It consecrates Confucius, God of Martial art and Literature. When in trouble, they visit this island to talk to their ancestral spirits and find a solution. The region surrounded by rolling hills is a paradise with abundant natural beauty, picturesque villages shrouded by curtains of white puffs. I had arrived at Nantou County in central Taiwan far from the blinding neon lights, skyscrapers and multi-tiered flyovers of Taipei. We returned to the pier and took the wooden walkway lined by cherry blossoms. The temple itself is beautiful with murals and paintings. The vast expanse of a lake shimmered in the sunlight as newlyweds were busy getting their photoshoots done. Taste of cultureIn pursuit of interesting myths and anecdotes, I checked into Fleur de Chine hotel to spend the night. There were two entrances to the main hall. The Japanese ruled for fifty years in Taiwan which has had major influences on the food, culture and lifestyle of the Taiwanese. The smoke emitting from them are said to be the prayers that would eventually reach heaven. If curved surface of both the blocks face up, it means your RG6/U Cables suppliers wish is rejected, both flat sides up means go for another wish, one flat and one curved face up means your wish will come true. I was curious to know more about the aboriginal tribe. So one must enter from the former and exit from the latter — it’s symbolic of conquering death after offering your prayers inside. Legend states that an unmarried tribal lady got pregnant and hence was shunned by her tribe. One side of the block was curved while the other was flat.

It is told the aboriginals accidentally found the lake when they were hunting a deer. The helpless lady disappeared into the woods and never returned. Over the period the water level rose and it took the shape of a sun and a moon separated by an island called Lalu, hence the name Sun Moon Lake.Away from the neon lights and dizzying heigts of Taipei, the heart of Taiwan is a mystical land, says Rathina Sankari Cherry Blossoms Away from the neon lights and dizzying heigts of Taipei, the heart of Taiwan is a mystical land, says Rathina SankariAre we in Europe ” exclaimed one of the tourists. Francis Hu, our guide, informed that only the aboriginals are allowed to set foot on this island. In the distance, I could see a swathe of mist, which had enveloped a mountain that looked like a lady sprawled in a dream. From February to April every year, the cherry trees come to life here and are a riot of different shades of pink.Rathina is a travel blogger with a special interest in food and culture. We cut through the water and reached Lalu Island, which was called Jade Island by the Japanese. I looked around and sighted the narrow cobbled lanes with cyclists zipping down the alleys. Home to the aboriginals, it is told that this is where the military leader Chiang Kai Shek devised plans to capture China.

Francis then showed me how one can wish for something and then check with the almighty if it would come true by dropping two blocks of wood on the floor. Dinner was special with the chef dishing out some lamb chops, duck and steak the Japanese way — called Teppanyaki.The AboriginalsAs I walked across the expanse, I reached the pier next to the blue green waters. As I climbed the steps which were earlier called ‘Stairway to Heaven’, I noticed the huge lions on either side of the entrance that denote protection. But whenever a lady in the tribe got pregnant, an owl would be seen hovering around her hut. Stuffed owls of all sizes hung across shops in Sun Moon Lake for sale. Temple of life and deathNext morning, I headed to the Wen Wu temple in Shuei-She Village. It’s fascinating legends, interesting culture and history had caught my imagination. Inside, devotees first light the incense sticks and place it in the burner. That was when Francis mentioned about the Formosan Aboriginal Cultural Village in the area. They believe that it’s the same woman who returns as an owl to protect other women. I wasn’t yet done with Sun Moon Lake. The lake was a result of a dam constructed in 1931 during the Japanese rule to generate electricity. Francis informed that the right door denoted life and the left door denoted death. The best way to experience it is by taking a cable car that passes through vast expanses of cherry blossom orchards. I took a ride on one of the solar powered boats.

