HOMESTAY

We put up in Jimei homestay lodge in Hua Lian.  It is family friendly.  Everything is tip top and the owner and staff are friendly and accommodating.  The neighborhood is farmland that grows varieties of vegetables.

Beautiful country homestay surrounded by mountain and green vegetation.  The scenery is awesome.  We were given a duplex large enough to accommodate 6 people

The facilities were clean and spacious with 2 bathrooms, came complete with towel sets.  The floors were not slippery.

Living room and toilet facilities were on the lower floor, six comfortable beds and beddings were on the upper level.  The beds were soft and comfortable.  We snuggle up against the cold in the night.

Their breakfast is splendid.  They enquired what time we would like to have our breakfast the night before and they only prepared it when we came down.  They provided 2 choices, either sandwich set or Chinese porridge set.  The porridge set is alot for 2 person but we managed to finish it.  The dishes to accompany the porridge : stir fry fern leaves, steam beancurd with soya sauce, stir fry cabbage and carrots, egg omelette, pork floss and pickled radish, plus a plate of fresh fruits.

Overall it was a warm and wonderful experience.  In future will try to source for homestay when travelling in Taiwan.

JAI THAI

Always bypassed this tiny Thai eating place when hunting for eating places along East Coast Road.  It was always crowded and decided to give it a try one evening.

The place is small with tables and chairs tightly packed.  There is not much free space to move around after settling down.  There are many takeaways thus making the place crowded and noisy.  Patience is needed as they are short of manpower.

Fiery papaya salad to go with cups of water

Assam prawns a great dish to go with bowls of rice

Tasty kangkong fried with preserved bean curds and chilli padi

Creamy and fragrant green curry

Fried beancurd with tanghoon in vinegar sauce

A great sauce for the beancurd and tanghoon

The food is good and cheap.  It is value for money although you have to put up with the noise, crowd and long waiting time.

BANANA BREAD

175g plain flour, 125g butter (melted), 150g sugar, 2 large eggs, 75ml liquor, 300g mashed bananas,

1 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla extract & 60g walnuts

Sieve flour, mix all dry ingredients together and mix well
Melt butter with sugar and leave to cool
Pour cold butter mixture over dry ingredients and mix well.
Add in beaten eggs and mix thoroughly
Mix in bananas and liquor and stir well
Add in walnuts and ready to bake at 170C for 30-45 mins

LEISURE

On a lazy Saturday have a leisure tea to while away the afternoon.  Bought a bunch of fragrant bananas from the market and due to its ripeness used it to bake a banana bread.  The second one offered to bake and happy to let her do it and let me enjoyed some free time.  A nice and fragrant cake to go with English tea and could not stop eating.

OCTA HOTEL

After a heavy dinner at Millenia Walk we looked for a place to hang out before heading home.  Octa Hotel Cafe is a pretty cafe with a Japanese-Parisian theme, facing Ritz Carlton hotel.  The cafe has a retail store within the same premises which sells all sorts of exquisite items.

We order a few simple desserts and tea and spent a leisure night people watching.