohsuing. I also have more detailed information about the baseball schedule. My plan is to share this information with the hotel team to enlist their help in getting tickets and getting to the game.
Jason was very kind and thoughtful in sharing his contact information should I have any questions or require his assistance during my visit. In exchange to this act of kindness, I shared the link to my blog.
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| Jason's restaurant |
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Baseball schedule with
Kaohsuing game listed |
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Kaohsuing Baseball Stadium
location |
I made a day trip from Chiayi to enjoy the Recreation Area I had had a short layover between buses on my way from Sun Moon Lake to Chiayi two days earlier. Alishan is in a mountainous region with an average elevation of 2,200m (7,200 ft). Brief summary - it's a gorgeous area well worth visiting.
'Alishan National Forest Recreation Area, with its forest railways, Sacred Trees, sea of clouds, sunrise, and cherry blossoms, is the most famous and popular forest recreational area in Taiwan.'
I omitted a couple recommended activities from my Alishan itinerary -
Alishan Forest Railway ride from Chiayi and experiencing its famous sunrise. The train leaves Chiayi at 10 am arriving in Alishan at 3 pm with the return trip scheduled for 11 am on the following morning thereby requiring an overnight stay. You could experience the sunrise if you took the train trip, however, you'd need to stay an additional night if you wanted to visit the Recreation Area. I was willing to forego the sunrise experience as I've been blessed to experience sunrises at higher elevations previously - Mount Bromo sunrise (Java), the Sri Pada sunrise in Sri Lanka and sunrise from Mount Haleakalā in Maui. That said, I count myself incredibly blessed if I witness daylight every morning!🙏
The recreation area is a masterfully designed to encourage the maximum number of people (excluding anyone with serious mobility restrictions) to enjoy the area's natural beauty. The walkways between points of interest are a combination of paved, stone or concrete slabs and wooden boardwalks. Please note, in being a mountainous region, there is changes in elevation through the walk meaning there are sooo many steps going up and down. Yes, you get great exercise while enjoying Mother Nature's beauty!
I had the gift of meeting a couple local people during my visit. Mino, who worked in the Visitor Centre, was the kindest and most gracious person you could ask for in providing information and suggestions for exploring the area. Her personable approach has created this lasting memory.
I decided to head in the direction of the Sister Ponds as they were at a higher elevation. I also had an initial thought of hiking to the Tashan viewpoint, however, reality set in very quickly when I started up the path. I was easily dissuaded by the extra two hours hiking in combination with the walkway's steep climb. I further rationalized my decision with the threat of getting caught in the forecast for rain later in the day.
The second person I met, who's name I'm unable to recreate, was someone I kept intersecting with throughout my walking. I ran into him around noon while he was sitting down enjoying lunch. I motioned, as we were both language impaired, he seemed to be enjoying what he was eating. He then offered me a slice of the bread he was enjoying. After initially declining his offer, I decided to graciously accept his offer and sit with him to enjoy what he had offered. We managed to have a simple conversation through the gift of Google Translate. He was on a day trip from Kaohsiung, my next destination.
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| Recreation Area map |
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| Younger Sister Pond |
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| Elder Sister Pond |
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| Elder Sister Pond - capturing reflections |
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| Elder Sister Pond - capturing reflections |
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| Elder Sister Pond - capturing reflections |
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| What animal do you think this is? |
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Trees only found in
three SE Asian countries |
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| Enjoy the peaceful forest |
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| Shouzhen Temple |
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| Clouds in the trees |
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| Shenyi Waterfall |
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| Sacred Tree |
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| Thousand year tree |
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| Dr. Kawai Memorial Monument |
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| More about Dr. Kawai |
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| Elephant Trunk tree |
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| 3 generation tree |
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My newest BFF from
Kaohsiung |
Train to Tainan
I was blessed to have an uneventful 45 minute train ride from Chiayi to Tainan. Most trains running south on Saturday morning were delayed so my biggest adventure was that my wait (in very humid weather) for the train was longer than the train ride.
BTW - I've defaulted to traveling on the 'regular' train network instead of the High Speed Train (HSR) train. The primary reason is most HSR stations are inconveniently located outside the city core so any time saved on the train trip is expended in getting to my intended destination. For context, the physical distance from Taipei (HSR terminus) to Kaohsiung (HSR terminal) is 347 km (~216 mi).
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| Chiayi Train Station |
Many thanks to my good friend (and
entrepreneur - please check out his company website) Samuel for suggesting this stop for my Taiwan adventure.
Tainan is the oldest city on the island and commonly called the "prefectural capital" for its over 260-year history as the capital of Taiwan under the Dutch rule, the Kingdom of Tungning and later Qing dynasty rule until 1887. Tainan's complex history of comebacks, redefinitions and renewals inspired its popular nickname "the Phoenix City".
Snail Alley is a quiet alleyway in the West Central District of Tainan City. The alley is a tribute to local writer Yeh Shih Tao, to whom the nearby museum is dedicated. He lived on this street before his death in 2008. In Yeh's book The Past is Like a Cloud he refers to a "Snail Street" in the neighbourhood. Enjoy how the local residents and businesses have brought this simple reference to life in their own way. If you build it (and market it), the visitors will come!
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| An alley entrance |
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Snails in every colour
and demeanor |
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| Cats who felt left out |
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| More cats |
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| Snail Alley souvenirs |
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| Even a restaurant in the snail's honour |
'After the Dutch built Fort Zeelandia in Anping in 1624, they decided to build a political and economic center Provintia (today’s Chihkan Tower) across the Taijian (called Chihkan by local plain indigenous peoples in that time) for the geopolitical reason in 1652. The Dutch also developed Chihkan Street (Rua Provintia) to start the commercial history of busy business in Tainan.'
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| Entrance info |
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| Constantly under repair |
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| More facts |
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| More facts |
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| If you want to know more... |
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| Temple |
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| Original site model |
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| Original site model |
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| 2nd floor temple |
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| Various stone tablets from the original build |
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| Interesting artwork |
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Dragon-headed Bixis
(stone turtle sculptures) |
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'Turtle tablets' recording the
Lin Shuang Wen Incident |
Shennong Street (神農街) was the entrance to the Tainan Five Channels area important river ports from the Qing Dynasty. Merchants at the time would all enter Tainan through this street, making it the busiest district. Times have changed. The street has become a hub of culture creation and art distribution in recent years, and it’s now a mecca for young art enthusiasts in Tainan. Ensure you check out the shops when you visit - unlike me who just strolled the street.
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| West street entrance |
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| Looking south from entrance |
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| The Colonel is everywhere |
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| Shilin Shennong Temple |
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| Temple upclose |
Travel Administration
A key piece of information you want to carry with you is the accommodation location/contact details in both English and the locally spoken language. You do want to account for the situation where the person giving you a ride is non-English speaking and may also be unfamiliar with Google Maps (which may be in English). I have a number of local drivers who were unfamiliar with Google Maps and had to rely on others to provide directions. A recent recollection about reading about a Hong Kong hotel ensuring its guests have this information triggered this advice. Sometimes, the biggest challenge about sharing travel advice, is identifying those activities that have become second nature in my travels!
Next Week
I'll be reaching the most southerly point, Hengchun, in my Taiwan travels by the end of next week. I'll have a three night stay in Kaohsiung followed by a three night stay just outside Hengchun. I'm looking to attend a baseball game in Kaohsiung as well as visit the Fo Guang Shan Temple complex. Kenting National Park is on my radar to visit while in Hengchun.
'See you' next week! Stay happy and healthy!
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