Onions! Hot Springs! Indigo! Opera!

It’s been a bit of a whirl. Taiwan’s a volcanic country, and last night we stayed in Yilan, a hot springs area. The hotel pool is a natural 37 degrees C., and the in-room showers are also fed directly from the hot springs, no further heating required.

We visited an onion farm. Tasty scallion pancakes are ubiquitous in Taiwan; some are thin like crêpes, and often envelop a cooked hard-fried egg, but others are more solid and scallion-y, and yesterday we had the chance to harvest the main ingredient and make one of those. All pancakes are equal, but some pancakes are more equal than others. No names mentioned. Well, first names only.

We spent part of this afternoon at The National Centre for Traditional Arts, a sprawling complex with a visitor centre, artisan demos, shops selling local products, and a theatre. We attended a performance: a lively combination of singing, dance, magic tricks, and acrobatics. Also bought a souvenir teapot, painted with a dragon to celebrate my Chinese zodiac birth year. Geoff is a 🐇, not nearly as impressive, in my opinion.

Indigo dyeing is a local traditional craft we were excited to try, hoping to discover hidden artistic potential… although to be honest, it still remains well-hidden 🤔. But we WERE pleased with the results — two reversible water-bottle holders. And it takes some pressure off, as I think we now know what we’re giving each other for Christmas.

Finished the day — in the rain, sadly — visiting Jiufen, a mountain village. Only the town residents can obtain a motor permit, so it was a very very VERY long walk up what felt like thousands of stone steps. A few general pics: