Taiwan

Dapu - rural township in Chiayi county and Siraya National Scenic Area

Dapu (大埔鄉) is a rural township in Chiayi county. Mostly it's famous for nearby located Siraya National Scenic Area (西拉雅國家風景區), and Zhengwun reservoir. And - what's not mentioned in tourist guides - in this area specific flower can be found which according to traditional chinese medicine can be used in case of cancer. Our friends decided go there just because of this flower, and we joined the trip.
  

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Dapu in fact looks like any other small sleepy rural township in southern taiwan, except the fish restaurants densely scattered over small streets. You can see such fish signs everywhere in Dapu, it's a close proximity of reservoirs, which allows local people to do this business. Before going Siraya Scenic area, you can stop by and have a lunch in one of the restaurants.



Notice the elections advertisement right side on a pole. At the time I took the photo campaigns are heating up, and such photos are sticked at every possible places - even a smallest mountainous roads will have some face sticked to anything where it is possible to stick. Note also, how this guy keeps the hands - it's a traditional gesture for almost everyone on those advertisements. It means bai tuo bai tuo - please please.



Abandoned old house is a good place to park motorbikes.



Taiwan sometimes really is contrast country. You will and always meet those terrible driving style blue trucks along the island, but such a painting?



One of those restaurants are cooking fish just on a road:





Interior also is pretty common for small rural restaurants - round tables, easy chairs and big painting on a wall.



When you go to Siraya Scenic area, go check in at visitor center - entrance fee should be paid.



Small exhibition here - painted rocks.



Ask host to offer you their special Taiwan coffee - it's really fresh and good, and they are really proud of it and will be happy to offer it to try.



Zhengwun reservoir.



The Siraya National Scenic Area is located at the crossroads of Tainan County's Jianan Plain and the western mountains.



Because this extensive area connects high mountains with a plain, there are many intersecting streams and rivers. These result in great varieties of different landforms, creating a landscape that includes natural waterfalls and cliff-side springs.



The Siraya National Scenic Area is a major farm produce area. A large variety of fruits and other products grow year-round, making the Siraya National Scenic Area true to its name of "A Land of Abundance".



In recent years, under governmental direction, the agricultural products of all counties and towns have been integrated, promoting local special products in each area, "one specialty for each village or town".



Mountainous and lonely roads are also interesting to explore - it gives a feeling of how this remote area looks like besides traditional tourist routes.





That's the flower I talked before. It is said that it can cure cancer.



Closer look on 薑黃 - or, possible english translation may be turmeric (according to yahoo translator).



薑黃 can be found everywhere in this area, just park somewhere on a road, and you will sooner or later see it.



Careful driving is necessary on those mountainous roads, that's truth.



Interestingly enough, that Dapu outskirts have also such atypical to southern taiwan community of houses - mostly those are summer houses and owners come here to stay at weekends and holidays.



This house is on sell now - in USD about 30,000 as local man told us. Big advantage of this house of course is a beautiful view, clean mountain air and SILENCE! Yes, SILENCE what's absolutely is a deficit thing in Taiwan. If you plan to stay in Taiwan for a long time, remember that if you live in more or less big township (i am even not talking about Kaoshiung, Taichung or Tapei) you will never have silence. Never. Motorbikes are always awake, someone is talking loud, small blue spam-trucks are advertising something at 9 a.m at saturday morning and so on. Dapu is silent. But then again, be so kind and drive miles to closest 7ELEVEN.



but again - how about SILENCE, and such a view from your bedroom at morning?



However, surprise surprise! Blue trucks along with motorbikes like mosquitoes are also here. Everywhere in fact. Just not in cloud alike capacities like in a cities.



one more house from this community.



Sunset at Dapu outskirts are calm and warm. I would be happy to live here.

Number of temples grows in Taiwan

In July's 28 printed edition of Taipei times there is short article with a statistics (I love statistics, there is a real life behind it), about number of temples in Taiwan.

