Categories
Chinese Local Cuisine Pingtung Taiwan Travel Wellness

Enjoying Lunch at a Healthy Organic Farm

Taiwan - Pingtung - Tai Wu Mountain Farm Bed and Breakfast - Misty Vista
Taiwan – Pingtung – Tai Wu Mountain Farm Bed and Breakfast – Misty Vista

Katrina and I continue to receive warm hospitality from the people we meet in Taiwan.  Just recently we were invited by a couple of our new found friends to visit Taiwu Mountain, just above the village of Taiwu in Pingtung County.  We spent the day sightseeing, touring an organic farm (which is something Katrina just lives for), visiting a local Spanish church and having lunch at wonderful bed & breakfast and restaurant.

Taiwan - Pingtung - Tai Wu Mountain Farm Bed and Breakfast - Lunch
Taiwan – Pingtung – Tai Wu Mountain Farm Bed and Breakfast – Lunch

The delightful meal was freshly prepared for just the four of us.  It was made from fresh local meats and vegetables.  The meal included a fresh pot of organic chicken soup with wild yams, which nourish the body and help with circulation.  The individual platters contained fresh greens, handmade black pig sausage (which you wrap in fresh lettuce and onions), some gourds, and three different mullet stuffings wrapped in plant leaves.  The last wrap I ate was a sweeten dessert that was out this world.   Everything was so delicious that no seasoning was needed.  I can still recall the aroma from the food.  The meal came from their farm with a specialty brewed mullet wine to clean the pallet.  The wine was sweet and refreshing.

Taiwan - Pingtung - Tai Wu Mountain Farm Bed and Breakfast - Wine Set
Taiwan – Pingtung – Tai Wu Mountain Farm Bed and Breakfast – Wine Set

After the meal, the owner took us on a tour of the different plants that grow on their farm and how she uses them for cooking.  It was very educational and informative.  She even took the time to point out some poisonous plants that look much like the healthy ones we eat.  The place was picturesque and tranquil.  I can only imagine how peaceful it is to sleep there and wake up in the morning to nature’s song in this tranquil setting.

Taiwan - Pingtung - Tai Wu Mountain Farm Bed and Breakfast - Meeting the Chef
Taiwan – Pingtung – Tai Wu Mountain Farm Bed and Breakfast – Meeting the Chef

I would definitely recommend renting a room, enjoying a meal and staying the night at the farm.

Categories
Celebration Chinese Kaohsiung Taiwan Temple Travel Zuoying

Cih Ji Palace (Temple) Celebration

Taiwan - Kaohsiung - Zuoying - Cih Ji Palace Celebration - Majestic
Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Zuoying – Cih Ji Palace Celebration – Majestic

Recently a friend turned us on to a very colorful celebration at the Cih Ji Palace (pinyin: Cí jì gōng), a temple in front of the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas by Lotus Pond in the Zuoying District of Kaohsiung, Taiwan.  It appeared to be a celebration of the temple’s anniversary.

Taiwan - Kaohsiung - Zuoying - Cih Ji Palace Celebration - Dragon
Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Zuoying – Cih Ji Palace Celebration – Dragon

Temples from the neighboring areas of Kaohsiung individually paraded through the streets on their way to the Cih Ji Palace to pay their respects.  As they approached the temple heralded them with a skillful demonstration of one of the China’s more popular inventions, the fireworks.  They could be heard throughout the district, allowing you to feel the festivities even from a distance.

 

 

Taiwan - Kaohsiung - Zuoying - Cih Ji Palace Celebration - Fluid Motion
Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Zuoying – Cih Ji Palace Celebration – Fluid Motion

 

Some of them put on very enjoyable and festive tributes while paying their respects.  I was fortunate enough to capture some of these moments.  Here are a few of the pictures I took.  To enjoy the full set of pictures please go to my Cih Ji Palace (Temple) Celebration Gallery.

 

Taiwan - Kaohsiung - Zuoying - Cih Ji Palace Celebration - Wicked
Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Zuoying – Cih Ji Palace Celebration – Wicked

 

Taiwan - Kaohsiung - Zuoying - Cih Ji Palace Celebration - Bowing Dragons
Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Zuoying – Cih Ji Palace Celebration – Bowing Dragons

 

Taiwan - Kaohsiung - Zuoying - Cih Ji Palace Celebration - Warlord
Taiwan – Kaohsiung – Zuoying – Cih Ji Palace Celebration – Warlord
Categories
Chinese Taiwan Travel

Taiwanese Hospitality

Katrina and I just spent a wonderful day on Sunday with some new friends we made here in Taiwan.  We were invited by the owner of the place we stayed during our first week in Kaohsiung to visit his family and friends in Pingtung.  Pingtung is about a half hour south of Kaohsiung by train.  We got up early Sunday morning and took the train, which cost us less than a $1.20 (US), to Pingtung, where we were picked up by our host.  He drove us to a friend’s home in the country where they had prepared a traditional home cooked Chinese meal that included 16 different dishes.

Taiwan - Pingtung - Chinese Home Cooked Meal
Taiwan – Pingtung – Chinese Home Cooked Meal

 

I can’t even image how long they worked preparing the dishes.  It was delicious.  I ate my fill and the ladies kept insisting that I hadn’t eaten enough.  I could barely move by time we finished lunch.

Taiwan - Pingtung - Lunch With Friends
Taiwan – Pingtung – Lunch With Friends

Afterwards we relaxed outside on the patio.  It was a beautiful home with exquisite landscaping that they had done themselves.

Taiwan - Pingtung - Relaxing on the Patio
Taiwan – Pingtung – Relaxing on the Patio

Next we drove to a dry riverbed where we had a relaxing walk surrounded by beautiful scenery.

Taiwan - Pingtung - New Friends
Taiwan – Pingtung – New Friends

Later we headed back to Pingtung where we happened upon a series of parades celebrating the anniversary of one of the temples in town.  Members from the surrounding temples parade through town on their way to the celebrating temple to pay their respects.  After watching some of the parades we headed to a local restaurant for dinner and proceeded to eat, again.

Taiwan - Pingtung - Temple Parade
Taiwan – Pingtung – Temple Parade

The people we met in Taiwan have been very warm and generous to us since our arrival in Southern Taiwan.  Even after being treated to several meals and snacks by our host Katrina and I had resort to trickery to pay for the meal, which he had fully intend to pay for.  Based on our first two weeks here, I already highly recommend visiting Taiwan.  If for no other reason than to just enjoy the people, and we’ve only just begun to see the sites.