Yilan!

After returning from a week in Kenting, on the Southern tip of Taiwan, we decided to head out the next day to Yilan, on the East Coast of Taiwan. My aunt and a big group of her friends were having an end-of-the-year party and invited us to go along. We stayed at a hotel with Japanese tatami mats in the room. It was fun to run around on the mat. We then got dressed up for the big dinner party. As usual, I got lots of attention from all the new aunties and uncles.
Getting dressed up for the party

Yummy buffet dinner

Cake!

Karaoke and dancing!

Me in my pretty dress

The next day, we dipped our feet in this fish pond at the hotel where a special breed of fish will come and eat the dead skin from your feet, leaving your feet really smooth like a baby's bottom. It was really tickle-y! My parents wondered if it could be considered animal cruelty to make the fish eat something as gross as the dead skin off our feet. The fish didn't seem to mind, though.

Soaking in the hot spring pool


After that, we headed toward the Center for Traditional Arts, a Disneyland-like place that seeks to preserve some of the old handicrafts that may be lost otherwise. Here is a photo of someone making pulled candy. It was good to see a young guy doing this so the tradition and skill could be carried on. The candy was really good!

Incense made the traditional way