Fow now, as Ministry of Interior says there is 14,993 temples in Taiwan. And there definetly is, because wherever you go you in Taiwan, you will find one - small and big - they are just everywhere, you can stumble upon one even in the middle of rice field.

If the nation has about 20 million residents, that means there is 1 temple for each 1500 people. Is that much? In my opinion, it's very much... however, I do not have data to compare for example with Cambodia or Lao, or India.

At the end of last year Taiwan had 11,731 temples and 3262 churches.

78.4 % percent are Taoist temples - there is not only Taoist folk deities but also Buddha, and also Buddhas Goddess Guanyin. Which part of the Taiwan have biggest density of temples. It's southern Taiwan, and Tainan county is a leader with 1245 temples, and then comes Kaohsiung 1142 and Pingtung county with 1068.

Taipei however has most of Taiwan's churches 432, and then of course next place where you will find more churches is at east side - Hualien county alone has 300 churches. And really, if you happen to be driving in east side of Taiwan - density of temples drops, they are very rarely seen.

Protestant churches outnumber Catholic churches by 3 to 1.

Let's juice up the the post with some of examples of temples in Taiwan - seeing is believing.

This temple can be found in beautiful mountains somewhere in Miaoli county - do not ask me exactly where though. But views are realy great - just look at this:











Closer view



Those are used for getting answers yes or no. Ask something with a question yes or no, and throw 2 pieces on a ground, and depending on how they land you will have instant answer from God.



To easy for you? For more detailed answers look for such shelves - together with numbered sticks (you should take 1 from many), which shows which card you should read, they provide more insights in your future.



Nothing different with horoscopes - if you believe in this, then you also should believe in those cards.

Kenting again and more detailed: South Bay (Nanwan) beach and nearby Kenting street buildings

I am back to Kenting again. This time, we were staying a bit more away from a "classic Kenting" (with that I understand Kenting village itself, up to the Erluanbi) - in Yoho Landis Beach resort, I could not resist go to Kenting again and that's how the pictures below appeared.
For me, and here I do not care about official definitions about where it is - Kenting, as a place to remember and love starts here:

From 2009-7-29

It's for me an entrance to Kenting, which in fact stretches then kilometers along heading to Erluanbi and then to east side of Taiwan. Kenting is not a round or square, it's a street, with a shops, hotels and home stays at left side and the beaches at another side. It's the entrance you see in this photo above, with those motorbikes standing there for rent. If you do not have the car or bicycle - you will need them, or you can not see anything, and you will also want to visit Kenting nightmarket. If you turn head left standing here, you will then see the road going back to Hengchun.



Most likely you will come from this road down to Kenting, and on the way you will see numerous motels where you can stay for a night, and your budget is not big. The more you go in the Kenting, and more stars hotel have, especially if it has sea view, the more you will need to pay.



Left side of Kenting street typically has such 2 - 3 floor buildings, where in 99 % cases you will find or Surfing boards rental, as in this case, or it will be restaurant or homestay, or swimsuits and other beach life things rental & sell. Also diving rentals are easy to spot here, but for diving it's better to head to Houbihu, which I will also show you later on in another blog post.



Those houses you are looking right now, are just in front of Nanwan, or South Bay recreation area - one of the most biggest public beaches in Taiwan and in Kenting of course also. Because mostly Taiwan's shores are not suitable for beach activities as they are rocky and there is not "golden sand" - and one few that are suitable, are in Kenting & around, and then next popular are Fulong beach in north of Taiwan.



One more surfing boards rental station.



This pic catches a bit of spirit from Kenting I love. It's a bit relaxed, totally different from all other parts of Taiwan. Resort spirit are everywhere.



You can stay at any of those inns, hotels or home stays, or however they like to call themselves - this class of stay will not be too expensive - the 2 high class hotels with sea view and services are Ceasars Hotel and Chateau Beach Resort, which has GREAT beach and really perfect rooms. I had shown the Chateau Beach Resort a bit in this post.

