Checheng Train Station (車埕火車站), Taichung - Taiwan

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Checheng (車埕) town (N23.83384 E120.86641) is situated along our way to Sun Moon Lake. Our driver suggested to drop us here for photography session, and Yes! It was a beautiful small town!
This small town make us felt like walked into a 'time machine' that brought us back to the 50s...beside that, it has a rich history about the Last Train Station of Jiji (集集) Railway Line.

Our first visit was the Logging Museum, logging industry ushered the prosperity of the small town in the 40s - 50s. Too bad, we were late and the Museum was Just closed! What a Miss!

Logging Museum of Checheng Town


So I just snapped some photos of the Museum from the fence....

The Cafe in the Museum


We were attracted by a Enzyme and Wine shop which build by timber opposite the Museum, end up...we all bought a box of Enzyme. :)

Do you notice the old weighing machine beside the entrance? The Enzyme Shop

Friendly lady boss of the shop

Let me share some photos around the small town below...

In case you are lost...

Cafe which build by timber


The Police Station of Checheng

The restaurant, Homestay and the Brewery in one building.

The lane in the small town, Clean!
 
One of the cafe along the lane, but it was closed...

This small town was calm and peaceful, located nearby the Sun Moon Lake...according to our driver, the town will full of visitors and tourists on the weekend or public holiday. There's a tourist train to take passengers from Checheng Train Station to another tourist attraction nearby, but Not that day we visited. Too bad!

Below is the Historical Train Station of Che Cheng. The station was collapsed during the 921 Earthquake, and it was re-built by the Sun Moon Lake Tourism.

The whole station was build by timber

I like the buildings here very much! Because mostly constructed by timber...

The stage for some small musical function during the weekend

"The Checheng railway tracks have witnessed the construction of the hydropower station as well as the rise and fall of the logging industry at the Danda Forestry District. Now all we can see from those days are the coal platform, water tower, signal towel, and a few other pieces of old equipment that provide a nostalgic glimpse into those long-gone days.

The coal platform allowed workers to load coal onto the steam engines, and the unusual design of the stairs facilatied the carrying of coal up to the platform more easily and safely. The water tower provided for the transfer of water through a rubber hose into the engine's tank; from its resemblance to the long beak of the crane, it was called the "water crane".


The signal tower was moved here from Jhunan Station; in the old days, it displayed signals telling engineers how to proceed along the tracks. The old sawmill that was used to process logs has been renovated, bringing back from those early times memories that are reinforced by the workers' dormitories, other wooden structures and brick-walled, tile-roofed houese along the old streets."- by the Tourism.


The water tower with the "unusual stairs" and the coal platform. Signal tower was across the railway and the Hydropower Station at the back.


The Locomotive.

Do you know how to handle this machine?

And from the railway tracks...



We hanged around this beautiful small town for about an hour and continued our journey to Sun Moon Lake.
I wish I can put a night here in my next trip to Taiwan...

The Locomotive at Checheng Train Station (車埕火車站)

Related post :-
*  My Taiwan Trip on May, 2011

Location Map of Checheng Small Town, Taichung - Taiwan


Flexiroam - Your Mobile Roaming Saver!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Flexiroam is the mobile phone service provider (for roaming) from Malaysia that can save your oversea high roaming charges which I experienced it on my recent Bali's trip.
The configuration is simple as you log into their website with free sign up, then buy the credit. The credit will be never expired. Example you can buy 7 days (ONLY RM10 per day) credit and if you only use 4 days for your trip, the balance 3 days will be remain in your account until your next activation. It has NO Expiry date! (which stated) This is Great!

I followed the instruction on the simple guide before aboard at the airport, then sent another SMS from the local Bali's Cell phone service provider after I touched down Bali's Airport, That simple!
Whoever call me from my Malaysia number will be diverted to my Indonesia number! So I won't MISS any call at all and avoided all the High Roaming charges!
If I want to call any number in Malaysia, I just send a SMS with the number I need to call to the 'gateway' (provided by them), the charges will be local call! (I'm using Celcom Flat Rate) Sound easy? Yes, just a few click on the cellphone!

