The past two days in Taiwan have definitely been filled with a lot of culture. The first tour day involved a quick tour of Hsinchu in the morning, a dim sum lunch, and then an afternoon hiking the Lion's Head Mountain and learning about Hakka culture. We saw a lot of temples while hiking, since around 10 temples are on the mountain! Then, after hiking, we went to Beipu, which is traditionally a Hakka town. 
We made tea in the Hakka style, which involved grinding tea leaves, seeds, and nuts into a paste which is used for our tea. It involved a lot of teamwork since it takes a long time to grind it properly! To complete the day, we had a Hakka style meal.Today, we went to a different county to experience the country-side of Taiwan. The county we visited is famous for its strawberries. As soon as we were off the bus though, vendors tried to sell us fruit. It was amusing, since one came forward with a persimmon, and cut it into pieces for everyone to try. She continued to talk in Chinese, but it did not matter to her if most of the group could not understand! It was great to see that friendly side.
We visited the strawberry museum (which has a giant strawberry and blossom in the front!), and then went strawberry picking on a farm. The strawberries were amazing, and the strawberry wine made by the town was also good. However, to complete the fruit-filled morning, we had a lunch complete with dishes that incorporated fruit -- like strawberries and shrimp, strawberries and bacon, Asian pears with pork, and persimmon soup!
There was a quick stop at the Shei-pa National Park Visitors Center, and then -- the journey to the hot springs! The roads were incredibly narrow and also winded around the mountains. We saw a lot on the way though, including a 5 star hotel that looked very similar to a construction site. The hot springs were amazing though, and very refreshing.
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