Taoyuan Tourism

We was enjoy the great lunch there, we ride the motorbike to there, it's so comfortable and you can see the all Taoyuan city from top.

Family of 5 (kids 8, 11, 13), drove there in rental car which is necessary if you want to explore extensively. The entire area is kind of a national park with multiple areas of interest all of which are quite a distance apart and none of which are easily accessible using local transportation. The reservoir's claim to fame is as one of the major national building project in the post-WWII era and thus serves as an iconic symbol for the nation. We just went to the reservoir, but there are many other points of interest near by and you can spent a whole day there to make the most of the entrance fee. It's not a must see by any means, particularly for foreigners who might have seen more impressive reservoirs. But it's a good place to mingle with locals and see how they spend their day off. There are reminders of the Chiang's (old ruling presidential family of Taiwan) in many places, and you might be able to spot some local disdain for them. In general there are plenty of scenic spots throughout and the kids enjoyed exploring. Some areas are not very well guard-railed or separated between pedestrians and automotive traffic so be sure to hold on to the little ones. Pros: scenic, good for local spotting, many areas to explore Cons: safety measures are lacking for pedestrians, difficult to visit without your own car, not well marked particularly for foreigners, local cuisine seem over-hyped

Shimen Reservoir needs some TLC, No one seems to care about it much. The tatty restaurants do nothing to improve the impression of neglect. It's not a lake, it's a reservoir supplying water to Taipei. You're drinking this muddy stuff, look at it and shudder.

I have been here a few times in the past but this time we looked at the dam and the power plant from the other side of the reservoir after our delightful lunch of 'huoyu' (live fish) in Longtan. There are bicyling and walking trails all around this area and it's definitely quite scenic. One can easily spend a whole day exploring this area without even getting up to the top of the dam where most tourists are.

Shimen Dam, to translate, is the Stone Gate Dam. I am often slightly puzzled about why the local people are attracted to the Dam, because it i s not all that scenic and water appears to be quite dirty. I see the Dam just about every time I am in Taiwan,as my cousin lives fairly close to the Dam and takes me there for lunch. The dam supplies water to Taipei City.