Last week my fri
ends took Ruben and I on a fabulous trip to see some very special parts of central Taiwan. It is important to remember that Taiwan is quite small. 3 1/2 Taiwans can fit inside of Pennsylvania! So it is possible to drive around Taiwan in just one day, and with their fabulous high speed train, you could probably see the country in half a day! But there is so much to see and the weather and terrain change drastically from 12,000 foot high mountains to planes and oceans. It is a stunningly beautiful country and it is no wonder that it was given the name, Formosa (beautiful island) by a Spaniard who caught a glimpse of the isle from his ship.
Our first stop was Sitou Forest which is an experimental forest operated by the College of Bio Resources and Agriculture of the National Taiwan University. Giant trees,
such as giant cryptomerias and chamoecyparis, spruce, cedar and a pure ginko forest, green bamb
oo, winding trails, wildlife, including over 7,000 species of birds, gorgeous scenery and fresh air all abound in this ever-cool retreat. My favorite part of Sitou forest was walking the 180 meter skyway nestled among the treetops, over 7 floors above the ground. I loved looking down on the world below and feeling a
part of the treetop community of birds, leaves and branches.
The landmark of Shitou Forest is the man made University Pond. It was originally created to keep logs moist, but has since become a haven to frogs. Here I am hamming it up at the crest of the bridge. You can see more photos on my Flickr site at
http://flickr.com//photos/23521940@N07
Our second day of travel took us to Sun Moon Lake. Surrounded by green mountains, Sun Moon Lake is the is the largest natural lake in Taiwan. The Eastern part of the lake is round like the sun, while the Western part is shaped like a crescent moon - giving it the name "Sun Moon Lake". The lake is located in Central Taiwan. The beauty of Sun Moon Lake is found in the surrounding mountains. From the lake, tier upon tier of countless peaks can be seen rising up into the sky. The day was warm and the views spectacular, especially as sunset approached and the lake filled with multiple colors of orange and red. The lake has many trails and we took one that led us to a Pecock Farm. More pictures can be seen on my flickr account: http://flickr.com/photos/23521940@N07
