Taiwan Sun Moon Lake 16 Apr 2008

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Though not fully recovered from our Yushan trek, we decided to push off early, at 8 a.m. from Dongpu towards Taroko as we had a long journey ahead of us. The journey took us through the scenic Sun Moon Lake and Wuling of HeHuanshan.

The massive turquoise Sun Moon Lake (reservoir) looked stunning especially when set against a backdrop of green forested mountains. The lake got its name from its shape, which resembles the northern Chinese symbol for 'sun' and the southern Chinese symbol for 'moon.' This popular vacation spot is famed for its idyllic and peaceful atmosphere.

Wuling, at 3,275 meter altitude, is the highest public road accessible point on the island of Taiwan.The road leading up to Wuling is narrow and winding throughout. Our bus driver cum owner, Mr Chen Yu Yi had to resort to his bus walkie-talkie to gauge the traffic flow and conditions. Inevitably, our bus had to stop on many occasions to allow oncoming traffic to pass by. When we arrived at Wuling, the weather had turned for the worse. Our hope for a 15 minutes trek up to Hehuanshan’s Main Peak (altitude: 3,416m), mere 150 meter in net elevation, was dashed by the rain and strong cold winds. We were however blessed with a view of a beautiful rainbow against the Hehuanshan mountain range. Somehow, the alpine mountain scene appeared extra alluring in the mists.

For the photographs, please refer to http://happytrekker.shutterfly.com/pictures/2361.

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