By Leo R. Maliksi /Taiwan news, Staff Writer
The first time I went to Sun Moon Lake was on a hot September evening. We left Taipei at 7:30 pm and arrived at our destination close to midnight. Traveling by tourist bus with a church group whose idea of fun was simply to stay up all night talking was not exactly my idea of a restful vacation. "You have to meet everyone," my friend and host insisted as I settled into a comfortable nook in the thirty-seat bus, and he, a businessman, showed what it meant to network within that small community united by a need to seek a weekend solace by the lake.
I don't remember having met a more fun-loving group even though it was a sleepless ride of songs, laughter and loud conversation. "This is the way they rest?" I told myself.
It was the build-up to a unique experience, the intense workout that inevitably leads to total appeasement of the nerves, to relaxation of taut muscles.
Waking up the next morning, and taking an early stroll along the shore, I could hear the solemn
sound of the Syuanguang Temple bell calling
those who would respond, to early meditation.
Walking along the Shueishe Lakeside Trail drains away any work tension you may have brought with you to this haven of serenity. You feel yourself immersed in the soothing awareness of trees, birds, the mist that surrounds you and the rising sun that paints the scenery orange, red and gold.
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At Sun Moon Lake the rising sun paints
the scenery orange, red and gold./Photo
courtesy of Tourism Bureau |
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Tree green is not the only color that surrounds the trail. I saw a cicada whose brownish color blended with the tree branch it sat on. A bright green larva sat on another branch and an orange beetle enjoyed its lunch of leaves.
Tasting the water
What did my vivacious new friends have in mind next, I wondered as I made my way back to our lodging. It was breakfast time and I relished the congee with ground pork, peanuts and something quite distinct from the toasted bread and ham I had gotten used to-lake shrimp! It was delicious. "This came from the lake," my friend said.
I felt that breakfast was too fast-and too little! But I understood later why. Our hosts had scheduled boat rides for all fifty participants to the weekend excursion. We paraded to floating docks with wooden floor panels and metal handrails. More than twenty boats were tied to them. But before setting our feet on the dock, our guide gave out life vests. "The lake is thirty meters deep," he said, "so you will need these in case your boat capsizes."
They divided us into groups of three and told us which boat to ride. I strapped my life vest on and stepped into one of the metallic boats. It swayed with my every step. I sat in the middle and two women each sat on the prow and stern. We paddled away and felt the cool breeze on our faces and bodies. It was wonderful! We had rowed around 600 meters from the dock when our guide riding on one of the boats called for everyone to row back.
About a hundred meters from the docks, I saw our guide plunge into the lake fully clothed without any life vest. He swam to one of the boats and rocked with all his might. The boat turned over, its riders thrown into the lake. He swam to the next one and rocked. The still air had been pierced by a mixture of screams and guffaws. By this time, other men had dived in to overturn other boats. Someone swam to our starboard, grabbed the frame and brought us all into the water. "I can't swim! I can't swim!" I heard one of the women cry about two meters away from me. I grabbed her hand and led her back to the dock.
It was the ice breaker they prepared for us, a few minutes of ecstatic fun that made us relish even more such a great weekend on Sun Moon Lake. |
