Day 3: Oh, Good Morning Kenting

Up again at 3:30 am, cool.

Kenting: Located at Taiwan's Southernmost tip, is known to the locals as Kending. As with most places we tried to pronounce to my mom, she had no idea where we were talking about. When she figures it out, she usually corrects my pronunciation with a substitute letter or a different tone.

Today was our relax day. We started off with a walk on the beach, where we found a lot of real cool rocks. Please see photos. We were blown away by the softness of the sand, even in the areas covered with debris and rocks. At 6:30 am, the water was already lukewarm. 

One could call us Rockologists I suppose...

Always a romantic, that guy...

In the spirit of Halloween...

Adam was trying to get the hermits to come out and mingle with their neighbor...

Family Tree on the beach...

It was a beautiful morning and our walk yielded many interesting sights, making it a delightful adventure. That, and we were hungry! Our stay included free breakfast coupons, one free afternoon tea, and coupons to the hotel shops and cafes. Breakfast was immaculate: Buffet style with anything you could ask for. Just like the Holiday Inn Express in Taoyuan, the "Western" food items were a bit peculiar. Our favorite was the DIY cheeseburger bar. Adam said, "Cheeseburger, of course that's what I ate everyday for breakfast in the USA!" ~~Lol~~ We joke, but the Chinese tourists loved Cheeseburger day!  As for me, I enjoyed a bowl of my favorite dish, water rice. I eat it back home, but the reason I really love it here is because the toppings/side dishes are fresh! My cans and jars from Mr. Ho's Oriental Market in Overland Park, KS just can't compete. Our other notable observation was the ceiling height.  Our heads were about 6" from touching the ceiling; they obviously did not have us in mind during the Chateau construction.

The rest of the day consisted of lounging on the beach, well just for a little while. We quickly learned why the resort was such a ghost town during the day. Its hot! And, I am now too old to hang out beachside catching rays and tanning for 4 hours at a time. Our next idea was to check out the pool.  Things seemed to be a bit different here too. People don't just hang around and in the pool. There weren't even any lounge chairs out like we're used to. In the pool, you were either swimming laps for exercise or in the kiddie pool with your kids. Plus, pool rules state swimming caps are required...Adam didn't want to get down with that. So, we hibernated inside until sunset.

Simple life, simple beer

Kindle ♥

With my planner OCD mind, I had a mini-panic moment. I thought the Kenting Night Market was fairly close, by a quick cab ride. But I didn't have this in my travel binder and I was having a hard time finding it online. Researching a foreign country online proves a bit challenging, because not all sites have English readily available. And, some words or proper nouns just don't translate to English very well. What do you do? You dig deeper. You pull out your Google Translator app and make the best of it. Not to worry though, as we strolled less than a block East of our hotel, we ran right smack into the night market. This road looked a lot different at night than earlier in the day when we walked to the 7-Eleven for a beer run. But tonight, it was lit up like a Midwest state fair, and the road was bustling with lights, vendors, and people. Its one of the smaller markets and more commercialized for the tourists. By commercialized, I mean the products for sale were different: instead of house shoes and brooms, you found picture frames and Christmas ornaments. And, of course, it was more expensive.  Also, we saw more Americans down here; I could hear Adam sigh with relief. Fortunately, I can understand the language, but Adam knows none of it. So, aside from talking to me, he has been stuck in his own mind, forced to entertain himself.  

For dinner, the options are endless. Each vendor will call out to you to come try their Cuttlefish Balls or check out their homemade bracelets. Some used a microphone and PA system. We snacked a little, then indulged in some Wu Master Braised Food, a local favorite. This reminds me of a mongolian BBQ. You go through and select items, place them in your basket, and they cook it for you. As inexperienced rookies, our first one came out pretty hearty, lacking vegetables. But, now higher on the learning curve, we will know for next time. The basket photo shown is borrowed from a later night for illustration purposes, because I forgot to get a photo the first night.  

After dinner, we made a couple laps around the market, before we headed back to the hotel. 3 down, 12 to go.  For His glory.

Day 2: Kenting Bound

Awake at 3:30 am. I can't ever seem to sleep on vacation, but I guess we can blame it on the jet lag for this trip.We had a long day ahead of us. Of course, breakfast started off with dropping 'bows and round-house kicking people to get our breakfast. Not really, but people don't seem to care about lines or common courtesy when there's food involved. Good thing we can scrap with the best of them.

Next, we grabbed a taxi to the Taoyuan High Speed Rail station: Destination, Kenting. The last train stop is actually Zuoying, where we will catch the hotel shuttle to our resort in Kenting. Being the planner that I am, we booked the train tickets online. However, we could have just as easily bought tickets from the counter or an electronic kiosk at the station. The kiosks have English available; this is where we picked up our tickets.

Maneuvering through the station and onto the train was an incredibly organized and smooth process. English is available on the signs, as well as over the intercom. We had a bit of time to kill here, so we caught a quick lunch...at the 7 Eleven. Taiwan has about as many 7-Elevens as it does scooters! Of course, products are quite different from the stores in the USA, but we quickly fell in love with it and deemed it ole' faithful for water, snacks, or a quick lunch. Everything is easily marked and the service is great. And Adam can look at the register to see the total amount to pay, lol.

