When we bought our train tickets after dropping off our rental car we decided we didn’t want to leave too early, or too late. We opted for the Goldilocks departure; the Tze-Chiang Limited Express at 0947; not too early and not too late, just right in fact. There wasn’t much ‘express’ about it, but we were in no hurry.
We followed Hightway 9 south, past Yuli (we could see the house we stayed in) and past the turn off to Highway 23. The Kraut was happy the toilet in our carriage was a western style one. In the last train there was a urinal and a squat toilet. She tells me using one of those isn’t fun at the best of times (I knew that) but on a moving train it is even less fun (which I could well imagine). To be fair, using a urinal on a moving train isn’t always fun either. I timed my visit for when we were stopped at a station.
Seeing the East Rift Valley again was nice, with its rice paddies, orchards and coconut palms. We crossed over some very wide river beds, which at this time of year were either dry or had small streams running down them. We also had mountain views to the left and right.
Once south of the city of Taitung we followed the coast. In places there was barely enough space between the mountains and the sea for the railway and the road, and in other areas not enough space at all, so we went through a few tunnels. Eventually we turned right towards the west coast. We were now going through the mountains, literally, passing through lots of tunnels, some of them very long, with views of the bush clad mountains in a blink-and-you-miss-it kind of way.
Upon our arrival in Fang-Liao we got the ‘Kenting Express’ bus. Having ridden on the bus I think ‘express’ has a whole different meaning in Taiwan. But it was a scenic ride following the west coast south. As we got nearer to our destination, the area became very built up. There was lots of traffic and noise. We finally arrived at our stop, one of the last, near Little Bay which is well south of the main commercial centre. The temperature and humidity level had dropped pleasantly but it was overcast and we had rain that evening. Our accommodation was in a small hotel, and was nicer and cheaper than any of the hostels we looked at.
The weather the next morning was like the day before, without the rain, so far. We decided to risk it and hire a scooter. We got an electric one, which was nice and quiet. So off we went, cruising along at our maximum speed of 24 kph. First we went south, towards the southern-most point in Taiwan. The road took us along the scenic coast to Eluanbi Park and its coastal views and lighthouse.
Having seen the park we continued on our way for a bit before turning back; we didn’t want to be stranded with a flat battery. We headed back north and stopped at a nice beach, where we had a swim. Whilst waiting for our swimwear to dry we were entertained by the Chinese tourists. They arrive at the beach as a couple; he in casual clothing with camera, her with her makeup done perfectly, hair just so, and dressed as if going to a dinner party. For the next several minutes, in one case about half an hour, she poses as if she is going to be on the cover of Vogue, while he takes copious amounts of photos. We didn’t see any of them in the water other than wading up to their knees.
By now the wind and sand were becoming a bad combination, so we continued north back to where we started and changed the battery in the scooter.
With that done we set off to find lunch, after which we continued to another beach, this one with a nuclear power station close by. We thought it looked like another Fukushima waiting to happen, however near the power plant we found the ‘Taipower Exhibit Centre in Southern Taiwan’, where they showed a movie reassuring the audience that Taiwanese nuclear power stations are designed to withstand earthquakes. This was followed by a short movie (with subtitles) about polar bears and their struggle to survive the now longer Summers. I guess the point was that nuclear power produces zero emissions. There was no mention of Taiwan being home to the world’s largest coal-powered power station.
It was now cooling down somewhat and at 24 kph it was quite chilly so, with a brief stop at the National Park Visitors Centre, we set off back to the rental shop,
On Saturday we got some exercise. The weather hadn’t changed, so as it wasn’t too hot, we thought we would walk up to the Kenting Forest Recreation Area. Unfortunately, the only route is along the road, which wasn’t very exciting, but we did get a nice view of Mt Dajian and saw some of the local monkeys, who didn’t appear to appreciate our presence. After about 4.5 kilometres we got to the park entrance, 300 metres above sea level. The Kraut now had a blister between two toes, caused, we think, by sand from her morning walk on the beach. I was hoping to get a pearl out of it, but no such luck. So we decided we would rather hike elsewhere and let her toes heal. So back down the hill we went, managing to hitch a ride on the way.
Later on we went to our local beach for a swim. To our surprise there were some Chinese/Taiwanese swimming. They seemed to be enjoying the experience.
The road to, and through, the park is four lanes most of the way from Fangliao to Eluanbi Park, but is rarely operating fully at four lanes due to parked cars, delivery trucks, and scooters. Near us, where it wasn’t so built up, each evening the road was reduced to two lanes by the sheer number of pop up stalls lining both sides of the road, and all their potential customers wandering along looking at what is on offer. The stalls ranged from arcade-type games to food (including a few small trucks fitted with wood burning pizza ovens), toys, souvenirs, and even a couple of pop up bars. There was almost a carnival atmosphere, and it was nice to sit at a folding table eating dinner and watching the world go by.
Thanks to everyone who is looking at our website. You can follow us on Instagram too.
If anyone has any questions about travelling in Taiwan, feel free to contact us at thekiwiandthekraut@gmail.com
The Kiwi & The Kraut 