Two Tickets to Paradise (Part One)

Some weeks ago Katie and I were given a list of Taiwan's national holidays and the subsequent days off of work they would provide. To our amusement we learned that the Taiwanese people actually voted to have fewer holidays as they took away from work (not kidding). So the list was rather short...almost comical. The only holiday in sight was October 10 --Taiwanese Independence day. It fell on a Friday so Katie and I decided to make the most of it and take the whole week off. We had heard that plane tickets around Asia were very cheap so we felt confident in our ability to book an international trip on the cheap and we would be set.

After some research and serious effort we discovered that plane tickets were not nearly as cheap as we had been told. Every ticket came with a hefty fuel tax that tripled the price of the ticket. So...what do we do? With only a week left till the coming break we decided to make use of the convenient Taiwanese public transit and to make a trip around the island. To make the trip unique we decided on a few destinations, then just trusted in our ability to find our way there: no pre-booked tickets or hotels...just a general idea on what we wanted and our trusty tour book. The week passed slowly, Katie and I were both dealing with a head cold and an extra class that we were subbing for. Friday finally arrived and I found myself flat on my back: sick. So sick that I had to take my first day off from work and then go to the doctor.

Long story short we were going to leave on Saturday but had to wait until Sunday instead. We packed a bag early Sunday morning then rode our scooter to the Hsin-Chu train station. Our first destination would be a Taiwan hot spot: Kenting.

Kenting is located at the very southern tip of Taiwan. There was no train that went directly there so we would have to figure it out. We booked a train ticket to Kaohsiung (the second largest city in Taiwan) and we were on our way.

The Taiwanese train system is really quite amazing. Without too much detail, the tickets are cheap, the trains are efficient, reliable, quiet and there are plenty of them (Unless you go on a national holiday...but more on that later!). We enjoyed a leisurely train ride down the length of the western portion of the island and two and a half hours later we found ourselves in the middle of Kaohsiung.

The city is huge, loud and quite intimidating. We stepped out of the station and began to look for a way to get to Kenting. After a quick dinner we spotted a bus and began to make our way toward it.

It was here we discovered there are always options. In Taiwan, if you want to get somewhere you can take a train, a bus, a plane or...often there is just some guy who is willing to drive you for a modest fee. We knew you could take a cab as an option so I walked over to a cab driver just to test the water. His price was outrageous and after some basic bartering we decided to just head toward the bus station. As we were crossing the street a man came up to us and asked where we were going. I told him Kenting and he said he would take us in his van. He would charge us only $3 more than the bus...

Sound sketchy? Just wait.

We agreed (perhaps foolishly) and climbed into his van. He told us to wait ten minutes so we sat awkwardly and waited. Ten minutes later we drove to the other side of the street where we parked and the man told us to wait again. We felt a little nervous but we were ok.

A few minutes later he came back and told us to get in another van. This van had all its windows tinted and/or covered by curtains. We climbed in, but felt uncomfortable. The van drove around the block then stopped again and our new driver told us to wait. He climbed out and disappeared into a small crowd. Feeling a little scared, frustrated and tired (I was still feeling under the weather) we decided to give him five minutes and then we would leave.

He returned a minute later with two other guys apparently heading to Kenting as well. He then gave me his business card (a common sign that he is "legit") and we tore off through the city toward the sun-drenched sand of Kenting.

The drive was eventful in so far as our driver made good use of his neon flashing lights and passed as many cars as he could via the shoulder. There was also something hypnotic to his overly-loud, trance-like electronica music and it was an adequate soundtrack to the drive. We laughed at several occasions when we felt like we were almost on two wheels. After letting the other passengers out at a very dark, rather bleak location near the highway our driver asked us where we wanted to be let out. We quickly found a recommended hotel in our tour book and told him the address. Twenty minutes later we were there.

We climbed out of the van, paid the driver then smiled as we took in the fresh salty air of Kenting. It was dark and we couldn't see much but we were feeling pretty good about ourselves. Now...where to stay?

The hotel we were let off at had no rooms left so we walked next door. Again, some lady walked right up to us and asked us where we were going (I really had to use my Chinese on this trip...it felt good) and I told her we were looking for a place to stay. She took us into an alley where her hotel was and we booked a room. Hotel prices in Taiwan are significantly cheaper than those in the states and we were given a really good deal. Then we were led up to our room and Katie burst out laughing (as soon as the lady left of course)...not because the room was dirty...but well...here are the pictures:



Is that pink, or salmon, you ask? The answer is yes and lots of it. The bed was also quite...shiny and slippery. I literally almost slid off of it at some point during the night. Other than that the room was fine and it felt good to be away from everything. We spent the remainder of the night exploring the Kenting night market and just resting.

The next morning we were up early and ready to find a different place to stay. This only required two things: A nice shower/bath and a non slippery/shiny bed. After a quick walk we stepped into the "Tranquil Sea Vacation Hotel" and asked about seeing rooms. We were shown a couple that looked ok and then we were taken to the VIP suite...and we were sold. The room was beautiful with an ocean view, a nice layout and the biggest tub I have ever seen (literally). We were given a discount (as it was a weekday) and any comparable room in the States would have cost at least twice as much.



After settling in our room we spent the day exploring the little town around us and simply resting. Kenting is the only beach resort in Taiwan...that is to say it is typically a major destination for anyone on the island looking for nice beaches and lots of sun. For the most part the town is very nice, lots to look at, nice scenery and good food. But there are certain parts that are just so distinctly Taiwan you never forget where you are:
So...looking for a nice vacation spot? Sun? Check. Beach? Check. Beautiful location? Check. Jackhammers, random garbage and sickly dogs...welcome to Taiwan. On the one hand it isn't as bad as it sounds, on the other hand as my brother so adequately said the last time I saw him, "In Taiwan you just have to lower your standards...hahahaha." That will be a blog post of its own very soon: Taiwan--just lower your standards.

Seriously Kenting is a beautiful place...I only added the section above as a side note to say that there are parts that are rough around the edges. Our days there were so relaxing and restful that the place was exactly what we were needing it to be.

The weather went from extremely hot to rainy off and on giving us ample time to spend on the beach and huddled indoors. Here are some shots from the beach at the storm that moved over us in a matter of minutes:


The rain came in buckets and it was so relaxing to listen to as it drove into the ceiling above us.

Another great aspect to Kenting was the food. Finding food in Taiwan can be quite challenging at times and Kenting was wonderful in it had pleanty of great places to eat at reasonable prices. We enjoyed our dessert crepes Monday night and spent the time discussing what we would do on Tuesday.

We knew we wanted to go to "Green Island"...a small, little-known island off the east coast of Taiwan. The problem was getting there. There was no train from Kenting to the east coast city of Taitung (where the port was that we needed to find)...and we found out there were no direct buses either.

We met an extremely nice lady at a small bed and breakfast who helped us figure out where to go. We were to catch a bus north to a small town that had a train station. From there we would catch a train to Taitung. It sounded easy enough and we woke up on Tuesday morning with a resolve to find our way!

We knew that we didn't see nearly all there was to see in Kenting and decided that we would definitely go back and spend time exploring. But that would have to wait...