Taiwan: Part 2

So half-way though our time in Taiwan we’d made it to the most southerly point of the country.

Kenting is known for its national park and pristine beaches, and offered a refreshing change from the industrialized and less tourist-friendly stretches along the eastern coastline. Here, we discovered sweeping bays with soft sand, a stark departure from the rugged shores we had encountered earlier.

In Kenting town, it felt like a British seaside resort. As night fell, the main road came alive with a bustling street market offering various food and drink options. Arriving on a weekend, we found the area bustling with activity, though it leaned slightly towards tackiness, it added to the lively atmosphere.

The next morning, we managed to rent a motorbike for a couple of hours. I’m not entirely sure about its legality, but she allowed us to take it, so we just went along with it. We rode up to the nearby national park, which was only a few miles away. The park was fairly developed, with well-marked paths leading to caves and viewpoints. It felt more like a city park than a national one, but the caves were impressive nonetheless.

The tower also gave you a great viewpoint of the most southerly tip of Taiwan.

Our next destination was Tainan, the oldest city in modern Taiwan. From there, we planned to visit another island cluster just off the west coast. A quick 35-minute flight from Tainan would take us to the Penghu Islands, where we were going to spend a week.

The weather had drastically changed for the better, so we spent the first day exploring the main town on the island. While walking around, we spotted a massive statue facing the sea and decided to check it out.

After about an hour of walking and getting extremely sunburnt, we finally reached what I believe is the tallest statue I’ve ever seen.

If you look at the photo below, I’m standing in the middle at the bottom! The structure was made of some kind of metal and depicted a Goddess of the Sea.

We had no luck with illegally hiring a motorbike here, so we had to settle for an electric bike instead. It wasn’t ideal since they’re mainly designed for one person, and with both of us and our luggage, the battery only lasted about 5 miles. You had to change the batteries at convenience stores scattered around the island, which were quite frequent, but we still ended up with Richard pushing the bike on the first night due to a flat battery.

Undeterred, we set off to explore the islands, connected by causeways and bridges. The coastline boasted some beautiful beaches as well as rocky headlands.

The island was dotted with many temples, each adorned with intricate decorations and some even had their own statues.

And of course the beef noodle soup, mine with beef ribs this time which was very tasty, if not hard to tackle with chopsticks.

Throughout the week, we explored the islands, stumbling upon forts, caves, and the occasional peculiar structures or statues.

After a quick flight back to the mainland, we headed for our final destination, Sun Moon Lake, nestled in the hills. It had a Swiss-like feel to it, and once again, we were fortunate with the weather.

We had 2 activities planned, the first day we did a 2km cable car ride.

Then on the second a 30 km bike ride around the perimeter of the lake

As our time in Taiwan draws to a close, we head back to Taipei and catch our flight to Japan. While I’m not entirely sure if I would recommend Taiwan as a destination, as it’s relatively expensive compared to its neighboring Asian countries, and I’m not certain if you’re getting anything extra in return. However, I’m glad we came to see it.