Taiwan 2013 - Day 4 - Kenting

Day 4 was the co-trip with a couple from the USA. And we went for a trip round Kenting. 

First of all, we started the day with the east coast of Kenting - 船帆石 (Sail Rock). See the natural phenomenon, does it look like a face? Cool, and with the blue sky white clouds accompanying us, it was really great. There is also an exhibition centre near the place where you can learn more about the sand and the place.

Next up, we went to the 鑾鼻燈塔 (Eluanbi Lighthouse) which is within the Eluanbi park. We spent almost 3 hours in the place. There is admission fee to the place but it was not that expensive (I forget how much that was). The lighthouse is considered one of the most popular icons in Kenting. Though we could not enter the lighthouse for a better view of the place, the lighthouse itself blended well with the sky. Within the park, you can take a trail along the sea and enjoy the sea breeze and view. After some walk, we reached the next phenomenon - 鹅銮鼻公园的亲吻石. The 2 rocks seems to be kissing and that's how it got the name for it. 

Top:  1. 船帆石 (Sail Rock), 2. 鑾鼻燈塔 (Eluanbi Lighthouse) 3.鹅銮鼻公园的亲吻石
Bottom: 1. 臺灣最南點 (Southern Most Tip of Taiwan) 2.龍磐 (Long Pan) 3. 风吹沙

Following up, we went to the most southern tip of Taiwan - 臺灣最南點. Kenting is at the southern part of Taiwan and there we went to the most southern tip of Kenting. Did not get to take much photos there as there were a crowd of tourists there as well.  But well, we needed to walk for 10 minutes in order to reach the place - that's how deep we needed to reach the tip. 

For a relaxing view, we were brought to 龍磐. We were facing the big sea with nothing to block our view. The wind was strong and the place was really amazing. It seemed that we owned the sea, the land and the sky. I really hoped I could stay there the whole day, relaxing and doing nothing but to stare blankly at the sea. 

Next up was another phenomenon - 风吹沙. How did the place gotten its name. It seems that the sand at the beach is blown up by the big wind and slowly with time, the sand covers the piece of land and slowly forms what we see now. WOW, imagine how strong the wind is in order to make the light sand 'flew' such a long distance. 

Time for lunch at 2pm was well, making us hungry. We were brought to 恆春古城 (Hengchun Ancient City). This is an old town but it was made popular after a movie Cape No. 7 (海角七號) was filmed there. The guide recommended us to try the local dessert - 绿豆蒜. For a hot day, this cold icy dessert really made my day. We did not have any staple food as we were told that he would bring us to a seafood place for meal. 

So we took the time to explore the place like the stand alone southern gate that was left, the house which the male lead lived in in the movie - you need to pay a fee to step into the house and well, we did not since we were not into the craze. 

Top: 1. 恆春古城 (Hengchun Ancient City) 2. 南门  (Southern Gate)
Bottom: 1. 阿嘉的家 (Ah Ga’s house), 2. 绿豆蒜

After our seafood, it was time for sunset. We reached 白沙灣, Baisha Bay. Okay, remember the movie,  Life of Pi? One of the film locations was at this Baisha Bay. Taiwan is really a great and nice place for film making. 

Some of the sunset I took along the way and at 白沙灣, Baisha Bay

After 白沙灣, Baisha Bay, it was time to head back to our minsu. After some wash up, we headed back to our food street for dinner. Seriously, we still had many food that we had yet to try. The highlight for the night was the stinky tofu. It was really delicious! The cheese shrimp balls was not that bad but too bad, the lady boss was not flexible enough. There was this tourist lady who liked to try mixed flavours, and paying at a premium price but the boss rejected. Wonder if it was communication breakdown or that the lady boss believed that certain sauce can only go with certain ingredients and that's why she was not willing to compromise. The pan fried dumpling was special - normally we always had the steamed kind. The boss even told us that he has relatives staying in Singapore. So coincidental!. 

Food, Food and more food
1. 臭豆腐　2. Cheese Shrimp Balls, 3. Pan fried dumpling 

The food street ended our night in kenting and time to pack up for our Kaoshiung! Kenting, you have been very nice to us with all the great food and the great weather, we will miss you!

