Our destination was Kenting, the end of the road in Taiwan. Kenting is comprised of a small town on the southern strip that is surrounded by national park and ecological reserves. It's like a tropical paradise. We arrived just after noon on Thursday and walked the strip eating lunch and peeking into shops that were slowly coming to life in preparation for the night's market.
Until now, Taiwan has been a bit frustrating in that the time to go anywhere has taken double what would normally be expected. Kenting restored some travelers' faith. This part of the island is easy to get around and we soon found ourselves on the eastern side, looking into the Pacific Ocean. At the end of the road is a surf camp like town and we parked along the palm trees and headed out to the beach.
Finding a smoldering piece of wood from someone's old fire, we quickly stoked it up until we had a nice beach fire. Piles of nearby driftwood provided an endless supply of fuel but we were off to the southern tip in the hope of catching the night's sunset.
Unfortunately, we arrived a few moments too late to see the final rays of the sun but the hike to the southern tip was a nice and quiet one. The other tourists had departed and the trail to the point was empty. We emerged from the jungle to find this monument at the end of the line.
When the sun sets, the streets of Kenting come alive. Vendors sell all sorts of things. Lots of items can be put on a stick such as sausage, squid (looks a bit scary with all of the tentacles dangling about), cheese, fruit and chicken butt. Yep, I got fooled into buying le brochette de chicken arse one night. Contrary to what students in our class have told us, it is awful!
That night, we found a secluded grove on the eastern side to camp. The night was gorgeous with a large, orange moon peeking out from the clouds. Then, the wind started. It howled. Wind demons grabbed fistfuls of sand and threw it at us. Our tent began to fill with sand. The wind battered down the top of the tent. Finally, we made a quick retreat to the back of the Freeca for a cramped refuge.
The next day was beautiful. We explored a bit of the inland portions and stopped at Hengchun to visit the old city wall.
and market. This lady is selling shrimp - pick the ones you want!
Not wanting another night with the sand demons, we returned to the calmer, western shores and the beautiful Baishe Beach. It's a small cove nestled into the jungle. This became our home for the rest of the trip. Clear blue waters that were warm enough for long swims kept us busy. The sunsets were quite nice...
It was great to just relax
though Audrey became a bit obsessive with her desire to swim and fetch the ball out of the water. Here she digs one of her holes before returning the ball for the next round.
Side trips to the aquarium and little towns kept us going for the next several days.
All-in-all, this was a great trip. There are a few more photos tucked away if you're interested.
