Virgin Solo Trip to Taiwan! (Day 1 - 4 ~ Kenting)

16D-15N Merry Round Taiwan Trip 2014

23 Jul - 7 Aug 2014

With a hard-copy detailed travel itinerary, changed sufficient $$, a google drive app (all offline documents), a 29'inch American Tourister Purple luggage and a carry-on board backpack, off I depart to Taiwan ALONE!

TAIWAN, I SHALL CONQUER YOU!

 This is the first time that I travel alone in a foreign country and I'm glad I made this move.

Route: Kenting - Taichung - Cingjing - Taipei (South - Central - North of Taiwan)

23 Jul to 26 Jul 2014 (Day 1 - Day 4)

I purchased Scoots FlyBag Promo Fare at $176 for a two-way ticket. After adding fees, taxes, fuel surcharge, ACE travel insurance, booking flexibility, additional check-in luggage and seat request fee, I paid a total of $409.46. Well, some of you may find it cheap/expensive for a promo fare. Well, it is considered cheap for me as it included all the above choices (I did not order in-flight meals as it was a midnight flight). As for you maybe yes, maybe not, depending on your individual needs.

*PS. if you are not ordering in-flight food, do carry some light snacks in your bag and refill your water bottle after entering the transit areas as your body will be dehydrated during your flight.

This is the first time flying with Scoot. Overall, the experience is good. Their service standard is good and the leg space between the seats is comfortable for me as my legs are long while the leg space in Tiger Airways (TR) was uncomfortable for me when I flew to Hong Kong via TR 2 years ago.

Due to Typhoon Matmo that struck Taiwan on 22 Jul 2014,, my scheduled flight to depart SIN -TPE at 00:45 on 23 Jul 2014 and arrive TPE at 05:30 was postponed to 09:00 on 23 Jul 2014. I was so afraid that my flight would be cancelled as the outlook for the next few hours were not in my favour. Fortunately, my plane managed to take off slightly later than scheduled as there were a couple of planes departing at the same time as well.

Due to heavy air traffic, I landed Taoyuan International Airport Terminal 1 at 1430 instead of ETA 1345. After I touched down, cleared immigration customs and collected my luggage at the belt, it was close to 1600. I was starving although I had a heavy breakfast before my flight.

Being in foreign country, it is always good to sign up for freewifi access, shown on the left (you can apply it at the Metro Station sin Taipei), the youth travel card keychain (青年游游卡 as shown on the left) if you are aged 18-30 years old for some discounts at certain Taiwan attractions at any visitor information counter around Taiwan and a local sim card for emergencies purpose. My planned itinerary was greatly affected due to Typhoon Matmo. To further disrupt it, the Taiwan Government declared 23 Jul 14' as an unofficial public holiday because of Typhoon Matmo attack. As such, many shops, including telecommunication companies in the city were closed. There are a couple of telecommunication companies in Taiwan. However, I will either choose 中華電信 or 台湾大哥大 as their reception coverages are wider and more reliable. 中華電信, Chunghwa Telecom counters located at both airport terminals were closed. The

                                                    only telecommunication company counter opened in both 

                                                    terminals was 台湾大哥大. As such, the queue was super long.

  

 Pictures of Rates with and without 3G plans for 台湾大哥大 (Rates for 中華 is the same as well)

I queued almost an hour to get my Taiwan sim card. The pre-paid rates for both 中華 and 台湾大哥大 telecommunications companies are the same. The first thing I got my sim card was to call Kenting Bonjour Resort as I would arrive at their resort at late hours. The lady was patient and assured me that I did not need to worry about the late check-in timing (as the website stated the latest C/I timing was 1900). As I need to take the HSR from Taoyuan - Zuoying HSR station and transfer to Kenting Express Bus to Kenting, she advised me to give her a ring before reaching Hengchun bus terminal so that they can arrange a pick up to the resort.

It was 1700 when I left Taoyuan Terminal 1 to take the UBUS - Taoyuan HSR station. Before I flew, I pre-paid online to enjoy the early bird discounts (discounts depends on the number of days of pre-advanced booking; the more number of days it is away from your actual ride, the more discounts you will get. FYI: 早鸟8折 is equivalent to 20% off standard price and 早鸟6.5折 is equivalent to 35% discount). For more information, please refer to the Taiwan High Speed Rail website; Taiwan HSR. Due to Typhoon Matmo, I was afraid that I had to purchase another normal priced ticket when I reached the HSR station as my flight was delayed. Fortunately, when I showed the person my train receipt, he said due to the typhoon, all the morning trains were cancelled. Hence I was able to take the train without incurring additional cost (standard; NT$1,455). *phew, I heaved a sigh of relief at that moment*.