Taiwan 2013 - Day 3 - Kenting

On the third day, we were venturing to the south of Taiwan. Thus, we did an early check out and deposit our luggages at CityInn plus, bringing only bare essentials for the day trips. In order to reach Kenting at the soonest, We took the High Speed Rail (高鐵) to reach Zuoying station (高鐵左營站) where we waited for the driver to pick us up to our Minsu (民宿) at Love Sea 126 ( 戀海126).

We had earlier booked our tickets online and managed to get it at a discount due to their early bird discount - it works in such a way that the early bird discount of 35% off, 20% off, or 10% off are offered with limited quantity no later than 8~28 days before the departure date (including the departure date). Thus, it is always good to plan your itinerary early in order to enjoy such discount. The collection of the ticket is very simple as well, so no worries on it. 

Ok, back to the day. From Ximen station, we took the train to Taipei Main Station (NT16, 3mins) and then walk to Taipei Station (5 mins walk) to take the High Speed Rail. We bought a train bento as our brunch so as to save time. There was only two types of bento sold at the train station, namely the pork and vegetarian. Needless to say, we bought the braised pork bento. We took the 09:54 hr train from Taipei which will reach Zuoying Station at 11:30hr. A very smooth trip without any hitch. The bento set was simple but tasty. 

Taiwan Bento - Braised Pork

As the arrangement for the driver to pick us up was at 1pm, we had about 1.5 hour to spend at Zuoying station. We spent out time walking around the shopping area at the station and took a light lunch at a cafe. The pick up service cost NT350 per person per way and it will be shared with other passengers. The car journey took about 3 hours and we eventually reached our B&B inn at around 4pm. 

As mentioned, we stayed at Love 126 and here's the link to their website in English. For the 2 nights we stayed, we paid NT$2200 per night with simple breakfast included. It is a double room with sea view. Nice! The room has all the basic necessity, not a luxury place to stay if you prefer a room with more facilities. But it was well equipped enough for us. They do provide housekeeping which we were not informed of. The owner of the place who also acted as the receptionist was very friendly. He directed us to the beach and also the way to the Kenting Main Street for dinner. 

Through our previous email correspondences, we were also informed of a half or full day tour which he could help arrange for a car/driver. The rates are as follows:

2 persons half day tour (5 hours) - NT2200

2 persons full day tour (8-9 hours) - NT3200

4 persons half day tour - NT 2500

4 persons full day tour - NT3200

As there were only the two of us, we opt for the 2 persons full day tour. But luck was on our side. There were a couple staying at Love Sea 126 who also wanted such tour. So together, we formed a group of 4 which we managed to save cost. It was quite nice of the owner to make such an arrangements.

Love Sea 126 戀海126

Alright, after we put down our luggage, we went to the Dawan beach 大灣沙灘 opposite our inn for a stroll, and hoping to catch the sunset. Here's the few pictures of the beach... I really love the sun, be it sunrise or sunset. 

Dawan Beach 大灣沙灘

The night was still young but there was not much we can do in Kenting. We went to the Kenting Main street to look for dinner. Here's the food we had on the first night:

1. Fried Milk balls 炸鲜奶 - a special dish that I have not tried before. They really fried the milky mixture. Do not pop the whole ball in your mouth as it is really hot from the pan. Should try if you have not eaten before. 

2. Grilled Cuttlefish 烤鱿鱼 -  very chewy, very flavourful

3. Grilled meat 烤肉 - tender meat - you can choose what you want and they will grill in front of you. 

4. Sausage - I found it normal!

Food street at Kenting Main Street

If I remembered correctly, by the time we felt full, it was only 7pm in the evening. We popped into some shops to see if we could find some special souvenirs to bring home. After a while, we decided to go back to the Inn to rest. Well, an early good night rest. It was quite windy at Kenting so do bring along a jacket when you visit the place though it is a beach area!

Address:
Love Sea 126 - 戀海126
No. 126 Dawan Road, Kenting Li, Hengchun Township, Pingtung County 946, Taiwan (R.O.C.)