When first exploring the shops around Shuishe pier you may come across this coffee shop. Do not be fooled by its wonderful location. In reality it's a poorly run place that preys upon the naivety of tourists.
Being tourists who had just arrived in town, my girlfriend and I decided to find somewhere to sit down, have a cup of coffee and plan the sights that we wanted to see (and which, given our lack of time, we'd eventually only be able to see some of).
The restaurant/coffee shop offer a nice view, but little else. Our coffee was cold when it arrived and had to be sent back for reheating, despite the fact that we were the only customers at the time. The food was decent, but in an average sort of way. I guess places that rely on tourists for income don't have to care about service as they don't depend upon repeat visits.
A place that is worth visiting is this one: Moon Tea & Café
They are close to the pier and have the decency to serve coffee in large mugs. Also, their coffee is of a temperature bordering on hot. They also have large, soft chairs one can flop in.
If I have to find fault with them (and I do) I'd say they have a tendency towards over-decorating. There are hundred of nicknacks and novelties covering various shelves, as well as magazines, ornaments, figurines and display key-ring. It's all a bit too much, really.
As I said before, there is a walkway that spans the circumference of the lake. Most of it is wooden and looks like this:
There are parts of the walkway where the wood gives way to concrete and stone paths, but the majority of it is wooden.
Some parts of it are also surrounded by trees or even have trees thrusting up through the planking. We came across this tree and thought it to be a telephone pole at first, considering how straight it is. We later found many more like it and have attributed its straightness to the fact that the walkway has supported and encouraged that shape to grow.
These parts of the path that are more closely surrounded by trees give one a more closed-in feel. This is great for people who love nature, but not so much for those who hate spiders.
This brings me to the second part of this post - the wildlife.
In Taibei (indeed, in any large city in Taiwan) people do their best to avoid wildlife, especially in the form of insects. It's understandable. Insects aren't always the friendliest of living creatures and many of them can be poisonous; more so in the tropics. When the people of Taiwan were first offered the technology for city-building they sprang at the idea of concreting over everything and reducing the insect population. It's only more recently with the rise of the green movement that they're thinking of reintroducing more plant-life to the cities.
If you're not a fan of spiders then do not fear. You can walk the circumference of the lake worry free. Whilst spiders will have their webs in the vicinity on the walkway, they'll be off to the sides in the trees and bushes. On occasion, when the trees close in, they'll be above you, but significantly so. For those of you who suffer from phobias of paranoia about arachnids, you'll also be safe. One can always retreat to the road and simply walk around the areas that are not as open as those in the pictures above.
This is the biggest one we found. It's black and yellow in colour, but we also came across more orange coloured ones:
Spiders, however, are not the only creatures that can cross your path. There are numerous species of butterfly that one can happen upon. On our short walk we also came across a bug that had a transparent disk on its back, almost like a shield or umbrella:
Then there are also slightly larger fellows who may cross your path or even your handrails:
Insects are not the only things you'll find. There are also many species of birds in the area, a welcome sight after very few in the city. Bird call is something one misses living in a built-up place. We saw these close to the walkway and for some reason they didn't take flight when we approached. I'm still not sure what species they are, but I think they're black-crowned night-herons.
Snakes also live in the area; yet another reason why I believe Winter is a better time to visit. Being reptiles, snakes will be seeking warmer places to stay. In Winter that means keeping out of your way. I think the only reason we came across this snake on our walk was because it was dead. If it had been alive it would have escaped the rain long before we ambled along the path.
A curious feature of the lake are the floating islands that feature all around its edge. At first we took them to be buffers for the waves that move across the lake's surface, used to help sustain the edge of the lake - and with it the walkway. However we came across one of the many typed blocks of information that are scattered around the lake. According to tradition, fishermen who lived in the area once angered a mermaid-like creature who lived in the lake by over fishing or something. She wager a war against them until they eventually agreed to compromise and help her. They made floating islands and filled them with soil to grow land upon the surface of the lake so that they would create spots where fish could breed and small fish could live in safety, thus increasing the number of fish in the lake.
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