  

I took the Taiwan HSR that departed at 1755 on the dot. You must reach the train platform at least 5-10 minutes earlier than your departed time as the HSR wait for no one. It leaves exactly on the dot! BE PUNCTUAL! FYI: Do ensure that you are on the right platform as there was a time my friends and I almost missed our midnight train to Kaohsiung as we were at the wrong platform but fortunately, we managed to rush to the correct platform and got on the train before the door closed right behind us after we boarded the train.

 

 

As the train journey took about an hour plus from Taoyuan - Zuoying, I decided to buy a takeaway set meal from café at the HSR train station and bring it onboard the HSR. FYI, it is allowed to drink and eat on the HSR train in Taiwan. Likewise, you can purchase their in-flight food and beverages on the train. I was famished and within minutes, I gobbled up the tomato pasta and iced-peach tea. When I arrived at Zuoying HSR station, it was close to 1930.

After exiting from the HSR platform, I proceeded to exit 2 after exiting from the HSR platform to see that Kenting Express Bus counter was closed. I tried my luck and went down to the bus stop opposite the station to see if there is any more buses to kenting. I was lucky to know that there is still bus available to go Kenting. However, it departs hourly and the journey to Kenting is longer; est. 2.5hrs journey. I missed the 1945 bus and I had to wait for an hour for the next bus. There was a man who approached me and asked If I was going to Kenting. He mentioned that if he could find 3 more person, each person only need to pay 400NT and the journey is only about an hour plus and will drop one directly in  front of the minus instead of the designated bus stops. However, if I were to take the cab alone to my resort, it will cost me 2000-3000NT. In the end, I waited for the 1845hr bus as there was no other passengers taking the cab.

  

The above photos are the time-table of the Kenting Express Bus, The Interior of the Zhong Nang Coach and the coach ticket. Overall, there is ample leg space, the seats are comfortable and the coach driver was very helpful and friendly. As it was almost 2300hr when I was reaching Kenting, I called the lady at Kenting Bonjour Resort for a pick-up at the Hengchun Bus Terminal Station as the resort was a distance away from the terminal. A gentleman from the Bonjour Resort came to pick me up to the resort and he was very friendly. He showed me to my room and informed me about the breakfast timing and if there was anything I need, I could call the resort number. By the time I bathed and settled down on my bed, it was already past midnight. I was totally drained... Good night...

DAY 2 in Kenting

These photos are the exteriors buildings of the Kenting Bonjour Resort. On the right is the information centre located at the rear end of the resort area.

    

             

The resort is furbished and the service crew are very friendly. If you go during Jul - Aug period, you will be able to see many young crew as they are high school students having summer vacation and they travel to these areas to work and gain experiences. They work to pay for their lodging in this city. Below are the interior photos and my first breakfast in Kenting. Throughout the 4D3N stay in Kenting Bonjour Resort, I had similar styles of breakfast...

After having breakfast, I waited for the resort's service lady to call for the rental scooter person to come and fetch me to their shop to rent a scooter. The uncle came in 5-10 mins time and brought me to this shop as shown above. In Kenting, there are different modes of transportations to get around the city. For example, you can take bus, walk, motorcycle, scooter or take taxi. You should decide which transport best suit you. As for me, I am traveling alone and I like to explore the areas and spend the time leisurely. In any case, before you decide to take any mode of transport; you should make SAFETY the top priority. 

     

Riding a scooter is not difficult as the maximum speed it goes is 30km/h. If you do not know how to cycle / your balancing is poor and, or your sense of direction is poor, you should not engage taking the scooter as safety will be compromised. Do not worry if you have the above criteria but don't possess a class 2 license because they don't require you to possess one and the traffic in Kenting is not as busy as other cities such as Tainan, Taichung, Taipei. As most of the younger generation travel to other cities to work, those who stay before are mostly the older generation or the younger generation. I paid a rental fee TW800 for a day and NT800 as a deposit. When you return the scooter, do remember to take back your deposit. I rented the scooter for 2 days and I travelled around Hengchun and Kenting. I am not sure how much does other scooter rental shops charge as I did not ask around. (You can try asking other rental shops though). If you have a class 2 license, you may want to consider renting a motorcycle (approx. NT250 - 500) but you have to pay for the fuel that you used. As for scooter, you only have to pay NT800 and re-charge the battery at the recharging stations around Kenting is Free (must plan your route and estimate your fuel usage so as to avoid paying NT20 for charging your scooter's battery). 

