kenting national park?

Before I left the southern tip of Taiwan, I had to check something with Kenting National Park’s information center. I’d visited the centre when I first arrived, but I was confused because I felt I had missed the national park!

kenting’s beaches

I had planned a week’s stay in Kenting, not just for the national park, but for the beaches too. It would be my birthday during my stay, so what better way to celebrate than head for a swim at Little Bay Beach?

Kenting night market

Kenting night market was mostly food with a bit of jewellery and souvenirs thrown in. The four-lane road that ran through the southern Taiwan shopping area became two, with stalls that people strolled past.

surviving taiwan’s byways

I was told in South Korea that drivers would stop for pedestrians 50% of the time — I’d say maybe 10% — but in Taiwan, never — not even on a zebra crossing or with a green walk sign flashing.

It didn’t take long to adapt with my eyes radiating in all directions when I crossed a street. If a motor scooter headed my way, I learned to trust that the driver would swerve by me.

the contents of a dish are not always in the name

I saw a t-shirt in a Japanese restaurant before I left on this trip last October that said, “I travel to eat” and thought, that’s me! But Taiwan had not met my expectations in the eating department. My best Taiwanese meal had been the cheapest when I visited a night market.

Kenting National Forest Recreation Area

Kenting National Forest was originally known as Kuraluts when it was a Paiwan Village until Chinese farmers arrived in the late 1800s. In the early 20^thcentury under Japanese colonial rule, a tropical plant nursery was established, but when WW11 ended, the nursery was converted into a botanical garden. Research continued, but the location now promoted tourism and ecotourism as well.

shedding nature park

This was where I couldn’t understand how prices for different sites in Taiwan were decided. Maohitou definitely wasn’t worth the T$30 while at this nature park, there was so much to see and it was free. 

Chuanfan’s Sail rock

I got off the bus to hike to Sheding Nature Park, but was sidetracked by a rock of many names. The giant boulder rolled down to the coast from a nearby plateau, and reminded me of Currumbin Rock on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

Taiwan’s southern most tip

Eluanbi Park was famous for its lighthouse built with a moat and loopholes for cannons to ward off Taiwan’s original inhabitants — protesting aborigines against Chinese invasion. It was built in 1882, but there were far better sights to see along the trails that criss-crossed the promontory.

Mobitou’s cat

Mobitou, situated on the far end of the Bashi Channel, was a rocky headland at the southern end of Taiwan’s western promontory. The shoreline that had eroded over time from wave action formed a wave-cut platform.