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| Baby Road Mirror Pic |
I traveled with a group of girls to have a girls' trip to Tainan, which included traveling to different cities in the southern part of Taiwan. We landed in Kaohsiung first, ate at a small restaurant-- I had dumplings and a chocolate pancake, then spent the night at a backpacker hostel. I never stayed at a hostel before, but it was quite a treat. In this hostel, we had our own bunk bed, but we shared the room with a few other women. We were out most of the time except to sleep, so we didn't really get to know anyone there. I got a free postcard for liking their Facebook page!
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| Sea Turtle! |
The next day, we traveled from Kaohsiung to Pingtung on our way to Xiaoliuqiu, which is a small island offshore of the coast of Pingtung. We took a ferry to Xiaoliuqiu. Ferries are quite spacious! First time on a ferry, I was expecting to feel a little seasick or have some motion sickness, but I was fine. I was focused on not embarrassing myself for our snorkeling venture. The last time-- and first time-- I snorkeled was in Puerto Morelos, Mexico. Scared would be an understatement, terrified is a close second to how I felt. I didn't plan on snorkeling then, but after a few pep talks and inspirational words from my professor and our tour guide, I jumped in the ocean. After seeing a fish, I was like we can wrap this up. I'm in their territory. I'm not a fish. Why am I snorkeling? My ferry ride was me trying to calm myself down from nervousness. Hoping I wouldn't hyperventilate in front of my friends, I focused on being as calm as possible-- remembering to embrace the water, go with the flow of the water, relax. One of my friends tried to tell me it was okay to be scared and if I didn't want to do it, I didn't have to. This was not the time for these words. I wanted to snorkel! Also, it's already paid for and later, there was no boat to sit in to look cute and watch the waves.
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| Nicole, Milan, me, and Jasmine's before snorkeling picture |
I snorkeled! Saw sea turtles and fishes and coral: it was quite interesting! My friend screamed every time she saw a turtle, giving me a mini heart attack a few times, but I survived and snorkeled! Xiaoliuqiu is a cute little island. It has a similar aesthetic to the
Mamma Mia movie. I, also, drove an electric scooter. My scooter was the only one that had a phone stand, so my friends driving the "real" scooters had to follow behind me. It was quite hilarious.
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| Dragon Hair Candy |
We had many adventures at different places, tried many different foods and snacks. My first time eating at a night market was in Tainan! There were so many options, and I bought so much for food that cost under $11 USD. I had duck and chicken kabobs, dorayaki (and a free Bulma sticker), half a scallion pancake, strawberries and cream, dumplings, a large milk tea, and some other things.
We tried dragon hair candy. So good! It's thin like hair but it has a taffy texture. They fill it with different flavors like ground sesame or peanuts. Both the sesame and peanut flavors were good, but I really liked the sesame flavor. But, my favorite part of the trip happened after our unexpected flight cancellation back to Kinmen.
Kinmen is known for its white fog that happens in the spring, causing travel delays and a lack of visibility on the roads. It's called white fog because that's all that can be seen. Have yet to see it-- and honestly a bit scared to see this fog. It's most prominent in April. It's been a bit foggy lately though.
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| Tea Ceremony in Shizhao |
For our unexpected adventure: we decided to travel to Chiayi and live on a tea farm! It was the most relaxing and refreshing experience. We participated in a tea ceremony and tried different local teas. I'm going to stick with my beloved light-roasted oolong tea, although the other teas were quite delicious, too. We walked through a trail of Sakura blossoms. It was super beautiful and quiet. We were up in the mountains. The air was crisp. The views were unreal. I really enjoyed the peaceful retreat.
It was a daytrip to Chiayi, but it was quite worth the travel and experience. I saw much of the southern region of Taiwan. It was something I wanted to do. I'm so glad I got to experience part of Taiwan with an amazing group of people! My camera roll is filled with pictures from the trip. Lots of pink flowers and food pictures!
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| Tea Farm |
To more adventures,
Brittany~
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