This might seem redundant to some who know me. I mean, sometimes a good cup of coffee IS paradise. But on our trip this past week, we had an unexpected treat when we went to a very special coffee shop in southern Taiwan, north of Fangshan Township on Highway 1.
Sitting on what could easily pass as the set for Gilligan’s Island, I was able to enjoy a creamy latte, a beautiful breeze, amazing scenery, and the company of three lovely Taiwanese students: two from the university where I teach (Green Tea and Olivia) and Olivia’s cousin, Emily, who goes to a university in southern Taiwan. I also got the pleasure of seeing my husband wander around enjoying the scenery and photographing to his heart’s content, as is evidenced by the photos below, and the ones you will see in other posts from this trip.
When I say “this trip,” I am referring to a 36 hour getaway that Dave and I made the week before the Chinese New Year’s holiday. We took a 4 1/2 hour train ride to the southwestern part of Taiwan, stopping first for a few hours in Kaohsiung before heading to the area near Pingtung, where we spent the night with one of the student’s family. Before retiring for the evening, we were informed that the plan was to take us to a coffee shop on the ocean, and wow, we weren’t disappointed.
The coffee shop, Magic Café, is located on a simple roadside exit off the highway. There were other shops and restaurants there as well. We had lunch at one of them, where sitting at the table was like being on deck of a ship and looking out over the railing at the sea.
But let’s go back to the coffee shop. We spent a couple of hours there, enjoying the coffee, the view, the company, and the gorgeous weather.
This is the view as you get out of your car and head to the coffee shop. Just past that white fence is the “outdoor seating area.” But first, check out the counter of the coffee shop. No doors; it just faces out to the ocean. The barista sees that view all day long. I’m sure there are times when the place is really hopping, but it was quite low-key the day we were there. SO perfect.
Here we are moving chairs and tables to have our day in the sun.
The beach was lovely. The waves were lovely. We picked up menus from the coffee shop. After making our selections, we walked down to the shore for a bit. How could I look around at all of this beauty and not be transported to an instant state of relaxation and inner peace. Everything else ceased to exist. We could have spent the day there! Or a lifetime!
When you look at this picture, you see the mountains in the background. They are on the other side of the highway. These are the mountains I mentioned in the post I did about 1:23 pm on 1/23 (Logan’s Birthday).
And of course, all the amazing pictures of the water and the sky. It had been a while since I was able to just bask in the rhythmic dance of the waves. Hypnotic, peaceful, heavenly.
Great coffee, great company, great scenery, great weather. We are already making plans to go back. And at a time where we can stay for sunset. On the other hand, I don’t know how it could get much better than this.
*In the picture above, in order from the left. Green Tea, Olivia, Emily, and Yours Truly.
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Also posted for FanFoFeb: http://willowdot21.wordpress.com/2014/02/02/fanfofeb-spiders-web/
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