Surfing, food and beers... Kenting! (1 of 2)

Just over twenty four hours after landing in Taiwan I found myself on the move again, this time travelling to the southern most point of Taiwan. The destination is a small surf town called Kenting, known for it's awesome beaches and seasonal surfing. Unfortunately, I went down at the very tail end of the surfing season and the waves were starting to get small... really small. It worked out well since it made learning much easier, but it didn't offer much after picking up the basics.

The ideal mode of transport to move across the island of Taiwan quickly is the high-speed rail system. The rail system spans the length of the country and allows for the longitudinal crossing of Taiwan in a matter of two to three hours.




The railcar is rather spacious with plenty of legroom. During optimal hours, they offer enroute meals for a reasonable fee, including alcholic refreshments. Definitely my preferred method of transport should I decide to leave Taipei again. The train travels at approximately 200 km/h across a variety of terrain and cities, making several stops at larger cities across the country. For NT$2000, or about CAD$66, you can procure a one-way ticket from the northern most part of Taiwan (Taipei), to the southern-most stop in Kaioshiung. Once in Kaioshing, an hour and a half taxi ride out to the town of Kenting is all that lies between you and beach-side relaxation.



After arriving in Kenting, my brother and I check in to our bed and breakfast and find that we're sharing a bed... that happens to have the drapes that cover the bed for when... stay-at-home fun occurs. I wonder what the BnB manager thought... We didn't stay in the room for long as we headed down to the surf shop that our personal tour-guide runs. It was a little hole in the wall with a small caf‚ to hang out in and an area to grab your gear. Situated just across the street from the beach, it was an ideal location to start our surfing instruction.





So, we grabbed some gear, suited up and crossed the road to the beach where we spent a few minutes on the sand learning how to stand up on the board. The sweltering heat was made relatively bearable due to the nearly constant breeze cutting across the beach. After a little cool-off session under a beach umbrella, we snapped a few pictures and jumped in the water.



Continued later..

The day that never ends!

My first day in Taiwan went by in a blur, due mostly to the fact that I had not slept for the preceding 24 hours (and then some). I was dropped off at my godparents apartment and after getting unpacked I stopped by a Beef Noodle restaurant with my brother. We picked up a bowl of stewed-tomato beef noodles and tucked in.



The tomato stew wasn't quite what I was accustomed to, but it still made for a fairly hearty broth. Unfortunately, since the resulting stew wasn't prepared over a long period of time, it didn't have the same depth of flavour that regular Hong-Sau broths have. This bowl wasn't anything spectacular either way, though I'd say that the largest redeeming factor was the tenderness of the meat. It was by far some of the softest beef I've had in recent memory (barring extremely fatty cuts). The noodles themselves were cooked to an al dente consistency, which gave the meal some contrast in textures between the beef and noodles.

All in all, I'd rate my first bowl of beef noodles in Taiwan a 6.5/10. I don't regret it, but I have no real reason to go back.

The remainder of the day was uneventful save for a dinner with my godparents at what apparently was a very well-known restaurant in Taipei. Din Tai Fung has about three dozen branches in 13 countries or so. This particular branch looked as if it could seat about fifteen people. Luckily, we had arrived just slightly before about thirty people materialized in line and were shuffled in before the rush; things did not look promising for the throng of people waiting outside. Walking in to the crowded restaurant, I realized that there was no real place for the four of us to be seated; then I heard them direct us to the third floor. This restaurant has FIVE floors. It was pretty incredible. The first two floors were dining rooms, as were the fourth and fifth. Part of the first and the entire third was dedicated to what I imagine would've been the kitchen. An odd layout by our North American standards, but from the looks of it the place was absolutely bustling with people.

The quality of the food was superb; my godparents told me that all the food served in the restaurant was organic-certified and procured daily. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the food, but rest assured it was both delicious and satisfying.

Several beers later, we'd head home and call it a rather early night. Given, by this point I had been awake for well over 24 hours in addition to the jet lag (GMT+8). To top it all off, I would have to be up early the next day for my trip down to the southern tip of the country, Kenting.

Al

Allen goes to Taiwan!

Sitting in the boarding lounge of the Vancouver airport still did not provide the sense of excitement and anticipation I would have expected leading up to my second trip to Taiwan. What made this trip particularly special was that I would not have to bear the supervision of my parents. I expect that the freedom that this would allow for a much more entertaining vacation than otherwise.

I sat waiting for the boarding call for almost two hours; two hours that passed relatively quickly between people watching, dozing off and reading. The excitement that I was expecting finally started hitting me as I stood in the line to have my pass checked. Once I got to the front and handed my boarding pass to the lady, I felt the butterfly sensation in my gut and the mixture of excitement and hint of apprehension. I didn’t quite realize it at the time, but the next thirteen hours in the air would be more than sufficient to eliminate any excitement.

The first several hours of the flight were relatively uneventful, I had a horrible meal, and tried to sleep. Even with the plane blanket on I still found the temperature of the plane to be too cold. From the amount of blankets that were being handed out (they actually ran out) most others agreed. Aside from the awful food and frigid temperatures, the flight would’ve been fairly bearable... save for the fact that my seat neighbour was an elderly Indian woman... which made conversation brief and gesture-filled. Suffice it to say, the conversation was neither deep, nor was it particularly satisfying. I spent the rest of the trip in silence.

Sleep on the plane was fitful and uncomfortable, not due to a lack of space, but rather the seats that seemed to accommodate only people without necks, or maybe necks that bent the wrong way. By the end of the flight, I had an incredibly stiff neck. You can tell this was a bitter point of contention.

Thirteen hours from my departure, we made our final descent to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. The flight thus far had experienced very little turbulence, with a couple of bouts as we travelled over Japan, but until then it had been remarkably smooth. The descent more than made up for it as the last ten minutes of the descent were harrowing. The turbulence culminated with a terrifying landing approach that felt more like a (broken) rollercoaster ride rather than an aircraft making a scheduled landing.

The rest of the landing process and baggage claim was uneventful, as was the drive back to my grandparents' place. Well... except for the outrageous way in which people drive here, but I'll save that story for another day.

Al