If you stay in Chateau, you will automatically no need to search for a place to put your bones under the sunshine in public beaches like Nanwan, but then again you will need to pay for that. Whatever you will choose, Kenting will still be great pace to spend time.



Yoyo inn, also a variant, but remember that if you decide to come at hot season and in weekend - they all might be occupied. Plan your trip before you come to Kenting. Vagabonding is not for everyone I guess, unless you do not enjoy sleeping in a beach at night.



Kenting street gets busy in hot season and especially in weekends.



If you forgot your swimsuit or beach sandals, you no need become a nudist - this can be bought everywhere, also my favorite shirts with palms pattern also here.



Kenting is not in a desert so it might happen that you get rainy days as well here. And no blue sky just as in this picture I made recently.

From 2009-7-29

This is how Nanwan, or south bay beach looks like in typical sunday in July. Yes, crowded, and not that clean as beach at Chateau resort, but I will specially not put pictures from Chateau beach here, because it's not correct to compare them. After all this beach is public.



Motorboats, water motorcycles - you should carefully choose the place where to swim here.



After you park somewhere at parking lot in South Bay recreation area, you can quickly get down to the beach by this wooden walkway.



600 meters long, Nanwan is the widest beach in Kenting National Park, also one of the significant scenery spots of Kenting. You can recognize it by those wind generators at horizon.



Kenting street seen from here - those are again hotels most likely.



Those guys will be taken for a ride on kayaks or motorboats and specially bumped over the waves for more adrenaline. You can try also. Hobihu area have a lot of companies offering this activity.



Swimming, surfing, snorkeling and scuba diving are really popular here



7-ELEVEN - as elsewhere on the island



Having tropical climate, summers in Kenting are usually hot. In winter, the pleasant weather in Kenting keeps beaches here open all year round.



I decided also to take a look what's inside in one of those lanes and what you can see behind the scenes in Kenting.



Entrance to Lane 52, South Bay road.



Well, and here you can find a Kenting that won't be in a tourist guides and other promotional websites of Taiwan. Most likely the houses are in such poor decision because I found out - you can't buy the property here. You can only buy the rights to rent the property of government and then rent. Also, real estate agent we talked to, told us that it's nothing different for everyone to really buy the house, or just buy the rights for rent - the result is just evident - you would not leave your own house in such a picturesque place as Kenting in such condition. But such houses are just everywhere.



One more example of selling "right for rent".



Such Kenting you will not see in Pingtung's county governor elections brochures.



One of the rare examples on Kenting street, where house are not involved in some business activity like diving at all.



Where the golden sands ends, the usual rocky shore starts.



And that means end to traditional beach activities. This is the end of Nanwan beachl, however not the end of Kenting at all - it's just a small small part, and in my blog sooner or later you will find it all, and full of details.



More inns hangs over the Kenting street near Nanwan recreation area.



Here is where you need to park, if you decide stay in Nanwan (South Bay).



By the way - don't make the photos of police in Taiwan, unless they do not see you - they do not like it. I still made this one, but as usually, he was not happy with that.

More on Kenting:

Southern pearl of Formosa - Kenting

Prisoner in Kenting of my own device

China Airlines 611 crash near the Penghu islands in 2002 - Air Crash Investigation episode

Yesterday I had stumbled upon quite fresh, and recently aired - in march 2009 Air Crash Investigations episode.
I remember that case widely covered in a TV, because the aircraft just came apart in several parts in midair - that was really a total mystery when it happened.

Those bloggers who may read this maybe remembers also the media coverage in Taiwan - I was not here yet at that time - but it seems that first versions were about China's missiles, considering that they had some military activities that day in Taiwan straight.
Moreover - we all here (I suppose) are frequent fliers for the Honkong - Taipei route, so I was thinking that this case is somewhat even more interesting to us. 
Interestingly enough as well is to mention, that once I arrived here, my wife, and also most of the friends here, all of them avoided China Airlines, even if it was cheaper - Cathay Pacific or Dragonair were a choice, and this is how I got a Marco Polo card as well.
That time, everyone was blaming CA as "noo, they lost my bag, and they did that and they did this" - and so on.
But I was really surprised to know, based on this episode, that at that time CA had one of the most bad safety records in world - as the film says - 1 major accident in 4 years! That's pretty much, isnt't it?

