Saturday, Mar 23rd, Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan

Greetings!

In the middle of Taiwan, across a 10,000 foot winding road pass, lies a lake that resembles a sun on one side and a moon on the other.  At least that's what we've been told.  The mountain road all the way up here was socked in with such thick mist that we (and our driver) could hardly see the road ahead.  Arriving at another unbelievable hotel (The Lalu - with the longest infinity pool in the country), we had to cancel a boat ride on the Lake due to the lack of visibility.

This wasn't the case half-way here, when we visited the Chung Tai Chan Monastery.  Built in 2001, it is the international headquarters for the dissemination of the teachings of Grand Master Wei Chueh's effort to spread Chinese Zen Buddhism.  Standing sixteen stories below its golden dome, it is the tallest Buddhist Monastery in the world.  It contains a nine-story pagoda inside.  Photos were not encouraged on many floors, and talking was also prohibited.  Nevertheless, I took some liberties, and our site guide gave us a crash course in the million member group's beliefs and practices.

The last temple we visited today was the Wenwu Temple, located on the edge of the Lake.  The temple is the only Confucius Temple in the country to keep its doors open continually, and that has a seated statue of Confucius inside.  It's also got a perfect view of the Lake (on a clear day).  This one came from the town's website.

To see the photos we took today, click on: Saturday, Mar 23rd, Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan.