Romping around in Taiwan...elegantly 撞翻台湾

其实那两个星期在台湾，我无时无刻不觉得累得要死，因为要表扬孝心，总是争着要帮妈妈拿行李，又想带她到更多地方，行程铺得满满的，累得天昏地暗。不过无论是那时候，还是现在回想起，在台湾乱撞的每份每秒都是美好的。

Two weeks in Taiwan with mum and all her baggage was, seriously, darn tired, but of course, we enjoyed every moment of it.

相信很多懂中文的朋友都听说过花莲的柚子之家了吧？那就不多说了，用几个字总结：接近完美，人和狗都那么棒，可以的话到花莲直奔他们家就好了。

Homestay is the best invention and I think will probably become one of its best heritage in Taiwan. It makes Taiwan different from everywhere else in the world, and it brings us face to face and be amazed at how unbelievably nice the locals are (trust me, this is not because they run the homestay you stayed at). In Hualien, the beautiful east coast town which was our first stop after touch down in Taipei, we stayed at Youzi's Place (guest you may need to type the bold Chinese characters above to find their webpage, don't think anything is in English), value for money, very homey, very comfortable, very well equipped, very nice people and very cute beagle (which was a stray rescued by the young couple running the place!), and you may also find very cute baby as the hostess just gave birth around Christmas 2010. (Oh telling you this reminds me of an article I promised to contribute to the Sunday section but totally forgot.)

Pix:

A wall of postcards from all over to thank the host's hospitality. Warmth and freedom.

海内存知己，来自东南西北的明信片都在这墙上了。

Pix: The three-pax room, ya you won't have hotel luxury here but I think this feels much better.

三人房，懒惰出门了。

因为我有一个名叫Sam的伟大朋友同行，我们的正餐小吃和旅游热点都经她在网上的深度考究而安排得天衣无缝。这花莲名店－－鹅先生－－是必访的。薄薄的鹅肉片多汁鲜嫩，这整碟还有其他大盆小盆的，我们伍眨眼间扫光（其实在之前已经吃了好多粒小笼包和水饺，才５０仙马币一颗小笼包，每吃一颗都在偷笑）。

Thanks to my bestest friend who had done extensive research on what to eat and where to go, I basically could walk with my eyes closed in Hualien. This "Mr Goose" located in the town centre is a must-try, the thinly sliced meat was tender, succulent and suitably flavoured. Yes, they had foie gras, but, erm, don't be too excited as we did and ordered two plates, they tasted like nothing but liver... and they are cloying, not bad for a try though.

Pix: Rich and creamy "mud" coffee served by an affable uncle who loves travelling and photography. He gave us a stack of postcards printed with his works as souvenir.

喜欢旅游和摄影的阿伯的浓浓的泥巴咖啡，拜拜时还送我们明信片呢。

Pix: A lovely second-hand bookstore tucked away in a dark corner on the fringe of a neighbourhood. Named "Time". Nicely enveloped in a musky sense of nostalgia.

时光，二手书店，美在没有一丝新意。

To be continued....