Here is the episode iteself:

Part 1:



Part2:



Part3:



Part4:



Part5:



Flight 611 no longer exists. Shortly after the accident, China Airlines changed the flight number to 619, which now serves the Taipei-Hong Kong route along with existing flights 601, 603, 605, 607, 609, 613, 615, 617, and 803. That's what is said in this Wikipedia summary.

Kolka, Northern Part of Latvia and some occasional beach pictures taken on road

Although I know, that it is good tone to keep blog as topical as possible and I had positioned my as Taiwan related only, I can't resist to make some exceptions time after time.
This time I wanted to share some pictures I took in Latvia during a last trip. We decided to drive from Jurmala to Kolka this June 2009.
Kolka (Livonian: Kūolka) is a village in Kolka parish on the tip of Cape Kolka in Courland in Latvia, on the coast of the Gulf of Riga in ancient Livonia. It is home to the last remnants of Latvia's Livonian ethnic group, whose Livonian language is highly endangered.
First and nice surprises are already on the road to Kolka. Somewhere on the the road...

...between Mersrags and Roja, you will find a beautiful & calm beach, surprisingly enough - swans also are living here.

Golden sands, blue sky, rocks, calm sea & swans - a really nice place here.

It's worse to stop also in Roja. Here, if you go through this township and turn to the see - you will soon also find a nice sea views.

This time it's green all around here.

Now, turning to Cape Kolka itself, it really astonishes you with all beauty of this northern courland part.

Luodong night market in Yilan county, North-East Taiwan

It was much bigger as I was expecting to see. It was much more impressive, vibrant atmosphere surrounded and there was much bigger selection on food than you would expect from regular nightmarket allover Taiwan.
It's just same impressive, and maybe even bigger than Fengchia nightmarket in Taichung, located nearby my flat. Definitely, Luodongers can be same proud and self-acclaim it as biggest and most popular tourist attraction as sometimes Taichungers do with Fengchia nightmarket.

Luodong (traditional Chinese: 羅東; pinyin: Luódōng; Wade-Giles: Lo-tung) is an urban township in the central part of Yilan County, Taiwan. Its name derives from the Taiwanese aboriginal word Rutung/Lutung, meaning "monkey".





Same as in Fengchia nightmarket, and in most big nightmarkets in Taiwan - it has several parts. As you might know, night market is "night" because it appears on a particular street only in evening, so it will be always a situation that one side will have a shops - inside the buildings, usually selling clothes, glasses and jewelry, and in front of them - food sellers and all the usual shelters selling everything starting from fake Gucci bags made in China and ending children toys, also presumable from mainland. This part of market for you as a foreigner might be less interesting, however, take a walk to breath the atmosphere of friday evening in Luodong - food smell rises in the air mixed with loud voices of clothes sellers - a cacophony of sounds you will find only in Taiwan. Take a walk with me - watch the below video and especially listen the noise - NOISE of nightmarket.





In old fashioned brick-and-mortar business the location is the most important factor for any retail shop. So for this shop promotional banner with weak call to action is OK, to write by hand - as you can see still it's full of people there.



Shoes & apparel shops compete with each other not only using bright red signs but also sometimes switch on very loud "lai lai lai (come come come) recorded voice "spam" - very annoying in fact.



It's the woman's world out here.



Target customer for those apparel shops are teens and students - as you can see they are also most popular demographic group seen here.





it's a food selling area already in above video. In 0:19 and further notice the row - waiting in a line for dumplings stand.



Juice stand



Call to action for kids - entertainment here for everyone, and you will go out from market with very thin wallet. However, with full stomach.



