This weekend Jenny and I went South to Hengchun to do an Advanced Open Water Course with Dive Village and our favorite instructor, Steve. Jenny will likely post another entry on her course, but I was unfortunately not able to complete the dives required because I couldn't equalize due to allergies (despite daily meds and even emergency extra meds!).
Anyway, despite the fact that I was not able to dive, Jenny and I were able to bike around an see a bit more of the southern tip and even rented scooters to get around a bit more quickly! I think we both forgot just how beautiful Taiwan's natural landscapes are, especially on the east coast of the island, where there are gorgeous cliff-and-ocean views for miles.
Our whirlwind scoot trip started with a stop at one of the electric scooter shops in town, where we were first quoted a price of 800nt for a 24 hour rental. Because the shop was on the main street and right across from the bus station, Jenny thought it best to shop around for a better price. After asking at a couple of places that were sold out of electric scooters, we finally found a shop tucked away on the old street behind 7-11. The shop owner quoted us a 600nt price, which seemed like a better deal, though the scooters were not shiny and new like at the other shop. Still, we're not sold on paying so much more just for a shiny finish, so we went with the secondary shop after a brief test-drive.
The process was simple- we paid the fee and filled out a short form with our names and contact info, and then they took a photo-copy of my ARC (Taiwanese residence permit). Because it's an electric scooter and cannot exceed 55 kmph, Taiwan doesn't require the drivers/renters to be licensed. Once the paperwork was done, we left our bikes at the back of the rental shop, went out to inspect the scooters, and hopped on and headed back to 哈Cheese hotel to get a good night's sleep for our early morning ride.
Despite a plan to start out trip before dawn to see the sunrise over Taiwan's east coast, we were just too tired to get up that early. It was about 6:45 before we finally got up, and 7:15 by the time we had gotten all of our things together and got out the door. It turns out that this was for the best, because it took us nearly an hour to get to Kenting, which should have really taken 20 minutes. The reason for this, we found out, was that one of our scooters was rented to us was low on battery! Luckily, we called the owner of the shop and he rushed down to us with fresh batteries; and after just 30 minutes (and a local breakfast of peanut butter toast and soy milk!), we had fresh batteries and were on our way.
Our first planned stop was to the Eluanbi Lighthouse and park area at the tip of the island. Here, we realized that 90% of the "attractions" listed on the map were, in fact... either not there at all or highly exaggerated. For example, the map said there was a prehistoric village, but the only thing physically in that location was a marker with the history of the site. In fact, there was nothing there! We still haven't really figured out what we were supposed to be looking at; perhaps it was the rockface opposite the sign (small picture on the right, above).
After Eluanbi, we tried to pick up the pace, because it was already around 9:00 and we had to check out of our hotel by 11:00. Unfortunately, this meant we didn't get to take all of the pictures we would have liked, because we just didn't have time to stop for every cool thing on the side of the road. That said, we're planning to go back in the next few weeks just so we can do the same round the tip trip and actually take our time to take as many photos as we like!
As we rounded the tip on Route 26, the east coast began to reveal some pretty amazing cliffs, sands, and turquoise blue water. The weather during this time of the year (October-March) is usually breezy and clear, so it is particularly good weather to take photos in- all you can see is beautiful blue skies and little fluffy white clouds! In one particularly beautiful location, the ocean seems to go on for miles and it leaves you feeling both peaceful and energized. Taiwan's east coast has by far some of the world's most impressive landscapes! To give you a taste, have a look at the panoramic photo I took:
This section of road on Route 26 has numerous stops for tourists to get out, stretch their legs, and take photos of the natural beauty. Some of these seem to be more like tourist traps, but despite the bus loads of people, the landscape stands up to the hoards and maintains its stunning views. Have a look at the photos I took at one particularly popular spot called Long Pan Park and pay close attention to the last photo to get an idea of just how many people show up- even on a Tuesday morning!
Further down the road on Route 22, there are large open grassy fields, and in some areas, there are even cows monching lazily out in the sun. Because of time, I wasn't able to stop and get photos of the cows, but I hope that next time we'll be able to get some good ones of their cute faces gnomming on fresh grass. I'll definitely post them when I've got them! Cows are so cute :D
The final stretch of our trip was across the bottom of the island along Route 22. This road is equally beautiful for much of the time, and winds through the Ping Dong countryside alongside farm lands and meandering creeks. It's a beautiful drive, and I highly recommend it if you're in the Hengchun/Kenting area. If you're on an electric scooter, the ride with minimal stops takes about 2-3 hours, if you're on a regular scooter (not recommended) it takes about 2 hours with minimal stops. Not a huge time commitment, but the views are absolutely astounding as long as the weather is good!
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