Kenting Forest Recreation Area (FRA), Taiwan

 

View from the forest recreation area

so we woke up bright and early ready to enjoy the day. We lucked out with the weather which was forecast as rain and awoke to bright, crisp, hot, sunshine. We cleaned out the hotel room and headed down to free breakfast. Now the normal taiwanese free hotel breakfast is pretty damn cheap. They have no shame in giving out vouchers valid for 50nt equivalent a UK pound. Breakfast is cheap think two slices of white bread slapped together with  butter and pre made milk tea- you know its the powdered stuff. Or maybe it is just the kind of hotels I frequent. I guess if you pay more you get more for your money but more sometimes isn.t better. The hotel had laid out a spread of what looked like yesterday's leftovers. Definitely re fried in dashing metal pig swill containers.  I would have rathered had the simpler and tastier fry dumplings we got in green island, than this banquet for bums. 

Instead of heading to the beach which normal westeners do we went to the forest recreational area. It is the most visited place in Kenting but the most frequnelty missed by westeners who get stuck by the downwards drag in Kenting strip. Cheap coctails and lady boy shows and sun burns on the beach. The FRA is fucking awesome tho.  It is a forest built on an old coral bed, thrust out of the ocean by Taiwans ever turnbulent tectonic plates. Pretty awe inspiring, big old regal banyan trees twist and turn through the coral. The roots and the hanging vines claim stake on land, longer than any footsteps that may have been there. All with the comfort of an ice cream cafe right in the middle. 

 

Little Lizard Came too close

 

WTF

There's so much to see and do all nicely singposted off and with pebble stone paving. Its like iNdianas Jone's jungle for the Taiwanese- convenient. and they bloody do it well. The fairy cave is one of the best features. We were debating why they call it a fairy cave, were there fairies in ancient Taiwan. We were pleasantly surprised to find the fairy cave was inhabited with about 100 bats. They twitched and quivered and turn up their little pig noses when we came trapesing past their hideout. The whole forest is amazing with the garden of the hangin banyan, dragon cave - so tight it felt like rebirth, the viewing tower- complete with air con, palm tree walk with all manner of poisonous caterpillars, wasps, and gheckos. One little fellow came dangerous close to my foot and suffered a swift back crack as i tried to jump out of the way. I like to think he survived. 

 

Fairy Cave

Well it has to be seen to be believed and I definitely would go back there. Cruising up the winding raods to the forest is also enjoyable on the scooter. This was why I came to Taiwan.

The day after the pub quiz at Tin Pan Alley

 

Bonfires on the beach

 

I spy with my little eye something begginning with S - scooter scooters everywhere

 

Don't drink and drive

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 I had such a long day today I can’t believe it. I couldn’t sleep before my morning class. I had bloody lady gaga “telephone song” stuck in my head for hours I lay there tossing and turning to “stop calling, stop calling stop calling, I don’t want to talk any more” I had to wake up at 8 and I was still awake at 4.00am. Not to mention I woke up repeatedly in my meagre sleep. I can only blame myself I suppose for drinking all those free refill green teas at the Tin Pan pub quiz, which it is worthy to note we came second in. It’s on a Thursday night at one of the foreigner hangouts in Tainan. The food is pretty awesome, stonebaked pizza’s and deli sandwiches I thought I would get my moneys worth with the green tea and I sure did maximise that 50nt. But I guess that was why I was so wired. I think I drunk at least 6cups.

So any way I woke up feeling so tired and crappy and stumbled to the kitchen to whizz up my newly inspired morning smoothie. Newly inspired because I bought all these new ingredients from the 24hr shop and this was gonna be my healthiest smoothie yet.  It’s lychee season at the moment and they are so good the stone is pretty much non existence. I only had a half hour to take a shower, get dressed make breakfast, do my makeup and get my books together. So I stepped out of the shower realising my undies were in the washing machine. Our kitchen is lacking in plugs so the smoothie maker is sitting near the washing machine. In my haste I booted down the newly bought smoothie maker and all my breakfast and shards of glass dashed to the floor. FUCKKK echoed about the flat as I tried to maintain my towel covered dignity and scoop up the smoothie. I didn’t have time for this shit.

So I mop it all up and dash my towel in the washing machine only to hear the tinkle of glass hitting the bottom of the basin. I couldn’t leave it there otherwise someone could put a load on and then the washing machine break. This all ate into my makeup time so lets just say I looked like crap as I left the house for work.  I grabbed a cakey looking thing from the shop which on the outside looked delicious until I realised the inside was not chocolate but bloody red bean paste. My least favourite of all the bean pastes.

So I was completely pissed off teaching my class and of course that energy rubs off on the students who were equally as restless. The classes were poops. My saving grace was a flashy powerpoint game I made which was great. Then for some reason it just decided to break. The hyperlinks didn’t work and it fucking went to shit so we couldn’t play the game and they were all bummed out.

You know my day hasn’t really been that bad in retrospect some annoying stuff has happened it was just amplified but that fucking lady gaga song which now haven’t written about, has gotten stuck in my head again.  Plus it is sooo hot like sizzling hot. AAAARGH

 

The Youth Mobility Scheme Visa (YMS) Visa for Taiwan applying from England

Anping wetlands green tunnel boat ride in the national reserrve. Get to the front for the best pictures.

 

Anping beach enjoying the sunset.

  

I remember when I applied for this visa there was pittance of information on the web. There's loads of stuff for Taiwanese nationals applying to go to England but it seems it is not very popular the other way around. It is relatively a new visa so I guess thats why.