     

The yellow scooter on the top left is my scooter! (helmet is provided! PS: the oncoming traffic in Taiwan is the opposite of Singapore, hence I took some time to familiarise their traffic rules. *^_^* 

(Map of Hengchun & Kenting)

    

The above is the map of Hengchun and Kenting and it was given to me by the kind lady. For me, I have two full days in Kenting hence I divided the map into two parts. From Kenting Rental Scooter Station, I explored around Hengchun Old Town and had my lunch there. Next up, I visited South Western part of Kenting. I rode to Hong Chai Keng (红柴坑), Bai Sha (白沙，MaoBiTou (猫鼻头), HouBiHuYouTingGang (后壁湖游艇港) where HengChun Yu Ren Gang (恒春渔人港), a fish market where fresh and cheapest sashimi and seafood, are located. If YOU ARE A SASHIMI <3, YOU MUST NEVER MISS 恒春渔人港! YOU WILL REGRET IF YOU MISSED!

        

Photos of Hengchun (above)

Below is the photos taken at Bai Sha (白沙). As I rode from Hengchun to Bai Sha, it started pouring heavily! Luckily I brought a raincoat and it sheltered my bag and myself from the storm. With the helmet, I was able to continue my way with little difficulty though it was super duper cold in the afternoon. Be clear of the direction that you are turning as there is a cross junction at the high way after you see a stand alone 7 eleven stall on your right. *Sometimes when you are on the highway and you can only drive 30km/hr, it is best to stay on the extreme right of the road. If you are not sure, try to follow the locals there!* When I arrived at Bai Sha, the rain stopped but due to huge waves, red flags were hung to prevent anyone from going down to the beach. Even though I did not manage to go down to the beach area, there were a couple of stalls at Bai Sha. I ordered a bowl of shaved mixed fruits (approx. NT200 - can't remember e exact price) and sat down to enjoy the fresh air, the strong wind and the sound of the waves.

      

 Toilets are charged NT20 per visit. If you want to shower after swimming, it is approx. NT50. The toilets were pretty clean and toilet papers were provided. I sat there for an hour plus and then decided to move on to my next destination; MaoBiTou (猫鼻头). I took a couple of photos at MaoBiTou and everyone was amazed when I was taking as I brought along my BUDDY - selfie stick!! It is also known as 不求人 as taking selfie can be a hassle as you need to ask people to take photo for you. However, with selfie stick, you don't have to ask anymore! *for those who don't have a selfie stick, you can buy it at Ximenting or any night market. It is selling at NT250. If you can get a better deal, why not?! It is really very useful and you don't need to bother the weird / amazed look of others on you when you use the selfie stick. I also encountered a couple of tourists taking selfie stick to take photos! XD

MaoBiTou (猫鼻头) is given this name as the head of the rock resembles a cat's head overlooking the sea from the side view.

      



When I was there, there were many groups of tourists from China and Hong Kong. They were so excited about this place and kept taking photos. After taking a couple of photos and resting from the stairs and slopes, I decided to move on to avoid clashing with those tourist buses on the road.

It was close to evening when I arrived at HouBiHuYouTingGang (后壁湖游艇港) where HengChun Yu Ren Gang (恒春渔人港) is located. Inside the fish market, there were a couple of seafood stalls and there were long queues queuing up for seats at the first stall once you enter the market. As they were too busy or I was alone, the person didn't bother to entertain me.

     

      

Hence, I walked further into the market and settled down at stall 10 which was less crowded as shown below.

   

      

 You can choose to have a plate of mixed combination of sashimi (tuna, swordfish, salmon) or purely one type of sashimi with the same price but different quantity. For example, I had a plate of purely salmon sashimi of 30 fatty pieces for only NT250 (SGD10.60)!!! Eat piece costs around 0.3cents! HOW CAN YOU MISS IT?! FOR ME! I simply love salmon sashimi so going there was a HEAVEN for me! XD However, as I was alone, the restaurants wont entertain you if you are only eating purely sashimi / order one type of dish. As such, I ordered one plate of salmon sashimi and vegetables for my dinner which made my stomach as bloated as a balloon!!!! There was a free charging battery station at the back of the market and I parked my scooter there to charge (with keys taken out after locking the scooter head to prevent anyone from moving it away) before I went to find my sashimi. (photos as shown below; to locate the charging station, look out for the company besides it). I left the place around 8pm and it was pitched dark. I drove slowly back to my resort in Hengchun. (Generally, it is quite safe in Kenting and the people is also quite friendly).

