Haňule z Kyjova

On saturday I went with English teacher Elaine and her friends Rosemary and Peter to see a tea farms in Pinglin near Taipei. We arrived to Pinglin and went by a long and new pavement around a river. The road took us around several tea plantations going uphill. The season for collecting leaves will be in 10 or 14 days, so now the tea leaves were not very big, just starting to grow. When collecting the leaves you have to take the heart and two other leaves under it, so you can!t make it with any machine, only with your hands. That’s the reason why is the tea so expensive. I tried to chew few leaves and it tasted really of tea

Because it was very hot and no shade where we could take a rest, we decided not to go the whole route and go back for lunch. We drove down to the centre of the city and stopped at a resturant. There we could choose from fresh vegetable and some fish and shrimps and they cooked it for us! It was all very delicious and served with a very good green tea with a very storng aroma. I ate also the little fish, also with tehir heads and tails and inides! and the shrimps too! But it was really good when you got used to the crunchy feeling

We also stopped at a bakery, which is very famous in the surrounding area. There were special cakes which are made for wedding or for birthday and other occasions. I took a picture of them but you won’t feel the beautiful smell of it all.

..for wedding

..for b-day

a christian church!!!

We went also to a Tea museum and the security man here was so nice that he allowed us to go in without paying! A foreigner is a rarity even here. I could read something about the history of tea growing in Taiwan, see the traditional equipment for tea-drinking…

Than we went higher to the mountains. The road was very zigzag, turn every few meters and quickly rising, so it was a little adventorous journey. After a while we stopped at a temple. This temple was bigger than the one we have in Nei-li, the monk here was very nice and wanted to talk a lot. He said the temple has also a facebook profile We could make a wish to the gods here. You take to peaces of moonlike shaped wood and ask the god for helo and guidance. Than you throw the peaces to the ground and if they stay one from front side and one from back side the gods will make your wish come true. Also the wish you can say in any language so I for a long time used czech

The view from the temple wasn’t very nice, because it was going to rain and the clouds were very low. But the wind was filled with water and all fresh and also soft. I like their mountains. They are very high and look different and beautiful.

On our way home they made me a round-car-trip around Taipei 101 It was fun. We stopped directly under the building so that I can take a picture, but it was tto close to get it whole.

Than we went to Rosemary’s sister. They live in Taipei in a very good area of flats. They have completely newly furnished and designed flat with beautiful new wooden furniture from a traditonal trea which has a strong fragrance. Thier dughter is very interested in chinese culture. She plays a traditional instrument “guzheng” so she played us some songs before dinner. The family offered me to stay for few nights if I wnat to know more about Taipei, and I was very glad to accept their offer.

We got home very late, so I went directly to bed. In the Sunday morning, we went with homepa to his classmates meeting somewhere in the outskirts of Zhongli. We had a barbecue in a garden. By a taiwanese barbecue you must underestand that they start with some vegetable, than pork meat, some mushrooms, sweet potatoes, corn, after that you get their soup, dessert, than you continue with fish, shells, shrimps, and other seafood and than you are so full that you feel like you will never eat again!