Taiwan, Day 3

Taiwan
August 13-18, 2013


Day 3 On Day 3, we took the bullet train back to Taichung, and met my roomie's college friend at the station. He took us took Xitou Forest (as he'd spent his military service as a guide at the forest, he was quite knowledgeable about the paths), a beautiful, remote location about 45min by car. Nearby, there was a village with stores and restaurants, though we traveled a bit further down the mountain to eat a full course Taiwanese meal (so I was told), complete with Lazy Susan for serving. Later in the evening, we went to a fancy bar/lounge, and ended up staying at the friend's nice house in Taichung. (Another night wasted on hostel fees, but at least our big luggage had a secure place to chill for the night...)



Bullet train from Taipei to Taichung. ~$20 for the ~1hr trip.



It rained on and off during our guided trip through the forest, but still, it was quite pretty (and relaxing!).



The forest was serene (if not misty!). Then we came to this lake w/ a wooden bridge.
When we crossed it, it swayed quite a bit. Scary, but worth it.


We stopped for a snack near the lake. Apparently, guava fruit comes in colors
ranging from white (that we had at 7-Eleven) to red (seen here). You can't eat
the seeds, so you either cut or bite & spit them out. :)



A town near the forest... where they sold souvenirs (namely tea and keychains...).


We had LOTS of tasty food, including pork, bamboo, chicken... and my favorite, fried (with honey
and sesame seeds) sweet potato! The restaurant had a pretty "water feature" in the corner.


Finally, we went back to Taichung proper, to a bar/lounge with a cover band. They supposedly
had to sing any song someone requested, including English covers. Sometimes they made up
the words, but overall, they sang the English songs pretty well (even if the drummer and
keyboardist were relegated to the rafters...). :)

Day 4....soon!