Resting in the shadows

My daughter was resting under the Cypress tree...

In few minutes she was snoring.

While everybody around her was havin' fun, she was lost in her own shadowy world.

Let me dream under your shadows...

The panoramic ocean

Bored one summer and just wonna relax in the seaside, hubby planned a backpacking trip for us. The next daybreak, we traveled for 6 hours towards the beach capital of Taiwan~ Kenting, where we stayed for three adventure-filled days. The first day, we  rented a scooter and traveled around the place for scenic views.

We stopped by Jialeshuei on our way to the surfing area. This was on top of a summit overlooking the Pacific ocean.

Hail the Pacific view! Clear blue ocean and clear white clouds. What a perfect day to get out!

Daughter and hubby enjoying the panoramic view.

Isn't this breath-taking!!!

Such a glorious day! We thanked God for such simple miracles of nature!

This was last year and Joey was still so small, now she's almost as tall as me. Again, time flew by fast. 

The top of the world. The Rock.

Trying to feel how it feels to be on top of the world. So windy! This was taken after we took a dip in the ocean and on our way back to our rented place. 

Linking for Our World Tuesday,  Wednesday Whites, Watery Wednesday, Skywatch Friday 

Taichung Park

Walking around the parks and just letting our kids run loose were becoming our weekend afternoon routine last summer. In one of those lazy afternoons, we strolled along the city's century-old park, named Taichung Park. I just learned it was more than a hundred years old, ain't that cool! It's only about 10-minutes-scooter-drive-away from our place. I used to drive past it on our way to shop at Yi Jung Jie night market or to China Medical Hospital for our routine medical check ups and hence, my first time to actually drop by and just enjoy nature's beauty. The park is full of tall luscious green trees, rich flowers and well-manicured grasses where my kids were tempted to just roll over. In its midst is a picturesque lake, also known as Sun Moon Lake. It is adorned with a classical Chinese moon Pavilion, a cannon platform, and with facilities including rowboats for rent, children's playground, outdoor music stage and tennis courts. In the weekends, it's kind of festive with a lot of fun activities going on ~ music, foods, games, art exhibits and more.

Taichung Park was developed a century ago in 1903 during the Japanese colonization. The old pavilion was built in 1908 and its classical design was still well-preserved amidst the upgrades done on the park through the years. Indeed, it's one of Taichung's famous landmarks. 

Behold the  lovely classical  Chinese pavilion in the lake. 

Visitors can rent rowboats for about 7us$ and tour around the lake.  

My kids with the scenic lake and  connecting bridge in the backdrop.

My baby among the vibrant yellow flowers.

Posing again for Mommy among the trees with her signature "peace" sign lol.

The tranquil lake in the midst of the bustling city. 

This park is free of entrance and a lot of Taiwanese snacks are sold during the day. Indeed, Taichung Park is one of the nice places to hang out and relax. Think about an inexpensive and healthy way of relaxation, yes? Have a great day!

        

University Lake

Our campus lake at daytime

At early evening (photo credit)

at late night.. simply beautiful.. 

Our university lake (Jhongshing lake), found at the heart of our campus has always been an attraction to the students and the local community alike. It's a man-made one, the shapes of China (big lake) and of Taiwan (small lake).

Top view: the shape of China.

Top view: the shape of Taiwan. So cool right?

Being surrounded by green trees, flocked by different kinds of birds (yes, it's a bird sanctuary), a home to geese and ganders, ducks, swans, turtles and fishes, it's definitely one of the best places to relax. People can just come around and relax, feed some fish and birds, do some taichi and yoga or simply enjoy the cool breeze. The first time my daughters came to Taiwan, I never failed to tour them around and took few photos of them by the lake.

The first time Aron came here last February 2011:

My pink baby by the NCHU lake! 

Feeding and playing with the geese.

Feeding the fish and turtles.

Enjoying the panorama.

Me and my baby! So glad to be reunited with her again!

The first time Joey came here two years ago:

Can't believe how small she was by then. Indeed time ran so fast!

And the first time I came here four years ago:

Me with a good friend.

and with another good friend, August 2007.

My, I just realized the coincidences of me and my little girls wearing pinks the first time we had photos with the lake lol. More of our campus lake...

At our graduation day.  

With our good friends.

Indeed, a lot of good memories happened in this lake. The face-bashing-with-cakes birthday surprises and the late night  hang-outs with good crazy friends that were such good stress relievers will surely be missed.

 

The Pagoda

Located up high on a mountain (Mt. Sha Ba Lan) and around the picturesque Sun Moon Lake (the only natural big lake in the country), the Cih-en Pagoda stands mightily at 46 meters high. It's an octagonal building with a total of 12 floors. The first three stories were neatly painted in snowy white while the upper 9 stories with golden red. This lovely tower was built  by Taiwan's former president Chiang Kai-Shek in 1971 in honor of his mother. Cih-en Pagoda overlooks the spectacular scenery of Sun Moon lake and the panoramic Lalu Island.

Three years ago, I and my friends rented two vans and traveled around central Taiwan. We invaded one of its  famous landmarks, the Cih-en Pagoda.

Hail the beautiful pagoda in a glorious weather! base is blindingly white!

More from the escapade...

Friends having fun! 

Two beautiful ladies and both my good friends on the topmost floor of the tower (left: Ms. Bolivia & right: Ms. Romania), enjoying the gorgeous mountains. 

On top of the world. Running out of breath after climbing the steep staircases, we were then greeted by the breathtaking views of the lake and the mountains. The gushing strong chilly wind further gave us the taste of an amazing top-of-the-world adventure lol.

The  group on our way to trek the 700 meter track towards the Pagoda and enjoying the refreshing sights of trees and flowers along the way.

Most of our friends on this photo already graduated and left Taiwan for their home countries. Those fun-filled days and good memories shared together are truly cherished! The beautiful Cih-en Pagoda (postcard perfect) will surely be missed too.