7 Jan 2016
Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) is reputed to have one of the top 10 best cycling trails in the world. Cycling on this trail was one of the planned activity for our stay during this trip. Our minsu (B&B) host from Mei Jen House told us the Merida shop (one of the recommended bicycle rental place) is located near the big car and bus park behind the minsu.
On our way to the car park, we were approached by a staff from a bicycle rental shop so we stopped to check it out. The friendly lady staff quoted us 200 NT for 2 hours rental per bicycle which was what I had read and expected to be the going rates. And we got to choose any bike in the shop that we fancied.
The last time we cycled was a few years ago while staying at Banyan Tree Phuket where the resort provided free bicycles for us to move within its vast premises. We are not experienced cyclists. We spent some time to try out a few bicycles and also to polish up our rusty skills before finalising the rental. The staff even suggested we take a doubles bike, seeing that one of us (ahem…wonder who) is not so steady but I have confidence that we could both cycle on our own.
We selected a mountain bike for men and a smaller bike with a basket in front for women.
Using a Sun Moon Lake cycling trail map, the staff briefed us on the recommended route. She told us it typically takes about 75 minutes non-stop to go to the end of the route and back. We figured that we will take longer than that and 2 hours rental sounded just right, with some stops along the way for photography.
Once the paperwork was done, 400 NT rental fees paid, we set off on the trail which starts at the car park. 50 metres along the trail, we saw the Merida bike rental shop. So, we did not rent from Merida after all.
The trail from Shuishe Pier to the Shuishe Dam was relatively flat and easy. Some parts of the trail was on a boardwalk over the turquoise lake. All along the trail, nice views of the lake and mountains in the background could be seen. Thankfully, the weather was perfect for this activity, cloudy, cool, low humidity with some blue sky to be seen through the clouds. No sweat even with the exertions.
Since this was a weekday, the trail was not congested with walkers and bikers. It was a pleasant and fast ride to the dam where we made a brief stop for photos.
For safety reasons, there was a sign instructing bikers to dismount and walk across the dam. Some bikers just don’t understand this and put themselves and others at risks by cycling across the dam.
After the dam, the trail slopes a little and we soon came to 2 nice bridges. The white Tongxin Bridge‘s design is based on the 4-hand dipnet used by the Thao tribe for lake fishing. Similar to what I saw and photographed earlier this morning. TongXin means “Together heart” and this bridge is a popular location for shooting wedding photos.
There was a good rest area and flower garden just after the bridges. This garden had some trees in Autumn colours even though it was Winter in Taiwan!.
The XiangShan Visitor Centre(向山遊客中心) is just after this small park. The building has a nice architecture and is on higher ground, overlooking the lake. This is a nice place for a lunch break.
We started out at 10 AM and by the time we reached the XiangShan Visitor Centre, it was about noon.
The cafeteria was quite popular. It was relatively empty when we first arrived but soon got crowded as the lunch time approaches. Lunch was Taiwan beef noodle soup and special brew Sun Moon Lake coffee.
After lunch, our next stop was the Xiangshan Scenic Outlook. This was a detour off the main trail but it was worth the short ride to go see it.
The lookout point was built on a steel cantilevered structure, hinged and supported by a cable. It actually moved a little with load, and made us feel as if we were standing on a diving board over the lake. It offered 270 degree views of the lake, the Shuishe Dam and the Qinglong mountain with the Cien Pagoda and temples we visited yesterday.
After enjoying this engineering marvel, we backtracked to the Xiangshan Visitor Centre and continued on the trail. The trail at this stretch was more undulating and steeper. We had to get off our bikes for some steeper uphill stretches. It was actually not bad to get down to push the bikes as our butts were beginning to feel the effects of the hard saddle.
There were lesser bikers and walkers on this stretch of the trail. We made another stop at the Toushe Dam to enjoy the nice views and peacefulness of the surroundings.
We soon came to the end of the recommended trail. By now, we had way exceeded our 2 hour rental period but no worries…we were enjoying ourselves, so we were prepared to pay more for the rental extension.
We saw some flowers that looked like Cherry or Plum Blossom on our way back.
By the time we arrived back at the rental shop in Shuishe Pier, it was just after 3 PM. The nice friendly lady staff said something like “ you guys are really super riders huh..” in Chinese; half in jest and possibly half in relief to see us back safely. We were 3 hours late. We returned the bikes to her, collected my deposit and part ways. She said goodbye to us and did not charge us a single cent more for the time extension. So nice of her and her colleagues at the shop.
A good way to relax after the cycling was to chill in a pier-side restaurant and enjoy some desserts and hot tea. And watched the hordes of tourists and day trippers coming and going at Shuishe Pier.
Just then, the rain clouds rolled in and provided some intermittent rain. Thankfully, the rain soon stopped and we were able to spend some time browsing through the few souvenir shops near the pier before walking back to our minsu to freshen up before dinner.
Where we stayed at Sun Moon Lake:
Mei Jen House is a small minsu (homestay or B&B) located near Shuishe Pier and bus station providing clean rooms and nice Taiwanese breakfast. In mornings with good weather, the owner brings guests to the best spot by the lake to photograph the sunrise.
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