Taiwan - Part 2

知本溫泉 Chihpen Hot Spring
When we reached this part of eastern Taiwan, we were supposed to relax and soak ourselves in the hot spring but look at this dreadful weather. Would you brave the typhoon rain to soak in this open-air hot spring pool? Our gang decided we would look ridiculous carrying an umbrella in the pool but some people were not deterred by the rain and actually did take a dip in the pool that night. Amazing right? One consolation though, we got to bathe in hot sulphur spring water as the hotel room’s water supply came from the hot spring. Sulphur water = Water that smells like rotten eggs.


As we made our way to the south, the weather appeared to be friendlier. According to Taco, this is the hottest region of Taiwan. The rain took a siesta, allowing us to tour 佛光山 Fo Guang Shan, the Buddhist centre set up by 星雲法師, the celebrity-revered monk. The huge temple grounds had rows and rows of golden Buddha statues but I wasn’t particularly drawn to them. As the zen saying goes, “When you see the buddha, kill the buddha.” Perhaps this mind is too attached to the simplicity of zen.




The south seems to be a more traditional region with a strong presence of Chinese and Taoist culture…temples, pagodas, tigers and plenty of dragons.



Some local folks were enjoying themselves belting out Chinese and 台語 songs in the day at this park. Good fun and entertainment for retirees.

One part of the tour included a train (or tram) ride to a dairy farm but the animals there looked extremely pathetic…maybe I should say they looked sad as all were confined in cages or small enclosures. Would you want to milk a cow that looks like this one below? Some people didn’t seem to mind the condition of the cow and actually paid to milk it. To facilitate the milking experience, the poor tired-looking cow was confined in that narrow structure and spray-washed with ice-cold water causing it to crap. I cannot fathom why those people want to milk the cow, much less drink the “fresh” milk. I think the authorities or tour agencies should stop bringing tour groups to such poorly maintained places…poor animals.




Our coach made all the way to 日月潭 Sun Moon Lake, the biggest lake in Taiwan but instead of a scenic view, we saw mainly the rain and a lake almost completely covered by fog. I didn’t get a chance to take a good picture of the lake because of the rain. All I could take was the temple…yeah, more temples and dragons.