九份 (Jioufen)

The rainy weather wasn't about to stop Sepal from taking the train to 九份, either, and walk around a mountainside town, peruse shops, eat Taiwan-famous taro, and experience another sizable cup of milk tea - this time, caramel milk tea. The view was gorgeous, the bus driver was crazy, but it was a fun and wet Sunday of friends, food, and tea.

The view was fantastic, and the taro tasted awesome.

And of course, the day ended with caramel milk tea and green tea red bean cake.

The traveling sepal mug has officially traversed outside the borders of Taipei.

eating new fruits

This post is being parenthetically inserted to introduce the readers of this blog to some of the new fruits the traveling sepal mug is experiencing.

These are called "dragon eyes" in English. Can you see why? Sepal felt really white next the interior of the brown fruit.

Typhoon weekend, part one: getting out of Taipei

Taiwan is a beautiful country (I think it's even beautiful when it rains) and its land has much to offer to nature lovers all around, included, and not limited to, the traveling sepal mug. Sepal experienced some of this beauty this last weekend, as the rain continued to splash against the umbrellas that protected the people from too much moisture. The rain didn't stop the mug from getting on the train to Yinnge.

Sepal's first train experience is officially in another country, on the Taiwan Rail. Yinnge was the first train destination and also happens to be the city famous for making mugs! That is, pottery. The people there don't exactly specialize in making traveling mugs, Sepal was still able to see many Taiwanese cousins.

Now whenever, mugs and Taiwan are involved, the aroma of tea follows close behind. Along with meeting all kinds of mugs and teacups and the streets of Yinnge, Sepal also experienced a lot of tea that day. This was not just any tea experience. This was tea Taiwanese style.

At the first end of the day, he made a special friend that came home to Ximen with him.

These mugs are kindred spirits. One's a travel mug, the other's a house mug; but they both have lids.

The SECOND end of the day was spent playing cards at a teahouse near the Shilin Night Market. Sepal got a little overwhelmed, and possibly a little jealous, of the huge cups of Mint Milk Tea.

tastes of home with a TWIST

Time: Saturday morning

Location: Taiwan, home of beautiful and delicious milk teas and sipaah straws, pictured above.

Activity: drinking coffee

Recipe:

ingredients - caramel "sipaah" straw, chocolate milk tea by lipton, chilled coffee made the day before

instructions -

1) pour chilled coffee made the day before into the traveling sepal mug

2) pour a preferred amount of chocolate milk tea by lipton into chilled coffee made the day before

3) remove caramel "sipaah" straw from wrapper and stir milk tea and coffee.

4) drink and enjoy!

note - to maintain the rich flavor of this beverage, one may need to use up to THREE caramel "sipaah" straws

tyPHOON adVENTURE

The Sepal Mug was experiencing his first Taiwan Typhoon government-declared vacation, and what does he do? He goes to the gym!

However, thanks to the Taiwan Typhoon government-declared vacation (it was a Friday, so everyone got a nice 3-day Father's Day Weekend - that's right, this weekend is Father's day in Taiwan), the gym was closed. Sepal was a little disappointed, but, being from the Northern Oregon Coast, rain doesn't ever throw a wet blanket on his plans!

He went running in the rain on the river instead!

It was a soaking wet adventure, but nothing he's not used to in the States. :)

a taste of home...

Everyone once in a while, the sepal mug still gets to experience coffee. But he'll be the first to tell you that it's not the same.

First of all the coffee at the house here is...well, it might be Folgers. And then there was an experiment done with the creamer. The creamer was actually an experiment: red bean drink (a really awkward thing to drink - I still have yet to eat it) with Taiwan sugar and almond drinking powder. Definitely not the same as a cup of coffee in the states.

But he'll survive. Culture shock is normal. :) He hasn't even tried the tea yet!

Peacing out at Peace Park

Can you find the sepal mug?

The Sepal mug had some fun at Peace Park one afternoon.

(For more information, go here. Also, see picture in my latest facebook album.)

Sepal had some fun on an Asian slide, as well as riding a horse. Everything at the park was so much bigger than him.

This is Ken. He came up to us and wanted his picture taken with three American girls. That happens a lot to groups of mei guo rens (Americans) who come in.

It says "TAIPEI" in the background, the sepal mug's new location for now.