Waiting at the HSR Station, Cha Siu Bao for lunch...

You have about 2-3 minutes to board from the time the train arrives, or else you're SOL. Which, in all reality, is why the process is so efficient. Inside the cabin is where we had a little panic moment.  Luggage restriction is a detail I did not think to research. We tried to place our full size luggage on the overhead storage, and that was not happening. The couple behind us were kind enough to spare us further embarrassment by pointing to the front of the car, where there was enough space for our luggage. Oops! Realistically, the majority of people traveling on the High Speed Rail do not have much luggage, if any; so, luggage should never really be an issue. The train ride is really smooth; you can hardly tell you're on a train. There is also a person that comes through the cars with a cart of snacks.

The train ride was 1.5 hours, and we passed the time by me teaching Adam some Chinese. He decided he is going to start listening to kids when they speak, because they speak slowly and clearly, pretty good idea! While waiting for our shuttle at the Zuoying station, a group of kids approached us and gave us a presentation...in Chinenglish. They suggested 5 things we can do to help save the planet is to use recyclable bags, save electricity, be a vegetarian, carpool/walk/ride bikes...heck, I can't remember the last one and I may have made up the 4th one. Anyway, we agreed to commit to 4 out of 5...(we are certified carnivores).

Our bus ride to the hotel was 2.5 hours, and bumpy and windy one at that (I had to break out the Dramamine). But we got to see a lot of the country side and pass through some of the other big towns. Fortunately, the shuttle gave us one quick 10 minute pit stop. Thank goodness for that, because I have been known to have a small bladder.  

Upon arrival to the Chateau Beach Resort, the reality of being in a foreign country quickly sank in, as we did not have my mom to translate. So, I did the best I could to brush off the dust on a language I once knew so well to get checked in. The hotel is really beautiful and one of the nicest on the island. During our ride here, we found Kenting to be fairly quiet and secluded. The main drag, Kenting Rd, houses only a select few "beach resorts", while the others are smaller local hotels. During our planning process, we narrowed our choices to two hotels. Both boasted good ratings with excellent customer service, good food, and good location. Our decision came down to a beach bar, and the fact that Chateau Beach Resort is one of the only hotels, if not the only, with a private access to the beach. It also comes with its very own Hello Kitty store in the lobby, holler!

Exhausted from travel, we relaxed in a hammock for a while before deciding we really need to get caught up on our sleep. The beach bar that weighed in on our hotel decision, ended up not being that great after all. With very limited selections (I'm pretty sure it was beer only), we ended up paying $300 TWD for two cans of beer. We later paid around $100 TWD for a tall boy at the 7-eleven down the street.

For dinner, we opted for the hotel restaurant to make things easy. Even easier, because it is buffet-style and has endless selections (Western and Eastern). Again, we had to fight through the crowd of hungry people to get our food, but we managed. It was my first time trying Durian, and it wasn't all that bad. However, it was fried, so I may have not experienced the true essence of the popular fruit. The pomegranate looking fruit tasted like a cross between a pomegranate and a grapefruit. It was served everyday for breakfast; I still don't know what it is. After dinner, straight to bed. Blessed.

Buffet

Conch

Fried Durian Ball

Hand Roll

Fruit

Green Tea Custard

Day 1: Oh, Good Morning Taoyuan

Awake at 3:00 am.

A quick breakdown: Our trip consists of 15 days. We wanted to start at Kenting Beach, which is located at the Southernmost tip of Taiwan. This will be our "technical" honeymoon. However, we aren't going to Kenting until Sunday, because the hotel is a little cheaper if we check in a day later. From there, we will head to Taipei for the remainder of the trip. In the meantime, we will stay in Taoyuan for a couple days, as it is near the airport and high speed rail train station.

Taoyuan - View from our hotel

We both travel quite a bit for our job. The good thing about that is rewards points. So, our stay at the Holiday Inn Express was paid for by points, or FREE, always a plus! Breakfast was a battleground. We were in the company of about 50 Chinese tourists getting ready to load the bus for the tour of the day. Funny, towering at 6' tall above them made no difference when it came to pushing and shoving in the breakfast line. The food was good though; it was a combination of Eastern and Western food. Of course, Eastern food included water rice, which is what I end up eating every morning during our trip! The Western food reminded us of Thanksgiving dinner featuring salad, beef and gravy, potatoes, vegetable medley, hot dogs, pasta with red sauce, and eggs. I refuse to eat American food while I'm here, so I did not partake in that.

After breakfast, my Mom, Da Jo, Dad, and Dad's friends met us at the hotel to take us out for the day. Dad's friends, Mr. and Mrs. Liao, are more familiar with Taoyuan, and were ever so kind to drive us around, show us the sights, and feed us some awesome food.

Today was an AMAZING day; it felt like an entire vacation packed into one day! First and foremost, this is the first time I have seen my dad in 25 yrs. You see that kind of story in movies, but what an exhilarating and humbling feeling it is to personally experience. He did not speak English, and my Mandarin is very choppy, so I was very thankful my mom was here to help translate.

