Alishan 阿里山

     Welcome to the start of my Asia 2K17 trip!! I'm also vlogging on this trip as well so keep an eye out for some YouTube vids with every post!

     First stop is Taiwan, after an 11 hour flight from YVR. Right after we landed, we were picked up by our driver and embarked on a 4 hour drive down south to Alishan 阿里山.

     I'll be honest, our first meal in Taiwan wasn't the greatest. We had no idea what kind of mystery meat they gave us, the restaurant smelled funky, and there was a typhoon storm outside. I just stuck to eating rice with tofu and beef, which you can't go wrong with. 

     After a long day of travelling, waking up to this view seemed worth it. Our bed & breakfast place was actually really cool. They had live chickens, roosters and even deer! There were also a lot of dogs and cats strolling around too. 

super huge taro plant

     For breakfast we had congee, toast, a bun, fish, and soy milk.We then went to the Alishan Forest Railway and hiked a bit to see the Sacred Tree.

2,300 year old tree

     We ate lunch there and had an amazing meal for real cheap too. All dishes were under $5! I also discovered some new drinks. Apple Sidra, a sparkling apple juice, quickly became one of my favourite drinks in Taiwan. I didn't get many pics but you'll see what we ate in the vlog. We also visited Sheng Le tea farm 生力農場 and picked up some souvenirs since Alishan is famous for their tea. The view was definitely breathtaking with all the lush plantation.

     During our 4 hour ride back to Taipei, I realized that as much as I appreciate the beauty of nature, I truly am a city girl. Just passing by all the buildings in Taipei gave me a rush of excitement for what I was about to explore.

     For dinner we ended up eating at some pasta place nearby our hotel. The food was good but the desserts look better than they tasted.

     I also stopped by a Watsons and picked up some My Scheming face masks since they were buy one get one free!! Another bonus about the beauty stores here is that they're extremely air conditioned. Every time I go outside, I melt and die in the humid heat. If I wasn't currently breaking out, I'd wouldn't even bother trying to wear foundation LOL.

Have an amazing weekend, wherever in the world you are!

x

Melissa