        

Day 3 - Kenting Bonjour Resort has two adorable dogs. I can't remember their names but they love chasing each other. I only managed to take a photo with this female golden retriever while the other bulldog went to another side with the owner already.

After breakfast (0730 - 0930 bf time), I went to explore the South-Western part of Kenting. First stop of the day; Nan Wan / South Bay (南湾). It was not only sunny and windy, it was a great time to play sea sports activities! Being a sea sport lover, I took up 5-in-1 package (NT1000) where I could play Tian Tian Quan （甜甜圈), Motorcycle and 3 other activities (you can mix and match) and I got 1 bathing coupon that worth NT20 FOC. (Initially, I was contemplating whether to take up offer as it was slightly pricy as compared to other areas - which I heard from the locals but not sure about the price. However, since I was given free parking and the weather was exceptionally good (cause past few days it was under the Matmo Typhoon attack, no sports activities were allowed).

      

I went to change into my swimming suit and when I came back to place my stuff, there was another lady who was also traveling alone. Amanda is from Taichung and together, we played the 5-in-1 sea sports activities! It was very fun and we departed around 2.30pm. She decided to stay there and read her book while I decided to move on to explore other places as she has been to Kenting previously.

      

After departing, I went to the 7-eleven and got two bottles of sports water as the weather was freaking hot and humid. I would be close to having mild heat stroke if I did not hydrate myself properly. As a result, I got suntanned very badly. (Although I kept applying sunblock lotion).

     

These photos are taken enroute to Chuan Fan Shi（船帆石) and Eluanbi Lighthouse.

           

 After playing all the water sports, I was starving. Onroute to my Chuan Fan Shi, I stopped and arrived at this Japanese shop to have a bowl of ramen. This bowl of ramen cost around NT290 or so and it is not very nice. Although I was starving, I didn't find it tasty. I doubt I will visit this shop the next round when I come to Kenting.

          

          

After departing from the Japanese Restaurant, I stopped at the road side to have my all-time favourite; Starbucks. The price of the beverages are similar to Singapore and I tried the Chocolate Banana Frappuccino. I tapped on the free wifi of the hotel located just beside Starbucks. As usual, there are quite a number of people in the Starbucks. Practices and habits are the same as Singapore.

The weather was unpredictable. It was very bright and humid in the morning but rained in the late afternoon (if you see the photos, you will understand). After drinking the Chocolate Banana Frappuccino, I continued my journey. 

    

                                                      One of the free charging stations along Kenting Street

      

Views along the Kenting Street

Chuan Fan Shi（船帆石) - photos below

  

          

   

Eluanbi Lighthouse
        

PS: you should bring along a travel notebook and collect the stamps wherever you travel in Taiwan as they have very beautiful stamps in different attractions. *I stamped in on my itinerary*

     

           

I was too busy taking photos and exploring the surrounding areas that I missed the operation hour; 6pm when I reached there after 5pm. *lesson learnt: Visit the lighthouse before exploring the surrounding areas*

      

This is another FOC location to charge the battery of your scooter. However, please note that this area is very secluded and I actually missed it as the surrounding shops were closed. All the shops seemed to be abandoned ages ago and there was almost nobody walking around there. (If you are lucky might get to see a few people - as they lost their way). There was nothing for me to do / explore while charging my scooter and worst of all, there were many mosquitoes and I got kissed by them on my face and my legs. >_<

Before I departed with Amanda, the Taichung lady, we exchanged contacts and we met up at the Kenting Big Street for dinner and shopping. The below are some of the food that you MUST TRY in Kenting, especially the center chicken wing stall! The xiao la (small chili portion) is also quite spicy and hot. For those who don't take chilli, request them to leave it plain and nice. After filling up our stomach, we stayed to watch the Night Dance (hetero / homo/trans dancing performances) @ one of the small pubs (paid NT200 per person). Overall, it was a nice experience to watch this show as it was hilarious and you should not feel offended when you are being picked among the crowd to perform with them when the time comes.

     

      

    

We spilt up after watching the show as it was past midnight and made our way back to our resorts. I left Kenting Bonjour Resort after having breakfast and the uncle fetched me to Hengchun Bus Terminal to take the Kenting Express bus back to Zuoying High Speed Rail Station.

And so.... This marked the end of my Kenting Journey... Felt sad departing Kenting as it was really a very relaxing and slow paced city... but excited for my next city ~  Taichung (Day 4-6)!!!