Written by Isaac Frank (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill), Student Correspondent for CET Taiwan, Spring 2025
“Melita, this is NOT downhill.”
40 of us CET students and language partners who’d decided to come to 猫空 (Maokong) Tea Village trailed behind Melita, the CET staff leading our optional Saturday activity. We had just finished a CET-sponsored trip with a gondola ride up a breathtaking mountain side, followed by a relaxing set of tea-tasting, and we then started hiking down the mountain, which we were told would be downhill. To our dismay, however, what had started as a gentle downhill slope suddenly turned into a sweat-breaking trek through the subtropical forest and up the mountain’s never-ending staircase.
After many water breaks, everyone finally made it to the top of the stairs and we were back to the gentle downhill; before we knew it, we had rounded out one of my favorite days I’ve had abroad so far.
Below are some pictures from the whole experience:
The Setup
Each one of the three teas were first washed, then steeped, filtered, and served. After our server showed us how to do the process, we began to do it ourselves, counting the seconds of how long the tea was steeped, as it was different for each kind of tea.
The tea snacks, 茶點（chá diǎn), just kept coming. They changed the experience of each tea, made for great conversation, and there were so many that they even served as a lunch.
Cheers!
乾杯（gān bēi)! Cheers! We continued trying all kinds of beverages made from tea while chatting in Chin-glish, each of us sharing, comparing, and voting for which was the best. On one side of the tea house were some plants, and on the other side was a view off the towering mountain side.
The Resting Point
Here was the relaxing midpoint after our treacherous “downhill” hike. We were only halfway down, but from there on out we were able to relax, talk, and take our time enjoying the view.
We Made It!
到了（dào le)! Arrived! Though my group was the last one done, we definitely had the most fun. We had deep conversations with our local roommates and language partners about Taiwanese religions, practices, and history.
Overall, this Saturday goes down as a key moment that has bonded us together since then. Not only did I learn Chinese words for tea and (albeit unexpected) hiking concepts, but I also got a workout out of it too (thanks Melita) as this experience opened my eyes to how something as simple as tea could be so much fun.