History Lesson

This morning's breakfast buffet was the most expansive yet, and not just because it had ICE. For as hot and sticky as summer gets in this country, they have yet to embrace the blessing that is frozen water. All that is to say we nearly lost our minds when both shaved AND cubed was on offer.

Taiwan has a complex relationship with its past, and that has been even more apparent in the country's first capital.We checked out Fort Anping, a Dutch then Japanese than Chinese fortification. 

Following the fort, we wandered through Tainan's back streets, getting a glimpse of where people live. My favorite moment was walking down a narrow alley and passing a tiny neighborhood temple on one side of the street while hearing the Sunday morning church choir on the other. Quintessential Taiwan! 

Anping also boasts a famous treehouse. Nope, not the kind you're picturing, but an abandoned salt warehouse that was taken over by bantan trees in about 60 years. It was both eerie and beautiful. 

To combat the oppressive heat we stopped for a Taiwanese treat--shaved ice. It's kinda hard to describe, but picture a large cup of ice with a drizzle of tea topped with rubbery bites of sweet potato and taro, red bean paste, and a scoop of boba. It was pretty good and definitely refreshing. 

It was a two-hour trek to our next destination, punctuated with a stop at 7-11 (of course), a drive through an indigenous people village, and buying some fresh flowers on a thin wire, Taiwan's brilliant answer to a car air freshener. 

We headed back to the mountains today with their gorgeous views and lower temperatures. We are in Alishan, home of Taiwan's best oolong tea, and that's saying something in a country that takes its tea very, very seriously. We visited a tea house that grows its own for a lovely tasting.

Our day concluded early, not only because we are exhausted, but also so we could squeeze every bit of enjoyment out of our lodgings. We are encamped at Alishan's newest and swankiest digs, Hotel Indigo. A premium room was the only option, so here we are, enjoying the amazing room, rooftop pool and jacuzzi, incredible views, and sick amenities. Alishan is known for its sea of fast-moving clouds through the forest and incomparable sunrises, which we hope to enjoy tomorrow morning at 5:20 through the floor-to-ceiling windows feet from our comfy bed.