Hualien Part 2

Probably about time I finished the posts about our trip to Hualien haha...
  Okay well we stayed the night in the shady hotel and the beds were as I said, surprisingly comfortable after some adjustments. We watched that show about different cat breeds and looked at kittens before we sacked out. When morning came around we went and had these well known dumplings as breakfast. They were bite-size which I guess is what made them so popular because you could just pop them in your mouth. Yue's cousin only ordered about 5 I think but we liked them so much and we ate them so fast he went back and got more and then a few more after that. Something about those little dumplings lol
    Anyway we hung around the town a bit and I bought a book but then we were off driving through the mountains again. I was not feeling those curvy and never ending bumpy roads at all. We were driving for the longest time and stopped only to use the restroom and take in the occasional view. We took a break at one point at a very steep part of the mountain where a Tea House/Restaurant was perched on the edge. They were selling a special peach honey that they served with the black tea I ordered and it was amazing. The tea was especially good because it had become very cold on the mountain and the warmth was very pleasant. The food we ate was so-so but I was not too hungry since I had been feeling ill the whole way up. The view from the restaurant was incredible, it appeared as if we were above all the clouds, like we were floating at the top of this mountain. The staff were friendly as well and they even had a one young man who spoke very good English, I'm thinking what're you doing all the way up on this mountain?!
   Our pitstop only lasted so long though before we were on our way up the mountain again. I had no idea where we were going only that we kept getting higher and the roads got skinnier. I assumed we had reached our destination when we parked amongst a group of travelers and went up to a lookout point looking out into the mountains. It was extremely foggy that high up but the view was truly a sight to behold. Something about the cool air was so refreshing and invigorating. I was super cold of course but it's the same kind of feeling you get when you feel the first cool stream of winter wind, I enjoy that feeling although I really can't stand the rest of winter. The Ed Sheeran song "I See Fire" kept playing through my head as I took in the mountains(~￣▽￣)~
                    

    I assumed we were done then with our mountain viewing but her cousin had told us beforehand that he wanted to take us the longer route home because it was more scenic so our driving did not stop till much later. We drove nearly 4 hours I believe it was and once the sun was down there was not much left to see.. On the way we made a stop at a fancy hotel and got to see a most spectacular view of the city lights stretching across the landscape with the lights flickering off as they moved up towards the mountains. It was completely opposite of our earlier view but equally as beautiful. I of course was having too much fun watching the geckos catching flies inside the lamps, their silhouettes outlined against the light.
  Anyway we made it back to Taipei pretty late at night and bid farewell to Yue's cousin. It was a short trip but the sights were worth it. My only regret is that we weren't able to visit the hot springs and we didn't get to see the sheep that apparently can be found in an area we drove through.

So there you go! Mini mountain trip accounted for

       Savi