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The wrap around balcony offers a majestic 270-degree vista of the entire range of mountains from the Wetterhorn in the east to Mannlichen in the west. The two hours’ journey was picturesque. Grindelwald was that place which we can drool over. Together with the support and image cultivation provided by the tourist industry, the award is an incentive for farmers to continue practising sustainable management, and thus helps to preserve the beautiful cultural landscapThe Rubi Family apartment is a modern homage to one of Grindelwald’s famous mountain guides, Adolf Rubi. At its heart lies the impressive Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau rock massif and the glacial landscape surrounding the Great Aletsch Glacier.Lace-making is still practised by women from the Lauterbrunnen Valley and in Grindelwald, the “Velogemel”, a wooden snow bike - is still produced by hand, according to the original plans dating from 1911. It all seems like you are in a dream.The writer is a travel photographer perennialy scouting for unexplored territories.Each year, the “Cultural Landscape Award” is bestowed upon particularly beautiful and valuable cultural landscapes in the region. Traditional costume dances, flag waving and folk music are an important part of the Jungfrau Region’s cultural life.Grindelwald is breathtaking — stunning scenery with flowering meadows and the sound of cowbells.jpg It may be one of the most explored places in the world, but the Swiss alps manage to surprise and bewilder you at every step, writes Dinesh Madhavan.

Pretty as a picture that can be framed for posterity. Don’t missYou can take a gondola or train in any and all directions, then ski down and over to various old chalet restaurants that serve house made bratwurst, rösti (a traditional swiss potato RG11/U-Messenged Cables hash with various additions like local swiss cheese, bacon, or an egg), spätzle (delicious and buttery small swiss dumplings sometimes cooked with cheese and carmelized onions), homemade soups, raclette (melted raclette cheese over potatoes served with small pickles), fondue, salads with my favorite dressing, locally brewed beer and many other comforting Swiss specialties.The Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch World Heritage Site stands for the splendid natural beauty of the Alps. Green meadows with cottages, with a view of glaciers. The apartment is filled with trophies, artwork, hand crafted Swiss antiques, historical artifacts and actual built-in furniture from the original Chalet Alpenblume, which sat on the same site. Around 90 per cent of this area is covered with rocks and ice. With green meadows, pretty cottages and blue green water, all we could do was gape awestruck. A total of more than 40 per cent of the ski runs are equipped with snow-making machines. The current generation of Rubis has lovingly preserved the family collection and designed the apartment to embody the spirit of the old chalet. 20_LIS4782. Landing in Zurich, as much as every tourist from our country does, we headed to Mt. Covering an area of 824 square kilometres, the Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch contains nearly all of the Bernese High Alps, with their monumental rock massifs. My friends Dan and Janine, who are adventure sport photographers from Interlaken, suggested I go to Grindelwald, a quaint little non-crowded destination, but on the Unesco heritage sites list.

But the destination which awaited us was even better. Right when we entered, there was a cutout of the famous movie Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Imposing mountains, a plethora of leisure activities and a wide range of hotel offerings make the Jungfrau Region (including the resort towns Wengen, Mürren und Lauterbrunnen) a highly desirable vacation destination. It took three cable cars to reach there. Titlis, 10,000 ft above sea level, a regular fix on the to-do list for a tourist, via Edinburg. Landscapes so breathtaking that you never want to leave. We had lunch facing the glaciers in a pretty cafe.The Swiss village of Grindelwald, tucked underneath the Eigermountain and hugged by an entire family of surrounding protecting peaks is an escape destination that takes you to a quaint dream world. The three regions Grindelwald-First, KleineScheidegg-Männlichen and Mürren-Schilthorn together offer a total of 213 km of ski runs ranging from fast to leisurely, and from six to twelve kilometres in length. Even for non-skiers, 100 kilometres of winter footpaths enable you to explore the mountains on foot. After an hour (or more) of playing with snow and taking different rides in Titlis, we started our journey back to Zurich.It may be one of the most explored places in the world, but the Swiss alps manage to surprise and bewilder you at every step, writes Dinesh Madhavan. I walked around for a few hours to catch every glimpse of the mountains, until our legs couldn’t anymore. Much explored, visited, and written about, it still is an absolute thrill to discover as some spots are left untouched by commercial tourism

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