This is me and Rong Shun (榮順) , he is one of six who restored a 120 year old tea house called A Ma’s Secret Garden, or in Mandarin 阿嬤的 秘密花園 (A Ma de Mi Mi Hua Yuan). They started in October last year and at the end of January this year they opened shop. It is a historical site, a quite place to rest, a beautifully decorated tea house and bed & breakfast. I went there last weekend, this was my second time there. I wrote about my first time there, I met them on my adventure around the North Coast. They were all really friendly and said come back, I did. Last Sunday afternoon I went back and had a great time.
They are six friends who live in the town of Jinshan, Taipei County. They are all friends since childhood. They have all lived in the city and returned home. They are all very happy when many people visit their shop, and over the holiday weekend the shop was really busy. Most people who visit Jinshan will visit A Ma’s.
The weather has been cool and rainy recently. Perfect time to go to the mountains of Jinshan and go to the hot springs. That is what we did late Sunday night. I slept very well that night. In the evening before that, I strolled around crowded Jinshan Old Street (金山老街) , the oldest street in the town. The next day when I woke up, the two that stayed at the shop were up early already, preparing breakfast for the visitors. It was nice to see the hospitality they showed. All the visitors really enjoyed their stay. That day, my friends told the story of A Ma’s Secret Garden to all the many visitors that would come and go. I watched and admired them, having such a special place to share. Everyday is like vacation for them. It feels like a vacation when I visit them, I did not want it to end.
Rong Shun (榮順), A Xiang (阿祥) , Xiao Chong (小蟲), Han Chang (漢昌), A Wei (阿衛) and Xiao Hei (小黑). See the photos of their place close-up here.