Lu wei - same as in Fengchia night market and everywhere else. Taiwan people like it a lot, and with various flavors.



different fried food selection





Dumplings. Cheaper than in Fengchia nightmarket. And even more cheaper than in Kenting nightmarket - I had wrote about it here.





Kiss of Love cherry juice. No, it's not pathetic. It's Taiwan.





I can't stop wonder why Taiwanese man so like those striped shirts? My all are with palms and flowers, like those in Kenting...



Restaurant area in Luodong night market - yes, crowdy. But, it's a nightmarket!



Friday night - it's hard to find a place to sit.

















Time to relax. Luodong style massage.





Those games are not just for kids - for big kids also. In love. After Kiss of Love cherry juice.

Aodi fishing village in Gongliao Township, Northern Taiwan

Fulong Beach visit will not be complete, if you do not visit Yuan-Wuang-Keng River side park, and - a great sea food restaurant in Aodi fishing village.
As I already mentioned in one of my previous posts about rules for choosing a good restaurant in Taiwan - a really famous and good restaurants in Taiwan rarely has modern outlook or neonlight signs towering on 100m heights like LG brand for eyeball purposes only and brand promotion. Best restaurants serving most tasty food have no english signs, no new buildings and are not featured in Lonely Planet guide - this is why i try to post most of them in my blog - under Food and Drink Category mostly. 
Hei Bai Mau Shau Chi restaurant in Aodi - is a perfect example of what I always try to say - just this sign & and ordinary building:





As you can see no place to sit, no chance to get free table - it's a sign that great food here.







Rice cooker - slightly bigger than a one in your kitchen.



Chao Mien - fried noodles with Mu-Er (brown one).



Fish here is very tasty and fresh - owner of restaurant says, that they have their own boat - they catch the fish themselves and so they always can keep it fresh.



Shrimp



It's safe to eat this sashimi - as I told above, fish really is very fresh here.



Tubule - taste a bit sweet, but delicious.



Octopus



Caviar



Water Spinach - a must try one - extremely delicious here.



Bamboo salad - for me too sweet, but, it's a question of taste.

It appears that Aodi is really most famous for their sea food restaurants - here is what Wikipedia says about this place:
Aodi (sometimes Audi, Aoti, Auti) is a small fishing village in Gongliao Township, Taipei County, in the Northeast corner of the island of Taiwan. It is a popular tourist destination owing to its scenic setting and many seafood restaurants. It is also close to the controversial Fourth Nuclear Power Plant (FNPP), under construction since 1996. A nearby beach, Yenliao, was the site of the first landing for the occupation of Taiwan (Formosa) by Japanese forces (1895).

Yuan-Wuang-Keng Riverside park - Northern Taiwan, near Gongliao Township

Fulong beach and all Northern Taiwan areas are not for everyone - well, at least for me - a big lover of western and southern parts of Taiwan. However Fulong beach is a place you will sooner or later visit, and then what I want to suggest you - it's a brief rest in Yuan-Wuang-Keng park, also known as Butterfly Ginger Park.
What's really interesting here, and as you will see below in photos - designers tried to use a natural materials to build the park, and also did not touched anything - even the rice fields and houses are left untouched.
The riverbank, the trails, even the park benches were all built with stones of different sizes and shapes. The water pond was brought in directly from the Yuankeng River with a specially designed pavilion and an arched bridge that elegantly arcs above the pond. The wild ginger flowers along the riverbank and the parking lot's greenery blossom from summer to October.
The Yuanwangkeng Water Park is also an ideal place for those who enjoy hiking, as it is located near the grass track. In November, the park is awash in white due to the blooming wild sugarcane.



It's really not big at all, and if you come at weekdays, I suppose it will be silence there as well.

\

Old living house are here and park stretches just in front of it. It's interesting, what those people think - you live and live, and then one day you wake up and find your self in a park.







Small river here





Kids having fun at water pumps





Evening mood in Yuan-Wuang-Keng Riverside park

Fulong beach in Gongliao Township, Taipei County, North East Taiwan - where is the promised golden sands?

