A day at Anping Tree House (安平树屋) & Anping Old street (安平老街)

I wasn't expecting myself to be travelling to Anping to visit the tree house today. I thought I was only going for dance class with 王老师. But she brought me to Anping tree house which is a place I was planning to visit soon. The weather was quite good as compared to the past few days.

pretty clouds seen while driving towards Anping

We stopped by the road to take a picture of this pretty harbour

Admission to the tree house is only NT$50 and it's free for locals. I was truly amazed by how the banyan tree engulfed the whole warehouse. The roots and branches of the trees had penetrated through the windows, floors and walls of the warehouse. Stepping inside the Tree House gives you a mysterious feeling and you will naturally feel relax while you bask in the shades of the trees. 

People living in this area believed that banyan trees have souls and some regard it as god. The tree provides huge area of shade and it's fibrous roots are able to thrive well. This place used to be the warehouse of Tait & Co-a Japanese salt company. After World War II, the salt industry declined and this area was abandoned. 

      

these roots continue to grow upon touching the ground

The British Tait & Co. Dutch company is just located beside the tree house. Moreover, entry into the Dutch company is included in the admission ticket to the tree house.  It is quite worthwhile as there are many things to see and exploreThere are a few wax statues that are on display and they depict some Dutch and Chinese culture. It's  a pity that no photography is allowed in the mini museum. 

After which we visited the old streets of Anping. Many stalls sold souvenir and local delicacies. 

There is an old shop that sells a huge variety of plums and dried fruits. It is recognise for its traditional packaging and production of plums and dried fruits. 

After which we headed to Anping Bean Jelly for desserts.

I had mocha ice with strawberries but I felt that it was too sweet. You will get a sticky feeling in your throat after eating this. According to 王老师，the bean jelly shop near our school taste much better. I am hoping to try it soon. haha.

Went for dance class after that and I was introduced to 杜奶奶. Any guesses how old she is? I can't believe she is 80 years old! Her fashion sense and lively personality truly obscures her age.

Dinner was Vietnamese glass noodle with pork & papaya salad. The soup is tasty but the noodle is kinda difficult to chew. You need some effort to break it into smaller pieces. Nonetheless, it was a satisfying meal.

Really thankful towards 王老师 for bringing me around again. <3