Tea Art Center, Nantou

Update on **28 December 2013**

Like usual, we headed to restaurant in Jiangnan Resort for breakfast. According to Ah Xiang, the signature breakfast dish was milkfish porridge (虱目鱼粥). She also warned us this porridge also served limited due to the short supply of milkfish. How the milkfish got it name is actually associated with Zheng Cheng Kong (郑成功）, in the Ming Dynasty. It's better search the internet to get the version of the origin name of Milkfish that you like. 

Milkfish porridge

The name tag of Milkfish porridge

Not really like Milkfish porridge because the fishy smell. Maybe the hotel should add few slices of ginger to remove the fishy smell.

Our first destination was tea art center

Tea field for the visitors to experience tea picking practices

As a tea pickers lady,JoJo was ready with her tea basket

The son of the owner tea art center, Ah Chen

Wished to shoot him again but interrupted by 2 tour members that shown in the above picture

Ah Chen offered to help us take the photo

tea field was so beautiful and arranged neatly

JoJo, don't be so excited and fall in love with the life of a tea pickers

Rosamond struggled to find the useable tea leaves (the bud with 2 fresh leaves)

Both of them really work hard to pick the tea leaves

Most of the useable tea leaves had been picked by others

JoJo was so serious and put the tea leaves that she picked into the tea basket. I understand Rosamond will save tea leaves in the pocket because it smells good!

She enjoyed tea picking so much

Opened her big eyes and kept on searching

They found the tea leaves and request the acknowledgement from each other

You look at the right side and I'll look at the left side

JoJo expressed proudly ;"I found it !"

JoJo, Ah Chen or Kenneth wouldn't reward or compensate anything if you pick the useable tea leaves successfully.

They displayed their sweet smile that really melt my heart

We had to farewell to the tea field and head to fluff the tea leaves. 

Ah Chen show us how to fluff the tea with the right skills and techniques. The tea smell was spread over the room where he fluff the tea leaves.

It claimed it was the the biggest tea manufacture in Nantou, Taiwan

A wide variety of tea that will distribute or wholesale to other states in Taiwan 

The large basket was needed to fluff the tea

Tea testing. We welcomed by the staff in tea art center

Waiting for Ah Chen for tea demonstration

snacks

tea biscuit produced by the owner

Rosamond was fascinated and attracted by Ah Chen's unique body language and tone of voice

We're served Dong Ding Oolong tea (冻顶乌龙茶）

JoJo played a role in showing the purpose of the long shaped small cup in warming your hand.

green tea mixed with Yogurt

I like the green tea powder manufactured by this owner. It's another function attracted me, green tea mask.  I never thought it's so expensive. 1 box green tea costs NT 1000 although Ah Chen employed buy 2 free 2 sales promotion.We're not "Lulu" (Cantonese usage that describe someone who's stupid) and we knew that the price that he charged for 2 boxes of tea actually take into account the 2 free boxes of tea.  After interaction of refusal on high pitched prices, we eventually left tea art center and back to the coach.

I still remember the particular conversation that I had with Rosamond in the coach.It's quite fresh, seemed like happen yesterday.

Me: Do you think that Ah Chen sound weird in terms of his slow body movement, eye contact and tone of voice?

Rosamond: I sense that too. He might having down-syndrome! (It's a joke). 

(Rosamond and me laughed loudly in the bus until JoJo asked what's wrong with two of you)

In my opinion, his body movement and tone of voice was an honest expression. Rosamond analyzed his action might due to his tea farm environment that never understand the real human faces and treat people genuinely. Take an example,from the various tourist attraction site that we've visit , he's the first help us shoot the photo. When look at him remind me the TVB Drama series Plain Love II (茶是故乡浓）