We drove through the streets and villages of old mountainous Taoyuan. This area is not as much of a tourist trap, because it is further into the countryside. The first thing you will notice in Taiwan is all of the scooters! They are everywhere, and come in all shapes and sizes. They look so convenient and fun, that Adam and I have decided to buy one when we get back to Kansas City! (minus the child without a helmet or seatbelt)

Our first stop was Shihmen Dam. This dam holds rain from Typhoon season, and is then released to provide a spectacular show for the locals. It is the water source for many of the surrounding towns and cities, including Taipei County. Adam fantasized a moment about riding his BMX bike down the dam and into the lake. I'm not quite sure if he would clear the road beneath, but it never hurts to dream.

We quickly learned that we would be walking and eating a lot during this trip. They cancel each other out right? Travel tip: Carry toilet paper or kleenex. Some of these bathrooms do not have a regular toilet, especially in the tourist attractions, public transportation, and rural areas. Instead, it is a squat toilet, and it does not come with instructions! I have to admit, it took me 2-3 times to figure the thing out, sorry, gross I know. Usually, free toilet paper is not provided. Some of the time, you can purchase toilet paper for $10 TWD from a machine similar to feminine products.

During one of our rest stops, Adam and I got a little schooling about the Taiwan culture. While driving around town earlier, we naively noticed small shops with women dressed in sexy clothing (or lack of) and neon lights outside (usually green, red, and blue). We learned that this is the marketing technique used to sell Bing Lang. Bing Lang or Betel Nut: It is similar to chewing tobacco, and can also be cancerous to the mouth. Many people we saw chewing it did not have teeth. It is more frowned upon in the city, while very popular in the country. I just read it is Taiwan's second largest agricultural crop, interesting! Anyways, everyone kept talking about it, including my mom who never dared try it. So, naturally, we had to give it a go. You chew the top off and spit it out. Then put the bing lang in our mouth, and proceed to chew. You cannot swallow during the first few seconds, because it can be toxic. Once in the clear, you just chew. It has the similar effects to chewing tobacco; gives you a buzz and makes you warm. Your mouth also turns red, because of the substance it contains. Good experience, but never again!

Rest stop

Refreshments

Soy Sauce and Tea Egg

Bing Lang Tongues!

Bing Lang

It was lunch time, and as all of my friends know, I hardly miss a meal! We went to a restaurant in town that is famous for goose meat. Unfortunately, I was not thinking and did not get a photo of the place, so I don't even know what its called and where it is. Not a good call for a self-proclaimed foodie. This was our first sit down meal and it was exquisite, and sets the tone for the remainder of the trip. Forgive me, I love taking photos of food as much as I love to eat food, so there will be plenty throughout this blog. Culture Alert: Soup is usually served with the meal. They do not drink a lot during meals, like Americans do (2 coke refills during dinner...I know you know what I'm talking about). Instead, the soup is served after the meal, before the dessert (usually fruit), and that is what they drink to quench their thirst.

Braised Pork Belly

Bamboo

Goose W/Ginger

Skate Fish?

Fried Pig Intestines

Soup

Yellow Watermelon

As you can imagine, we were stuffed after lunch. We thought our sightseeing was close to an end, but boy were we wrong, and a nap was definitely out of the question! Our next stop was Cihu Presidential Burial Place. This villa housed the former Taiwan President Chiang Kai-Shek. It is now a memorial consisting of a visitor center, the Cihu Mausoleum, a captivating scenic lake, and the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Sculpture Park. This place was absolutely breath-taking. We walked around and learned so much about this one man who did so much for this country and is dearly admired and respected by the people. This won't be the last memorial of his that we visit. I am intrigued with relationship between Chiang Kai-Shek and his people, I plan to do some more research when I return home.

Mom, Adam, Me, and my Dad

What's next?  Xinming Night Market. My aunt later commented, "oh, for the young people"; Younger crowd, I guess...I didn't really notice. This was our first night market experience, and a successful one at that: Mouth-watering food and lots of shopping. Fortunately, we had the queen of haggling, my very own mom, with us for support. My mom haggles for fun and just to mess with people, its ridiculous.  To see her in action is quite entertaining! Being our first night market, we were shopping and eating throughout....

Where did I park?

Shrimp fishin'

Escargot

Fried Quail Eggs, our fav of the night

Breaded Shrimp Balls, as seen on Food Network

Fried Squid On a Stick

But, little did we know, we still had dinner to come! We chose a restaurant across the street from the market. Family style again, and just as much food! My dad ordered sweet & sour pork for Adam, because he thought that's what Americans like, lol. But, of course, it is nothing like sweet & sour pork served in the USA. It was delicious! In actuality, Adam has a palette like mine and will eat anything put in front of him.   

Bean Curd App

Eggplant

Salt & Pepper Squid

Sweet & Sour Pork

Today was an INCREDIBLE start to our vacation. At this point, I am so filled with positive emotions and energy that everything seems surreal to me, and my mind is working overtime to process all of it.  What's even more exciting is this was just one day! We have plenty more ahead. And so, we ended the night with full bellies and droopy eyes. Needless to say, no problems sleeping tonight. For Him.