Yes, we were on yet another trip. This time for nine days. I realize that I'm waaaay behind on my travel posts, like 5 trips behind! Heck, I haven't even started posting on our last road trip yet. I also realize that I'm kinda mixing and matching travel posts and have gotten two emails from folks saying how confusing it is for them. For this, I apologize. I am trying not to mix trips on consecutive days, so hopefully that helps!
As for this last trip, well, we started in a familiar locale, one of our favorite cities. And wanting to start things off on the "right foot", went to an old standby of ours.
We did stay at different accommodations this time. We loved our "suite", though it was quite hot, and the place had no A/C.
The staff was wonderful, and there was even an official snorer "greeter" on site at all times!
We did two amazing tours here. One was a private historical tour combined with eats. We have been to the historical center of the city several times; but we did learn a lot and visited some places we would never had found on our own.
We also had our favorite tacos of the trip on this tour.
The second was a small group (4 people) tour of the largest market in the city. Our guide was a former chef/caterer who was simply amazing! And we got to try some interesting eats as well!
Our next stop was the city with the third largest metropolitan area in the country. It's also home to some iconic dishes, which of course, we got to try.
We also did a private food tour one day and a fantastic walking tour of the city the next.
We also had our two favorite dinners of the trip here as well.
Our next stop is famous for its namesake agave spirit.
We loved the friendly, laid-back vibe here. Folks were warm and kind….and yes, it was indeed warm with temps in the triple digits when we visited. It was nice to be ensconced in a wonderful five-star hotel in the town.
We did two distillery tours, the first took us to a demonstration garden so we could watch the Jimador in action.
We had booked a VIP tour, so the second half consisted of a wonderful private tasting, followed by a nice three course meal.
The second distillery tour was one with a familiar brand name.
This tour exceeded my expectations and really helped to "fill in the blanks". We also did a private combined distilled beverage and chocolate tasting.
This was such a beautiful and charming town.
We really took to this "Pueblo Magico". I even found my favorite "breakfast" spot in the "Callejon del Taco".
And the Missus could polish off a liter of Crema de Coco or Coconut water from this cart in a minute.
Yes, we loved our time in this state. The sights, the sounds, the food, the agave spirits! But it was the warm and friendly people that really made an impression on us!
They work so hard, but always seemed to have time for a smile!
We can't wait to return!
Thanks for stopping by, I'll have something for San Diego tomorrow!
The the outrageous price of NT$45….yes, I'm kidding, this equates to about $1.45/US we got a bowl with a large dumpling which was fried before entering the thick miasma of a sauce. The wrapper had a pleasant, somewhat glutinous chewiness. The sauce was thick, quite savory, with a hint of sweetness. The meatball was very tasty, though a bit on the tough and chewy side. The combination of flavors was excellent. And this was pretty filling.
I enjoyed sitting right outside the shop. The view of the plantation style houses reminded me of our trips to Honolua "small kid time" to see my grandparents.
We had enjoyed the fact that everything from the pasture raised beef, to the brioche buns, to the mushrooms in the mushroom burger is local. The Missus had really enjoyed the mushroom burger the last time and of course, this being Parker Ranch territory, I needed to have that Big Island Beef Burger.
This was cooked a bit past that, but the burger was so beefy! I requested just a touch of mustard, which combined with the wonderfully sweet and acidic tomato really helped to balance out the beefiness. The beef was a bit toothsome; but that's the deal with pasture raised beef made from cuts like chuck and brisket.
The coconut crust was a bit too sweet for us. There were also spots where the coconut was burnt, adding a rather unpleasant bitterness to the dish.
The Missus loved Her coffee and wanted to buy a bag. So, we went in and took a look around and could not find the coffee. So we asked Brian who told us he had two bags left behind the counter. He sold us one. It was $95! The Missus just absolutely loved this coffee.
We were interested to see what effect the "time of Covid" had on Suisan and it was soon evident. Gone are the tables out front. You wait in line in front of the shop, there's a limit to the amount of folks they let into a shop at any one time.
We came across what looked like a hotel….it turned out to be the Splendor Hotel, with a bunch of vendors selling all sorts of plants and crafts. The Missus read one of the signs and noticed that the building is called "Park Lane" and on the third floor was something called "Taichung Sixth Market". Since it was still early and Dawncake didn't open until 10 we decided to check the place out.
The Missus really loved the yamaimo and the meat was buttery, beefy, and so tender.
Of course, in typical fashion, when there's just too much to see, like when 
The fat on this was quite velvety, but the meat kind of dry. The flavor was a lot milder, lacking in the sweet-soy, ginger, and slightly pungent tones I'd used to in this dish. It also had a bit too much of a greasy mouthfeel for us as well.
