Today’s adventure led us to Nantou, a serene county known for its mountains and waters that are perfect for the outdoor fanatics. As our car meandered through the narrow roads, high rises gradually disappeared and all that could be seen were trees within the mist and seldom wooden homes. We arrived at the Formosan Aboriginal Culture Village, a monumental amusement park amid the mountains that integrates aboriginal culture and modern thrill together into one. The park accurately depicts Taiwan’s nine principal aboriginal tribes throughout, displaying meticulously hand-carved and painted totem poles, old-style wooden homes, and hand-spun textiles. The entire experience brings you back several hundreds of years to the aboriginal era, especially since the workers are dressed in cultural garments and often put on shows of dancing, singing, and rituals.
Surprisingly, the amusement portion had several invigorating rides not for the faint of heart. However, if you want relaxation, I highly recommend the Sun Moon Lake Ropeway, a cable car ride that carries you aloft the mountains from the bottom to the highest point of the park. A second cable car must be boarded to visit Sun Moon Lake, one of the most beautiful destinations in Taiwan with waters blue as can be and silhouettes of perpetual mountain ranges, all engulfed in heaps of clouds. The weather at the Culture Park consisted of clear skies and constant sun, but as the cable car traveled towards Sun Moon Lake, cloud mass increased and colors deepened in hue. The temperature dropped drastically and our view became slightly clouded. The ambiance was serene and all I could hear was the slight chatter from other people, who were in awe of the view as well. We were fortunate to see the sun in process of setting, which lit up the sky creating an aura of peace, as I frantically whipped out my phone to snap a panorama of the altering scene.
We stayed overnight at the Sun Moon Lake Youth Activity Center which had a large balcony several stories high with a perfect view of the lake. My friends and I sat on a wooden table and watched the sun set until the sky became pitch black. When there was nothing left to see, we headed out to Feng Chia Night Market, which was an hour drive away, but we were out for a good time accompanied by good food.
Parking at the night market was such an infuriating task that we almost decided to head back home, but after 20 minutes of honking and hair-pulling, we finally found a spot. The large night market was packed like sardines as I constantly had bodies up against my skin, transferring sweat from one person to another. It was insanely unhygienic, but I was craving savory and sweet goodness on my taste buds, and I luckily was able to purchase food, despite the mobs of hangry people. I hastily munched on my gua bao (steamed bun with pork belly, fried egg, cucumbers, cilantro, and peanut hot sauce), egg cakes, grilled kebabs, and matcha snow ice with adzuki beans, as people shoved and hollered to get in line for food. Smoke from cooking shrouded the sky and the smell of fried and grilled meats filled my nostrils as I enjoyed being among the mass of food lovers.
-Jamie
The Gastronomy Gal 