Beyond Taipei’s vertiginous skyscrapers, curio-rich museums and the dizzying high-speed train from Hsinchu to Taichung that rockets past industrial towns to the heart of Nantou county, lies a lake that floats on clouds. Nestled amidst mountains, in a setting reminiscent of an oriental painting on rice paper, the lake is divided by Lalu island — the east shaped like the sun and the west, the moon. The shimmering waters murmur to the mountains and wooded paths that line it, while sunbeams, moonlight and clouds contend for dominion.
The Sun Moon Lake Scenic Area comprises five towns and many aboriginal villages. In this land of forgotten dynasties and hoary head-hunters, Taiwan’s Nationalist leader Chiang Kai Shek built the Ci En pagoda in memory of his mother, and spent his later years in these forests ancient as the hills in Xanadu. His stately house is now The Lalu hotel with luxurious rooms, but it is the more business-like Sun Moon Lake hotel, where I stay, with its Japanese-styled rooms and quiet verandahs, that opens the door to the lake’s varied moods, colours and pastimes.
Stopping by the woods...
The sky turns grey, vermilion and then cerulean when sunlight tinges the still waters gold. The refreshing scent of crushed lemongrass fills the air and the chiming of faraway temple bells is punctuated by the occasional bicycle bell. One of the best ways to discover the pristine woodlands around the lake is to set off on two wheels, through well laid-out paths. Ferns hang low over paved lanes and songbirds call from the trees. Fathers and daughters cycle on tandem bikes, old couples pedal slowly past and sportsmen bend their heads low to meet the wind as they slice through the Jiji green tunnel road that leads to the charming single-storey Japanese-era railway station built of cypress wood. The Toushe bikeway in the evenings leads to fields full of fireflies. There are also 14 trails that snake their way into the mountains and to the lake. From the Sonbulun trail through which the Tao people once travelled, the punishing Shuishe great mountain trail lined with moss, and the trails that climb through acres of bushes that yield Taiwan’s famed black tea, to the Hanbi trail with its vestiges of history, the pathways, some paved, some cut in stone, are filled with egrets, wild ducks and small creatures of the forest. Walkers and cyclists converge at the cantilever bridge that has lovely views for selfies and the red bridge hidden in a bamboo copse that’s popular for outdoor wedding shoots.
Make a wish
Shrouded in the misty air of the mountains are three temples, old and new, and a paper church that one must stop at. The grand, red-tiled Wenwu temple that lords over the lake is dedicated to the gods of war and literature and Confucius. Rebuilt in 1938 by the Japanese colonial government when the rising waters of the lake threatened to submerge it, the many-pillared temple has guardian lions. The Xuanzang temple that houses the remains of the 7th Century Buddhist monk who travelled to India, is perched on a hill accessed by steep wooden stairs. Monks meditate, practise tai-chi and wave joss sticks while visitors circle the dragon well for good luck. From the courtyard, the yachts that zip through the lake leaving trails of white froth seem like distant jets. At the Matchmaker Temple, pray for love.
The unusual Taomi church made of paper from Japan was built after the 921 earthquake of 1999.
Heritage hearths
Almost every town that adjoins the lake has a visitor centre, with the Xiangshan Visitor Center, perhaps being the most educative and entertaining. Designed by Japanese architect Dan Norihiko, the centre that fronts the lake has halls, an outdoor space for photo shoots, art galleries, souvenir shops and landscaped gardens that merge with the greenlands behind. The crowning glory, however, is the interactive museum that house centuries-old finds from the tribal way of life — costumes, customs and headgear — that bear a striking resemblance to the cultures of India’s Northeast.
In lake land
Travelling across the lake is done best on yachts. I slice through the lake in one that has a winged horse on its prow and pass others designed like pagodas and temples. Everywhere, excited children and adults in floppy hats wave and smile warmly. For a bird’s eye view of the lake, travel by cable car to the Aboriginal Village.
The waters also host the annual swim fest, a marathon around the lake, and a fireworks display during the mid-autumn festival. The Nantou train festival celebrates the heritage rail line, and the cherry blossom festival brings in droves of urbanites who come to gaze at the flowers. At the activity centres, try your hand at pottery made with Baixian clay or admire the work at the Shuili Snake Kiln, the oldest brick kiln in Taiwan .
A platter full
Fishing boats sit still in the waters. But their catch often finds its way to the tables at the numerous hotels and restaurants that dot the shores. At my hotel, there is fresh carp, sour sea cucumber, duck eggs, snow pears and blue jewel-like baby octopuses. The cuisine is whipped up from locally-sourced ingredients — berries from the forests, recipes from the tribes and a touch of zen from the lake. (For details, look up www.sunmoonlake.gov.tw)
(The writer was in Taiwan at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Republic of China.)
