Longtime Gone (Part 2)

As promised, I am back once more to finish up my account of the past week.
Anna teaches music at an aboriginal school on this beautiful mountain, so on Wednesday, I accompanied her. The school is surrounded by this breathtaking view:

All of the roads are narrow and wind around the mountains in a dizzying way. 

 This is a tunnel that was carved out of the mountain:

It is so incredible!

 While we were there, we also went to a hot spring. Taiwan, being a volcanic island, is full of hot springs. Because of the abundance of these springs, the various locations are very inexpensive, unlike in the U.S. We only paid $10 for both of us. Many people go to these hot springs to soak in the naturally warm water for the health benefits. This particular hot spring is a mineral spring, so it doesn't smell, unlike the sulfuric springs. 

 It is a lot like a ritzy hotel pool, or spa. Everything is landscaped beautifully, and everyone looks so relaxed. And the view! It is surrounded by mountains, so you can sit in one of the pools and just take in nature's majesty. It is a very peaceful experience.

There are several different pools, all varying temperatures. We alternated between hot water and cool water, spending a few minutes in each. This is good for circulation. I felt so good afterwards, I can easily see why it is so popular here.

Later in the week, I had this popular "late-night snack." The restaurant was full of college students from a nearby university, and they were all eating this. I suppose that this is the Taiwanese equivalent of Waffle House.

For the purposes of this blog, I will dub this the "bread sandwich." It is a sesame seed flat bread that is cut in half and stuffed with a light, crunchy, fried dough. It sounds...odd. But it tastes good. It was served as a complement to this:

 This is a soup-ish dish, that is made from soft tofu, green onions, and broth. It is delicious, especially with a little bit of spicy sauce on top.

Now, you can't visit Taiwan without having beef noodles. You just can't. I had some the other day, and it was so worth it. The beef broth is flavorful. The noodles are homemade, (need I say more?), and the beef is so tender that it practically disintegrates in your mouth. In a word, it is wonderful. If you ever go to Taiwan, run, don't walk, to the nearest beef noodle restaurant. You will not regret it.

So, now you are caught up. I will see you for the next installment in adventure!