A five-plus-hour car ride. With four native speakers, it was a great opportunity to improve my language ability. Fortunately, my friends speak much better English than I do Chinese! And despite the long drive, I was eager for the chance to visit Kenting, a renowned beach resort at the southern-most tip of Taiwan.
After a late morning departure, we reached Kenting a few hours before sunset. With little idea of our actaul agenda, I was immediately awed at our first stop - the Kenting National Forest. After a brief hike, we climbed to an observation platform to take in the view.
The vista was arresting. Verdant, rolling foothills strecth inland as far as the eye can see, eventually escalating into majestic mountains. Opposite, the forest tapers off into the vast blue Pacific. Coral rock and wind-shaped trees, two of the singular features of the forest, are complimented by a variety of flora and fauna that make the forest simply stunning.
Our next stop - South Bay beach. The sun sank quickly as we searched for a spot along main street. We reached the beach with perfect timing to admire the sunset. A few rolling clouds obstructed the view, yet the sky was still painted with soft patches of violet and pink. Even with daylight fading, the beach was thronged with people. We spent a little time in the water, a little time playing, but evening quickly settled. We soon left to prepare our accommodations for the night - two tents at a cozy little site not 15 minutes walk from downtown! Another brief stop, just long enough to set up camp and shower before heading back into town. The Kenting night market awaited.
A brief word on night markets. Virtually every major city or town boasts a night market, many places more than one. No matter where you are, night markets swarm with crowds of people pressing through narrow aisles or along cramped streets lined with shops and vendors, food stands and carnival games. The night market in Kenting was unlike any other I've experienced. The atmosphere was charged, the mass of humanity almost crushing! Enjoy a glimpse for yourself.
Our night was not yet complete. From the night market, we traveled a short distance to visit the
chu huo, a site renowned for its small fires that burn perpetually off natural gases seeping up from the earth. Groups of visitors lit fireworks, some popped kettle corn over the flames. Relaxed and at leisure, the mood of the people was contagious. It was simply fun being among them!
Our day eventually came to an end, but not before several rounds of card games back at the campsite. The next morning came too quickly! By midday, we were to be back on the road returning to Fengyuan. We used the morning to visit one last site, the Fuangong temple. Apparently the largest temple of its class in Taiwan, hundreds of visitors filtered through offering prayers and burning incense.
A five-plus-hour return ride. Thoroughly exhausted, I think we were all eager now to get home!
Littered with fallen rock, swallowed by undergrowth, the jungle road was pure adventure. In places, rainwater and runoff pooled, making the road almost impassable. Obvious sink holes could be seen forming. Stretches of guardrail had eroded away. It was awesome!
