Christmas Alone, Going South and Journeys not Destinations

I wrote this note on my travel back from Kenting on Christmas day.

This is holiday season in what seems not only the western world but also here in the far east. Christmas has come and (almost) gone here in Taiwan. Teaching English here in Taiwan meant signing a contract for a year and due to the timing at which I arrived I ended up not being able to go home for the holdays. I'd like to wish everyone a happy holidays no matter their faith and a happy New Year to boot. Taiwan has been an interesting place to spend my 24th Christmas and I must say a little lonely.

I am currently on a train back to Taipei after spending a weekend travelling the south of Taiwan. I must say that the southern half of the island is quite beautiful and a lot cleaner then the crowded and smoggy streets of central Taipei. On my journey by Train, foot and minibus I saw a new side to an island which had been nothing but a series of large urban sprawls on an island far away from home.

In Kaoshuing I saw a lot of things which reminded me of home. The city of one and half millions reminded me a great deal of my hometown of Toronto. Although the signs were in Chinese and the city lacked an extensive transit system. It was refreshing to walk more then three blocks without running into a 7/11 or Starbucks. Kaoshiung is definitely less westernized then Taipei and I got a great deal more looks at my hight and appearance then in Taipei. My first day in Kaoshiung was cut a little short and I regret that I didn't go on a different day as the scenery was quite beautiful, I'd like to go back sometime. Staying there was quite cheap and I got a nice hotel room near the train station for 1000 NT. Finding activities to do at night was a little difficult and I think Kaoshiung is a lot sleepier then the bustling streets of Taipei.

After a night and morning in Kaoshiung I headed off to Kenting orignally unsure as to whether it was a good idea or bad. I must say the country side is quite beautiful although next time I'd like to take a guide or friend to share it with as Kending was somewhat lonely this time of year, and the small little beach resort town had a lot to see. It's ironic that I found more clothes to try on in Kenting then even the most bustling shopping centers in Taipei. Kenting has a lot of kitch value and had my phone battery lasted longer I would have loved to share the beauty of the small in I stayed at (only 800NT!) and the magnificently constructed Newport Beach scuba training facility. Kenting is a place to go with friends and the journey back was quite an adventure. While there I did look into scuba classes although it seemed the trainering spots were all closed and I was unable to find copies of papers in English or with any sort of pricing details.

As for my vacation on the whole I'm happy about the places I visited but it's really the journey that played the prime spot in my little adventure. I think more then the beautiful countryside and quaintness of Kaoshiung it will be the strange characters and tribulations of my voyage that I'll carry with me the longest. The first day I headed out to Kaoshiung I had hoped to get to Kenting before night fall but by the time I got to Kaoshiung the night was already approaching and I was already quite tired of sitting after the five hour rapid train journey between Kaoshiung and Taipei.
Wanting to stretch my legs I went for a little walk around Kaoshiung hoping to secure lodging for a night. After finding a place that had rooms starting at 2200 NT a night I quickly realized I'd have to find a place a little more suitable if I didn't want to blow a big chunk of my savings on a layover night. I thus wandered for an hour or so nigh falling while I searched the confusing back streets for a place to stay.

I finally settled on a small inn the name of which I now forget located close to the Train station. After seeing the plush carpeted room and unloading my bag I went off for a wander through the night markets of which I ran into an ice cream vendor who is something of a novelty and celebrity amongst travel programs detailing a journey to Kaoshiung. One final note on my journey to Kaoshiung the place was quite suitable if a little old, the staff not speaking more then a few words of English were extremely eager to see to my needs and while the offer of a female for company at 11 o'clock was somewhat appealing did shoot the seediness of the place up to a new level. I was quick to leave the place early the next day for fear of what other 'nicities' might be visited upon me should I have stayed another evening.

After an unfruitful search for the tourist center marked in my Lonely Planet book I decided it was best to hed for Kenting. The earliest bus I caught left at around 2pm and I arrived in Kenting at a little past 4pm. Tired from my early walking I was quick to settle on the Sunnyside Hotel a quaint little building that was more converted appartment housing come hotel then a five start accomodation. After wandering the main strip of Kenting I was beginning to realize that there was no bus station within easy reach and it was a story in itself on how I managed to get back to Kaoshiung in one piece. Concerned about finding a bus stop and wanting to hike the mountain in the daytime I called it an early night and slept blissfully with no midnight knocking with offers of sordid delights.

The next day I arose early and ate a quick bite at the breakfast shop outside the hotel run by the owner and his wife. A sandwich with bacon and eggs combined with a glass of Orange juice had me fuelled and ready to go in search of a bus station. Realizing there would be no time to hike the mountain I headed east in what was logically the location of the bus station. I reasoned that not seeing it on the way in I must have gotten off the bus too soon as I had come from the Northwest the day before. Hiking a good km I ran into a bus that said it was headed from Kaoshiung to Kenting. The driver spoke very little English but we were able to establish that he was not going back. I asked him in English where I could go and after waving in the easterly direction I assumed my original presumption was correct. After hiking another 2 km to the next small town I came to realize first hand the Chinese propensity for providing help (and in this case erronius) help.

Frustrated and realizing I would not be getting into Kaoshiung at the time I had hoped I began the slow hike back to Kenting. I was quite frustrated, isolated, my phone out of battery power and a little homesick I got back to Kenting in a little less then 45 minutes. It was at this point that fortune smiled ironically upon me with a Christmas present of questionable safety. A middle aged woman on a scooter asked me in stuttering English if I was headed to Kaoshiung and quickly wisked me away to her husband's minibus only 5 minutes up the road. I was greeted by a gap toothed betel nut stained grin and against my better judgment decided against looking for a more reputable form of transportation. We stayed in the nearbye vicinty for a good part of a half hour and it was just at the point that I was ready to jump out and hitch hike back that my friendly driver pulled over and offered me what he called 'Taiwan Whisky' but tasted like sour strawberry fresca. Determined to get back to Kaoshiung I decided to sip his alcoholic brew out of courtesy then get out and hitch hike back. I was half way through the drink when my driver and his wife finally climbed into our rig and sallied off to Kaoshiung.

Having passed through another small town on the way to Kaoshiung I know realized what my guidebook had neglected to mention. That being that the bus terminal was actually located in the town to the north of Kenting and was not even marked on my empty map of Kenting. Shooting our way back to Kaoshiung our ride picked up an odd assortment of characters and my time getting back to Taipei from Kaoshiung are all the topic of another story.

Happy Holidays. I miss you all!