Gettin’ Our Kicks on Route 66
No, not that Route 66! On our trip to make Taiwan Black Tea with Tsai Lao Shr (see Making Black Tea), we stayed at a small bed & breakfast in Yu Chr Township, near Sun Moon Lake. Since the big earthquake in 1999 (I was here for that!), the area has struggled to recover, but eco-tourism is becoming popular now, so things seem to be improving in the area economically.
For me, this area is kind of like the Shire of Taiwan – rolling hills, farms, restaurants (inns), friendly people, and a totally relaxing vibe that one has to experience to be understand. And, it’s also just north of where I really fell in love with Taiwan; the Mystic Grove!
The place we stayed is basically a family farm that has been renovated to add rooms for guests. There were only 3 or 4 rooms, but the area was very quiet and relaxing. Of course, the tea was excellent, as was the company!
A Teaboy-sized table for two.
Official Teaboy seal of approval!!!
The rooms themselves were pretty Spartan by western standards – bare
pressboard walls and not much else – but it does make for an interesting experience. There were no beds per se, just quilted mats to pile on the floor. Being that I go for a fairly firm mattress at home, it was very comfortable for me.
The 
Teaboy and I happened to wake up earlier than expected, and we had
about an hour to kill before breakfast, so we took a walk up to the tea fields behind the farm. These belong to a neighbor, and aren’t all that well maintained, but the early morning light made for some wonderful photo opportunities.
These Assam tea plants are laid out in the ‘traditional’ Nantou style -
surrounded by betel nut trees (more on them another time) to maximize crop space. Unfortunately, the shade they provide lowers the quality of tea produced.
There were also some other funky plants growing around – can’t find a translation of what this thing is (there was quite a debate on the proper Chinese name even!). 
Kind of a thorny watermelon I guess, although I can’t imagine what it looks like on the inside.
I used to have a name for this thing, but can’t remember it now. Part of the hazard of getting old, I
guess! At any rate, they grow lots of these in southern Taiwan.
So, after a restful evening and home-cooked breakfast, we were ready to go tea picking and see the other sights of Central Nantou.
