So Saturday morning after the bikes were rented and we somehow reached the top of the mountain, we arrived at a forested park with a relatively small network of trails. What the trails lacked in length, however, they amply made up for in beauty and diversity. There were huge rocks everywhere that looked pitted, as if they'd spent part of their lives under the sea. Parts of the trail went under the rocks through short caves and crevices. The highlights of the hike were the vistas of the hills with the sea in the background.
This was on one of our "stick your head in a creek" breaks before we reached the top. I don't know what kind of trees these were, but all the vine-looking things are actually hanging roots. It's like the land was snatched away from under the trees.
There was a nice ocean breeze and plenty of views along the hike.
OK, it was more like ocean wind in some places :)
This guy was ready for his close up.
We found some good vines for swinging.
Next, after eating very big bowls of noodle soup, we flew down the mountain on our bikes and went to one of the beaches. Over Saturday and Sunday we actually went to three beaches and one pool. The first beach had an "international" surfing competition going on, but it was kind of sad because the waves were weak that day. At least they were projecting good music from their tent. I am now going to mess up the chronology of this tale so as to consolidate the beach pictures:
This is from one of the hotels we pretended to be guests at. It was beautiful, but we left because you couldn't swim in the ocean without a life vest. (?!) I am doing my best to hide my mouthful of food.
Nicole sporting one of the beach toys I brought.
This was the most beautiful beach we went to. The name translates to "White Sand Beach". The waves were just big enough to body surf and some of the rocks were out in the water for me to dive off of. And before you think I'm really stupid enough to dive into the shallow sea, let me inform you that the water was soooo clear! If you've been to the Gulf, it was just like their water - it was turquoise-colored, but I could look down to the bottom through 1.5 meters of it. This beach is out of the way too, so it was really uncrowded.
You can thank my parents for putting it in my head that I should take pictures like this one ;)
This is from one of the hotels we pretended to be guests at. It was beautiful, but we left because you couldn't swim in the ocean without a life vest. (?!) I am doing my best to hide my mouthful of food.
Nicole sporting one of the beach toys I brought.
This was the most beautiful beach we went to. The name translates to "White Sand Beach". The waves were just big enough to body surf and some of the rocks were out in the water for me to dive off of. And before you think I'm really stupid enough to dive into the shallow sea, let me inform you that the water was soooo clear! If you've been to the Gulf, it was just like their water - it was turquoise-colored, but I could look down to the bottom through 1.5 meters of it. This beach is out of the way too, so it was really uncrowded.
You can thank my parents for putting it in my head that I should take pictures like this one ;)Besides chilling on the beaches, we also pretended to be guests at a very nice resort hotel. It had a nice outdoor pool with comfortable chairs and ample plant life.
The hotel's pool get's my official stamp of approval. It was big and relaxing. Too bad it wasn't $3 a night, though places like this start at only $70 I hear, and this hotel also had a private beach. The food, etc. was all surprisingly cheap in Kending, considering it's the resort town in Taiwan.
We ate at Sushi Express Saturday night. I had raw scallops for the first time! I can now say I love scallops prepared any way!
This is a fish market in a nearby fishing village. The stands will cook your purchase for you if you want. Do I look tired and hungry? Like I've been at the beach all day? It's OK, I had this to look forward to:
Big ol' crabs, clams, some kind of mountain vegetable, and rice. Oh yea, and Taiwan Pi Jio ("Taiwan Beer" brand beer). I still dream about that crab...
The hotel's pool get's my official stamp of approval. It was big and relaxing. Too bad it wasn't $3 a night, though places like this start at only $70 I hear, and this hotel also had a private beach. The food, etc. was all surprisingly cheap in Kending, considering it's the resort town in Taiwan.
We ate at Sushi Express Saturday night. I had raw scallops for the first time! I can now say I love scallops prepared any way!
This is a fish market in a nearby fishing village. The stands will cook your purchase for you if you want. Do I look tired and hungry? Like I've been at the beach all day? It's OK, I had this to look forward to:
Big ol' crabs, clams, some kind of mountain vegetable, and rice. Oh yea, and Taiwan Pi Jio ("Taiwan Beer" brand beer). I still dream about that crab...
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