Here's a little geography lesson for you. You can see Kaohsiung on this map. It's located on the southwest coast of Taiwan. Today we took a day trip to Kenting, at the southern tip of the island.
We were thinking of a way to get there and had decided on taking a bus when we found out the bus takes you to Kenting but not to the beach. It turns out that it's possible to take a taxi from Kaohsiung for the day so that's what we did. We all met at the school and five of us got into a taxi at 7:30 a.m. to take the trip to the south. What's amazing is the total cost was $4000NT which is about $130 US. So it cost us each $26 for a round trip, by taxi, to Baisha. The taxi drops you off and picks you up at a specific time. Why take the bus?!
The driver got us there in under 2 hours because I believe he was trying to qualify for NASCAR. There truly are no rules for taxi drivers in this country. About an hour in I got to see my first glimpse of the Taiwan Strait to the west.
There were many fish (shrimp) farms along the way lining the highway.
You can see these ornate and somewhat gaudy (but in a good way) buildings as you drive around Taiwan. They are everywhere and you don't know if they are temples or markets or whatever.
There was a row of these at one point and it almost looked like they were for sale. How could I possibly take this home?
I love all of the characters to express "No drugs". Each character represents one syllable so I can't imagine what this would sound like.
The area leading to the beach is filled with food, drinks, tables, chairs, showers and pretty much anything else you would need for a day at the beach. There is a campground there as well where you can rent a space and anything you could possibly need for camping. In this heat I couldn't imagine staying in a tent; it would be like sleeping in an Easy Bake Oven.
Ang Lee (the movie director who did Life of Pi) is from Taiwan so this was at the entrance to the beach. I guess he is from this part of the island.
There's the beach.
The beach is lined with umbrellas and chairs that are for rent, 300NT (about $10) for the day. I can't sit on a beach all day without an umbrella; I'm so white and burn in seconds, even with 70spf. We dropped off our things and and went right for the water.
The color of the water is spectacular! There are all of these shades of aquamarine.
It doesn't look like it from these photos but the waves were insane! They came over our heads, knocked us over and would drag us back in.
Once I got past the waves and into the swells, it was great just hanging out in the water. It is so warm, about 80º, and the salinity is so high that you float high in the water. I loved it, until I tried to come back in. The waves were pushing us along the beach and there are ropes around the areas. At one point the waves were pushing me up against the rope as I tried to make my way back in. I'm a pretty strong swimmer so I just decided to go with it but I was being hit with wave after wave and could barely catch a breath.
I kept riding the waves in until I got closer to shore. Waves were tossing me around and closer to the shore the waves knocked me right over so I couldn't stand and just walk in. I was basically dragged along the sandy bottom until I was thrown onto the beach. I've never had so much sand in my bathingsuit.
Other than walking along the shore and finding a little calmer area to go into later, I didn't venture back in. I guess this area is usually a lot calmer and easier to swim. The waves just got stronger as the day went on. No thanks!
After the swim, drying off and hanging out. We walked up to the main area to get some food. Normally, when you walk on the beach, the sand nearest the water is a bit harder and easier to walk on. Not this beach. The sand is so granular and thick that you sink in a few inches with every step. When you walk closer to the water, you risk being hit and knocked over by a wave. It's quite the workout to walk around. We had settled in further down the beach to avoid the crowded area but after a few trips up and down the beach, we questioned our decision.
We decided to get a cold snack to cool off before eating lunch later. This is where it can get tricky in Taiwan. There are some menus in English but most things are in Chinese and you have to find a way to communicate. For example, there was a fruit and shaved ice stand. Perfect! We wanted to order this bowl of shaved ice, fruit and condensed milk but the sign just had "Fruit and Shaved Ice" in English but all of the menu items were in Chinese. The girl at the counter didn't speak any English so we just pointed. Luckily I pointed wisely so I got what I wanted but the other two got two containers of fruit. It takes a lot of acting, pointing and making a fool of yourself to order around here.
The view from the stairs leading to the beach.
At the end of the day we went to the main area to shower, change and have something cold to drink before our driver got there. In the states, when you go to the beach, in Maine specifically, it could be a hot day but you get to cool off by the ocean. The water is usually freezing until August so there is usually a cooling breeze that takes the edge off. Not here! It was still about 100º and humid and the water feels a bit cooler than the air but it doesn't cool you off. You are still a hot, sweaty mess even though you are at the beach. I have to admit, the constant heat and humidity (6 weeks of it so far) is getting to me a bit. From what I hear, it will be about another month before it breaks at all (which means temperatures in the 80's). Sigh!
This was on our way to the showers. Can't miss this! Makes me laugh just looking at it! What's funny is that men could use the urinal bowl for free but women had to pay to use the squatting toilets. Once you paid for food you would get stamped and then you could use it for free.
The showers were great...hot water and even soap. When I took off my bathing suit, about a cup of sand came out. This was after a couple of hours of drying off! For some reason I walked right in and took a shower while everyone else paid $50NT (about $1.70). Not sure why that happened.
I got a frozen honey and lemon tea while we waited for the driver and we noticed this sign above one of the food vendors. Look closely...
Yup, that says "Fried Chickenass". Hahahahahahahaha!
One of my friends went up to talk to the woman at the stand and she said that the sign was wrong. It should say "Fried chickenbutt" instead. No joke! To the right one of the items was Blood Fried Rice. I have no clue what Pim Tento is either. Oh, and Fried Chicken Bone? I love this country!
While sitting there, 2 men walked up and one of them sat with my friend Wendy while the other took their picture and then they switched and one took his picture with me. This has happened to me a few times since I moved here. Someone will randomly ask to have their picture taken with me. Hysterical! In the states, I pretty much go under the radar. Here, I can't escape standing out in the crowd. I'm just getting better at not noticing it.
So after 6 hours at the beach, we made our way back to Kaohsiung. The driver dropped us off at the school, where it was raining, and we got on our bikes and made our way home in the pouring rain. For once I was soaking wet not from sweat but from rain. What a wonderful day! I'm sure Kenting will become one of our regular destinations. For about $25, what a bargain!
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