Today I went to mao kong, the land of good tea.

The 10 to 15 minute trip up the gondola was the longest I have ever been on. Even a local said it was long and cheap. The view was spectacular as we went up and down the mountain in the way to our final destination. Even though the speed was controlled, when you were about to head downhill, there was an exhilarating sense like you were going to free fall as you would on a roller coaster.

Since this was the land of tea, I found a random teashop, recommended by a random local, and tried the Tie Guan Yin tea. It is the specialty tea that they grow on the mountain.

I went to shan shui tea shop and  was served by the friend of the owner, Mr. Mu Zi Li. Apparently the owner is a forth generation tea shop owner. Her ancestors have been growing tea on the mountains for quite a while. Mr. Mu and I conversed over tea in Mandarin which I thought was a pretty cool as he talked to me about the area. Of course, I understood only about 60% of what was said.

We went through a very intricate way of making tea. Part of it included using two tea cups. We transfered the tea from the first cup to the second. We then smelled the first teacup to enhance the aroma of the tea.

Thanks to Taipei my mandarin has greatly improved. Well the term “greatly” really needs perspective. I an getting a lot better at the basics. Enough to hold a conversation and ask for clarification if I do not understand.

Now on my way down, I am being treated to a spectacular night view of Taipei county from my gondola.

I bought my tickets to Hua Lien today. Tomorrow, new place. New adventure.