I am risking to appear spoiled and impolite - but where is the "promised" golden sands and impressive views?
Maybe it's a long long traffic jam, we were stacked at this Dragon boat festival holidays, or maybe my fanatical devotion to Kenting, but I was disappointed for what I saw. Maybe first time I say about something in Taiwan like that, and I hope last time also.
Impersonal Wikipedia says, that there is golden sands... click on a link to see their picture.
Well, what we saw, is just posted below.





Sand was in fact close to dark brown and quite dirty - far from one you can see in Kenting. OK, it's Nothern Taiwan, and one of rear beaches there but still...

and then this temple just near parking:



Well, IMHO, when you want to see temples, you go to temples, and when you want to enjoy sea views, palms, bikinis and surfers - a large temple is a last what you expect to see... at least for me so. By the way I did not went in - maybe it's not a temple at all? Someone was there?

OK, waves - those who are surfers for sure will enjoy them. Waves are really great there.

Taimali township, in Tautung county, South-East coast of Taiwan - Shi Jia fruit heaven

Once you are driving around Taiwan, and happen to be in a Taitung county, it's well worth to stop by and check Taimali township.

As Wikipedia says:

The Tai Mali village was started 1,000 years ago by Qian YaoKao who was ancestor of the Pai Wan race. The Qian YaoKao is also called DaMa race. Guangxu 3th year, due to DaMa has similar pronunciation to Tai Ma, thus it has been called Tai Mali by mainland people. Early in the Republic Era, other aborigines such as the Ah Mei and Bai Wan races were moving continuously to Tai Mali village. During the Japanese colonial period, there were also some residents from Miaoli, Nantou, Zhanghua, Yunlin, Jiayi, Tainan, Gaoxiong, and Pindong settling in Tai Mali village.

If you just stay on a main road, Taimali looks just like any other east coast township:





Most of inhabitants are engaged in farming, while others try to squeeze out living selling food to those who pass by the township.

What Taimali area is really famous for, it's a Shi Jia fruit, and I think, that there is no english name for it - at least yahoo dictionary could not find one. Anyway, you should come early in may to get the season and best of them, because when we came at end of may, it appeared that it's already too late, and only such ones left:



Do not be too concerned also, if you could not catch the fresh fruits - there are a lot of jellies and candy made from them, so you will be sure to get a sweet (maybe even too sweet in my opinion) taste of this fruit. And a good place to buy a gifts and different sweets, related to eastern Taiwan are in the shop, which you will not miss (good example of marketing skills - in a mess of red signs in Taiwan, it really stands out). And it's a parking around it - as Sam Walton noticed, that in case his parking lot's were filled more than 50 %, the sales in his shops started to decline. This shop apparently does it good - get's the attention, offers you parking and here you are - inside the shop.



Good isn't it? At least you will point your finger on it, asking "what's that"? And most likely stop to take a picture.



A lot of things to choose from



Li Ji - my favorite fruit in Taiwan also sold here.

After you had packed up with eastern coast sweet's, don't speed up too much. There is a really terrific place to have a lunch. Definitely - such quality and such a taste - exceeded our expectations.



They had named it Sea restaurant, but not because of sea food, but I guess, because of really fantastic eastern coast views, which are just here to enjoy while you have a lunch.

Adress is No.133, San-Ho Village, Taimali, Taitung county.





Such a views, just from a restaurant table. Let's take a look on menu:



If you think that it's not cheap at all, I agree with you. But it's worth to try, because it's really tasty.

Here is our lunch, but your choice could be another:



It's Hai Shin. Inside are mix of sea food - shrimps & similar.



Noodles, pork, ginger & much other tasty things.



Again a mix of different kind of vegetables and meat, and as I remember, tofu as well.



Chicken.



Desert - watermelon, sweet's and coffee.

I will remember Taimali as such, but it's for sure, that I am going to explore it more next time, not just such quick run through.