Update 6/3/25: Day 7 - Taiwan Day 2

Zechariah 10:1-2 “Ask rain from the Lord in the season of the spring rain, from the Lord who makes the storm clouds, and He will give them showers of rain, to everyone the vegetation in the field. For the household gods utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; they tell false dreams and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.”

Rainy season in Taiwan is usually over in May, but this year, it was late and we apparently are here during rainy season this year. Rain and mosquitoes are the two things we have experienced a lot since being here…but we also have seen some of the most beautiful country! The girls have been falling in love with Asia just like I did 8 years ago. The people are our favorite thing here. 

After a breakfast of steam buns, we loaded into the car (with umbrellas), and headed to Sun Moon Lake. We passed miles of rice fields, traipsed through quaint mountain towns, and finally reached the lake. Although it rained part of the time we were there, including soaking our feet, it was one of the most beautiful places. The pictures do not do it justice! The color of the water was stunning.

We noticed along the road today that road construction workers were mannequins with robotic arms. I guess that is one way to save money and lives!

Sprinkling before the downpour

Bamboo. We all decided we would not want ti get lost here. It is jungle everywhere you look

Group photo. The lady in the pink is my friend Juyi. She will be traveling through China with us! She is a treasured friend. We meet once a week to practice English. Getting to spend time in person is a gift!

Juyi told us that the mountains are full of monkeys. I was hoping that we would see some. Thanks to Micaela’s observant eyes, we got to enjoy a mountainside full of them…twice!

We didn’t see them this close, but I found a picture of the kind of monkeys we saw.

My favorite flower, orchids, grow wild around here!

When the rain let up, we rented bikes to enjoy some more sights around part of the lake.

Sadly, Joella was looking for more monkeys and almost ran her bike off the side of the road. I was as able to alert her in time, but her bike swerved and slipped on the wet pavement. She got a pretty good road burn on her arm and leg. We were thankful nothing broke! She was a trooper as I cleaned her up. 

For lunch, we enjoyed homemade zongzi, a special dish eaten for the Dragon Boat Festival. We didn’t get this on Saturday, but Juyi made it with her mom for us. It was delicious!

First squatty potty of the trip.

We stopped at the Ci’en Pagoda. It was a half mile up a steep climb, followed by 154 steps to the top. We were rewarded with beautiful views. Joella and Juyi stayed behind due to Joella’s wounds.

The cicadas here are soooo loud! They made KY ones sound quiet. We saw a dead one on the road and it made the cicadas in KY look like dwarfs. I’m sure glad it didn’t fly at my head.

Ci’en Pagoda

Orchids are my favorite flower, so Juyi took me to some shops in Taichung to see them. The colors and varieties were amazing!

For dinner, we went to hot pot. I don’t know how people stay skinny in Asia. They eat all the time! Granted it’s healthy food, but my stomach can’t keep up. The one meal is more food than I eat in a day! Lots of vegetables filled me up quickly. 

Despite Joella’s injury today and the rain, it was an amazing day in God’s creation. We are soaking up every moment we can from this special trip.