Kenting

DAY 1 (Sat)
We left this morning at 10:00 a.m. and drove for 2 hours to the south of Taiwan. Our first order of business after arriving in Kenting was lunch. We went into town looking for it. Yvonne said she could always eat Thai food and the rest of us didn’t mind. So we had Thai food. It was a meal set for 4, but we had extra food. And I took a whole shrimp, pulled off the head, peeled off the shell, and ate it. Yeah!

Then we stopped in at the youth hotel where we would stay. We couldn’t check in yet but we used the bathroom to put on our swim stuff. Time to hit the beach! Jason had a 3-hour surfing lesson, so we girls got to chill on our own. We walked down to the beach (stopping to buy water, goggles and beach towels) and paid for an umbrella to have a little shade. Only 10 dollars and they didn’t say anything about a time limit. Plus they gave us 4 little chairs. Totally worth it.

The water was extremely salty. Ick. We had all purchased swim goggles, but they were poor quality. Yvonne broke 3 of the nose connector pieces and I broke 2. Maggie didn’t break any. Amazing! I spent the last half hour just sitting in a chair watching our things. And my mind wandered and I thought about all kinds of things. It was nice to be on the beach having played in the water and sun, but now sitting in the shade relaxing. I was content.

We went into town for the night. That’s where everything happens. Yvonne promised I would see other foreigners. I even told her that afternoon I hadn’t seen any white people. I saw a few at the markets. It was cool. They block off one lane on each side of the street and people just walk there. Vendors set up little shops in front of the “day” shops. There was food and all kinds of things for sale. I even say plastic food that looked totally real.

Yvonne’s goal was to buy some more swim shorts. She was successful :) Jason had an ink tattoo painted on his arm. Maggie and I just walked and looked. We each bought some postcards. And we had dinner there. Yvonne bought a squid and made me try some. It was okay- pretty chewy. The idea probably turns me off more than the taste. It took me awhile to find some food. I didn’t know what I wanted! I had some meat and sausage that was cooked in the aboriginal way – on slabs of rock. It was pretty good. And then I had watermelon juice. I was pretty full, but couldn’t resist buying Japanese mini-pancake treats. They are tasty. Funny how even the pancakes are different here.

I’m not sure how long we were in town. Maybe 5 hours. Maggie and I were tired by the end. We went back to the youth hotel and we were the first ones back in our room. Yvonne said we were too early! It was a room with 10 beds, but 11 people slept there. One couple shared a single bed. I was surprised. The drawback: only 1 bathroom. I was glad I had already experienced youth hotels on my British Literary Tour 2 years ago. Then I could get used to the idea when everyone in the room was part of my group.

Maggie and I shared a double bed while Yvonne and Jason were on the bunk beds. They were made out of bamboo and creaked whenever someone moved. I heard a bit of snoring in the night, but just rolled over. I was tired enough to fall back asleep.

DAY 2 (Sun)
I woke up to Yvonne saying, “Am, it’s 8.” I said, “And…you want me to get up?” She replied, “Yes, it’s time to go.” So we got up and got ready. The girls borrowed Jason’s car and headed off to hike. Jason had a chance to practice surfing without the instructor. Yvonne was happy I went on the hike because I got all the mosquito bites and she didn’t get any. (Unhappy smile)

The scenery was beautiful and I had fun. I got to climb on rocks (the other 2 stayed behind, boring) then I played with some bubbles 2 boys were blowing. And then, I found a tree branch that worked as a swing. It was sweet. It was also hot. Near the top, we found a hole formed by rocks and the breeze was fabulous. We stayed there for awhile. And that’s where I climbed. Yvonne was like my mother and telling me to be careful. My thought: yeah, yeah.

Another thing we saw on the hike was huge spiders. And I mean huge! I couldn’t get a picture of them because my camera focused on all the trees around it. And then when I loaded my pictures on the computer, I found one that turned out! Yes. This is for you Tiff & Shantaye; and all you other spider-lovers.

Our lunch was a fabulous American meal at Smokey Joe’s Café. I laughed because I’ve never been to one in the U.S. Go figure. It was pretty darn good. We all ordered a dish and then shared. The eating instruments on the table made me so happy – plates and forks. YES! Jason ordered a Caesar salad, Maggie ordered pasta with salmon, Yvonne ordered BBQ chicken with French fries (another happy thing), and I ordered a burrito with BBQ pork. And we even had dessert. Custard for Yvonne and a brownie w/ice cream for Jason, Maggie and I. Here we were disappointed for the brownie was more of a cake. :( Maggie and I had both been excited for a real brownie.

Our next stop was the beach. Again. Oh yeah. More sun, water, and sand. This time we played volleyball. My arms are still a little sore. Yvonne and Jason were good, but Maggie and I struggled. Oh well! It made us chuckle. I got a faceful of sand when I hit the ball into the wind. It was unpleasant. A funny thing happened: 2 girls wanted a picture with Jason and I. Ha ha! What a story for friends – a white girl and a cute guy. Good times.

I didn’t bother buying another pair of goggles. I just didn’t wear my contacts. My eyes hurt a little but it was fun. Maggie still had her goggles from the day before. And Yvonne had some with her prescription (didn’t even know they made those!). FYI-it was the Pacific Ocean we were playing in.

Then we went back to the youth hotel and used their shower (although we had already checked out). Yvonne and I were using the one outside and just rinsing off. But she decided to get her shampoo and actually wash. She put shampoo in my hair after I was done rinsing, so I went and took a real shower. The stinker. This vacation was good because I feel like we are friends now. We learned more about each other and laughed together.

Well, that’s my 2-day vacation in a nutshell. It was fun, hot, and beautiful. Here are some pictures. (Next weekend we are planning to go to Penghu but there may be a typhoon coming. I hope it doesn’t cancel the vacation!!)