Miaoli

During my last weekend of break, I headed to another little city two hours outside of Taipei with my friend Lovely and her family! We were visiting some of her friends in Miaoli at a their mountain home located on the hillside. Miaoli is completely surrounded by Taiwan's lush green forests.  It feels like you are in the middle of no where, escaping from the busy city of Taipei!

After our morning drive to Miaoli, and a tour of their beautiful home, we were all so hungry! The home had two outdoor pizza ovens.  We would be creating and cooking our own homemade pizzas for lunch. Even better, the dough was homemade and the sauce was made from their homegrown tomatoes.  The soy beans and corn were purchased from the town.  The cheese... well all pizzas need cheese!  (Taiwanese do not eat cheese, so having it is a treat!). So cool! We created our own small pizzas and watched them cook in the outdoor pizza ovens while we drank tea and ate fresh picked sweet potatoes. The pizza was so tasty!

Once lunch was finished, we went on a little walk/hike around their property. I have never touched a bamboo tree.  It was neat to be surrounded by thousands of them! We looked at so many different trees and insects. It is not something that normally interests me.  Insects and me don't usually get along too well!  But this was another great experience for me while learning more about Taiwan. When we came back to the house, we had tea time. I learned how to pour tea, and about the all techniques that are used just for a little cup of tea. There is so much to do to ensure all is done correctly.  Taiwanese are very traditional when it comes to drinking tea. For dinner, we had hot pot  and noodles at a local restaurant. It was a really nice day. I am so lucky to have had the opportunity to experience another area of Taiwan with great people. Thank you Li Family!