ASIAN TRAVELING

      I admit that I was already really, really tired that afternoon after riding the Ropeway.  I haven't slept the night before as I went straight from the airport to the hostel, then from the hostel to the train station going to Taichung and eventually, to Sun Moon Lake.  I returned to Shueishe Visitor's Center a few minutes before 3 p.m.; the Kuo Kuang bus to Taipei would leave at 4:20 p.m.  So, I still had at least 1.5 hours left before I finally depart.  I could have gone to see the Wenwu Temple, which the bus passed by going to the visitor's center, but I was really tired.  I had very little energy left.  I decided to just stroll along the Shueishe Pier and found treats along the way.

Shueishe Visitor's Center.

     I revisited Shueishe Pier and there were more people now than a few hours before.  I strolled along the boardwalk and went up the stone stairs where I saw people climbing down.  It was a good decision because the view up was amazing, plus the lattice woodwork looked romantic and charming; perfect for a cup of coffee.  But I didn't sit; neither did I buy coffee.  I continued to walk until I reached a huge parking lot where most tourist buses park.  Along the way, I saw several cafes.  I was so tempted to just sit down, sip coffee and enjoy the view.  But I didn't.

     A walked around the area twice because I had that plenty of time to burn.  I returned to a small shop where the enticing aroma of tea and waffles waft the air.  Apparently, it's a tea egg roll shop.  I tasted a sample and I fell in love with the taste.  I bought a pack to bring back to the Philippines.  Just beside the tea roll shop was an iced tea shop.  I bought an iced green tea, without sugar.  It was slightly bitter but very delicious.   Yum yum.

Sun Moon Lake Assam Black Tea Egg Rolls.

 The tea stall beside the egg roll stall.

     Before I forget, let me tell you that the bus ticket will have a seat number.  So, before you take a seat, check whether its your seat, okay?   

     And another tip.  There's a new visitor's center called, Xiangshan Visitor's Center.  It's very ultra chic, very modern.  The building itself is a marvel.  Very artistic.  A masterpiece.  I wanted to go there.  The Shueishe Visitor's Center staff told me that I need to board a bus which passes there.  You can ride the bus for free but it only passes by on certain hours of the day.  To see how the building looks, click HERE.  For bus service hours, click HERE.  I was supposed to go there but I forgot all about it because you need to ride a different bus.

     Do check out this official website of Nantou County Government - Tour Taiwan HERE.  It has links to everything you might ever need from Sun Moon Lake B&B information to transportation planning.

 This is the around-the-lake shuttle bus.

     After much debate with myself (I was alone, remember?), I pushed through with my plan to ride the Sun Moon Lake Ropeway, although I very much wanted to just stay at the Full House Resort and chill.  

     Finding the Ropeway is quite easy, but getting there takes a lot of steps.  650 meters seem near but quite far with the hiking/walking trail.  At least, the view is great.  Along the way, I passed by another lodging similar to the log cabin look of the Full House Resort.  It's called the Rich Forest, mere seconds from the Full House Resort.  Then, there are some food stalls and a couple of very quaint, very charming coffee shops.  Not long thereafter, I reached the start of a trail leading to the Ropeway.  The trail is well-maintained; it would be the perfect place for a great jog or walk.  It is near the water's edge but not too much.  There were not a lot of people around.  Just a couple of passersby, like me.  

 

     Of course, I just took a leisurely walk.  Since I made a detour at the Full House Resort, going to the Ci En Pagoda didn't seem feasible given the time.  I mean, I still have to hike to reach the pagoda.  So, I was just content to take pictures of the surroundings.

     There were some markers along the way explaining the Ita Thao way of life, and also, there's a sort of fishing place at the back of the Ropeway building.  Also, I noticed that you could camp out near the trails.  There was a worker sleeping under the shade and I saw a camping tent set up not far from the sleeping man.

     Finally, I reached the Ropeway!  I queued and then I climbed to the topmost floor to board the cable car.  I was jittery with excitement and fear!

     To my surprise, the cable ride was calm and not-so-scary; but the ascent and descent were steep.  Also, I got a car all to myself.  I think the whole ride lasted for less than 7 minutes.  From the cable car, I could clearly almost the entirety of the lake, and it was so breathtaking.  It was pretty hazy, though, but the haze could not hide the beauty of the lake and of the surrounding mountains.  It was worth the ride, and of course, the hike.

     Since I didn't have a ticket to the FACV, I immediately took a cable car ride back to the Ropeway building (Ita Thao station).  This time around, I was forced to take a cable car with a family of 4 (parents and 2 small kids).  The kids are so cute, and the couple knows how to speak English.  They even took my picture.  

    

      Here's a short video I took during my Ropeway ride:

     After the ride, I went down to the lobby to browse the items on sale.  I think the stuff there are cheap.  I bought Sun Moon Lake playing cards for NTD 30.00 and pencils with animal decor on one end for just about the same price.  I went to Ximending the following day and similar items cost way more than at the Ropeway, almost double the price I paid for each item.

     It was finally time to head back to the Shueishe Visitor's Center.  I still didn't have a ticket going back to Taipei because I was still undecided what time I should leave.  But I made up my mind that I want to just take the bus going back to Taipei instead of the Taiwan High Speed Railway because I want to be able to rest.  If I take the THSR, I'd probably stay awake for fear of missing my destination.

     So, I waited for the round-the-lake bus and I returned to the Shueishe Visitor's Center to buy my Kuo Kuang bus ticket going back to Taipei.