Well, after I experienced for few days...this are my comments :-

1)  Hopefully Flexiroam can provide more simple configuration, because I miss 1 step during the setting. (especially for those peoples who are not familiar)
2)  There were some delay during the conversation (understood cos it's VOIP) which due to the high latency, not sure it was because of the Malaysia or Indonesia service provider. Yet to improve...
3)  I followed the instruction from the guide but couldn't make a call from it. It was not successful. I had no idea about it...
4)  I wish they can provide the 'call history' in my account.

But the technical support from Flexiroam was EXCELLENT!! I sent an email to the technical support almost midnight during my trip, and they replied within 30 minutes! I'm really satisfied with it!

If you want to save the High Roaming Charges and can bear with the little delay, Please sign up with Flexiroam!

I will try it again on my next oversea trip!

Chung Tai Chan Monastery (中台禪寺) at Puli Township - Taichung, Taiwan

Sunday, June 5, 2011

The Chung Tai Chan Monastery (中台禪寺) (N24.01069 E120.945309) is located at Puli Township of Taichung, Taiwan. It's the Biggest Monastery in the World and Taiwan for the moment.

"Following the Grand Master’s compassionate vow to provide a complete environment for all who wish to learn the Buddhist teachings, the design of Chung Tai Chan Monastery began in 1992."

"After three years of planning and seven years of construction, this landmark building opened its doors on September 1, 2001, initiating a new era of Buddhism dissemination for Chung Tai." Source from here.

There was no entrance fee, we got our cameras ready and started another photography session in the Monastery.

The Main entrance of Chung Tai Chan Monastery

Once we stepped in, there was a Golden Bridge appeared in front of us.

The Golden Bridge

The Write up about the Golden Bridge

And the whole Bridge was made by brass...(some wording on the bridge)

And there were many small lions on the railing of the bridge, all of them have different design...maybe they have different meaning by each of them.

The little lion on the bridge

Tourist from China Mainland

We continued to walk up the main building...there were 2 guardians on both side of the main entrance to the building. And there was a huge Buddha statue on the other side of the Chung Tai Chan Monastery.

The two Guardians at both side


Another Giant Buddha Statue opposite of the Monastery

The Main entrance to the building

If you like to know more about the Chung Tai Chan Monastery, you can visit here (in Chinese). And also there was a write up below...

The write up about the Chung Tai Chan Monastery

Before we step in, the was a Nice Laughing Buddha statue in the middle, and two Red lions on both side...

The Laughing Buddha

The Red Lion

I was admiring by the unique design of the ceiling for quite some times....it was Nice!

The Unique Design of the Ceiling

Then we noticed there were Four Huge Guardian Gods situated at the four corners, these 4 guardians named - Four Heavenly Kings (四大天王). Each of whom watches over one cardinal direction of the world. For more info about the Four Heavenly Kings, please click here. (The 4 guardians seems like also the big pillars of the hall).

Four Heavenly Kings (四大天王)


We took some times in the 1st hall and proceed to the other hall of the building...

The staircase access to another hall of the building

The Shih-cha-mo-ni 釋迦牟尼 (Deity) Statue spotted after the staircase...

Shih-cha-mo-ni 釋迦牟尼 statue

On the both side, there were two Deities which I'm not familiar with...

On the right...


I over heard from the Tour Guide of other tourist group who explained about the deity above is 'half human half evil'. Can you recognize which side is human?! :)

On the left...


The Monastery is So Huge that we won't be able visit every corner of it due to limited time we had...there are still many area yet to explore...hopefully we still have chance to visit in the future...

The Golden pillar on top of the building which words crafting on it.

We spend about an hour here and continued to explore our next destination which was about 30 minutes journey...


Related post :-
*  My Taiwan Trip on May, 2011

The Location Map of Chung Tai Chan Monastery at Puli Township