The YMS visa is for young people aged between 18- 30 who live in England and want to work and travel in Taiwan for one year. It's essentially a working holiday visa. Unlike other working holiday visas that require you can only work with one company for three months this one doesn't impose such rules. You can stay with one company the duration of you stay. Of course the purpose is that you travel and work so don't rock up to the embassy saying you want to work the whole year. 

The whole process is pretty long winded but I think worth it for the flexibility that you get once you arrive in Taiwan. You can come and go as you choose, you can take a break from work, you can take any job.

You need to make an online application here 

http://www.roc-taiwan.org/uk/ct.asp?xItem=232492&CtNode=11274&mp=132&xp1=


You also have to do a long winded health check. This is mandatory for all teachers staying in Taiwan so this is to compensate for it not being done in the country. My friend got it done here in Taiwan and it was alot more straight forward than getting it done in England cos they are well prepared for it here. It involves chest x rays, mmr vaccinations, and some other things. The medical check form has to be stamped by a health professional. On the actual medical check form it says you need 3 signatures from some health professionals that don't actually exist in the UK health care - but are just a direct translation of Taiwanese health care professionals. The guy at the embassy completely understood and was happy with the stamp of the nurse from the travel clinic. 

You also need cash! you need to bring i think it was 1600pounds of travellers cheques to the embassy or bank statements to that amount. No paupers allowed in Taiwan. 

Well i hope that provides some info to people looking to apply. Once you arrive in Taiwan you go to the office of immigration and get an alien residence certificate. We were the first they had ever seen with this visa. But i have met one other who did it. you can go work in seven eleven if you fancy.

You might want to check with the UK embassy for more info there is i think 200 of these visas granted a year. At the moment not a concern but who knows maybe people will catch on to our secret of good weather and good wages. 

Tainan Olympics Anping Beach

 

The Long Jump

 

 

Award Ceremony

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Olympics

I haven’t written in a while, well that’s a lie, infact I did write but I didn’t want to upload it. I was feeling a little depressed about Taiwan mostly work pissing me off. Man can it be annoying. You just got to remember with the buxiban it is business over education. Bum’s in chairs means nt in pockets. But hey whatever that’s the nature of the work. We get paid well to take the shit. I prefer teaching in High school feels like real teaching not like the buxiban baby sitting.

Anyway that’s not what this is about this is about the Beach olympics drum roll. Its only been two years in the making but I forsee this becoming a big festival in future. Everyone gathered down the beach to do our own olympics. The creators were inspired by last years Olympic fever to make their own and this year they put in a lot of effort to make it better. The teams were south Africa, Europe, Asia pacific, and America. I was part of the Europe team surprisingly enough. The whole thing kicked off at 8.30am for cricket which was a little too early for me. I made down at about 11.30. Events included, swimming, penalty shoot out, cricket, rugby, tug o war, long jump and …was there anything else, oh yes sack race and three legged race. It was forcast to rain and rain it did for maybe 10mins. It was a welcome release from the strong sun. Lets just say there were a lot of red faces by the end of it all.

Dog’s weren’t allowed down the beach as there has been a dog disease, not exactly sure of the name of it I think it is Parvo disease. Someone dumped a pack of puppies down the beach and a foreigner has been trying to find them all homes. He found homes for three of them but then one of the people decided it was a bad decision. They then preceded to take the pup to the pound. It was then the original doggy crusader said not to take it to the pound where a lot of dogs gets put to sleep but to take it back to the beach so he can keep looking for homes. Unfortunately the pup got parvo virus in the pound and came back and gave it to the other pups. They all died and this disease apparently can live in the ground for a year so dogs weren’t allowed. A couple of guys didn’t get the memo and brought them down. Hopefully they’ll be alright. The bad thing is there is a fresh batch of pups down there they are really little .I saw a picture of them I want to take one but I can’t poor things probably won’t last long.

Anyway sports and beer was good fun. The south Africans won, maybe because they took everything far too seriously plus a lot of them are massive so gravity is on their side when it came to tug o war. But it was all together a really great day. Everyone was drunk by the end of it. There was one scooter accident a fractured skull so It is definitely wise to take a taxi down there.  Don’t forget Sunscreen aswell!

More pics to come of the olympics

 

Guanziling Mud Hot Springs

Fire meets water, a strange natural phonomenon means that natural gasses ignite upon contact with the water lighting an eternal flame. It was first discovered over 300 years ago by a monk. The flame is unfortunately dying and one day will no longer exist.

We went to Guanziling on Sunday for a relaxing day at the Spa. It was really good, really worth a trip. Its about an hour drive from central Tainan so not too taxing. We went with Mary I hadn't seen her in ages. The whole guanziling complex is based on a mountainside. Hotels and Spa sprawl up the twisting mountainous road. It was misty as we went up the winding serpentine road. the mountains faded into the distance like Japanese ink paintings. There were lots of stalls selling strange wares and foods. 

The famous fire and water natural phonomenom is at what seemed the top of the mountain. It felt really spiritaul and surreal. It looks like a natural hearth the flames dancing on the rocks. Its amazing to think the Typhoons don't put it out. We imagined what it would have been like to be that monk who originally found it. It must have been a roaring bonfire. We decided it must have looked like the gates to heaven or to hell. It is really mesmerising. 

After that we searched for a spa to go and relax. Octav suggested the police spa which is apparently the cheapest at only 100nt. The only down side is you have to be completely naked. We get enough stares being foreigners without my bits on display not really for me, we made a quick exit. Instead we opted for the nicest spa in the place at a cost of 450nt entry. Beware you need a swimmin cap and you can't wear boardshorts in there and as Octav found neither can you wear your boxers. The spa was really nice lounging in warm pools of thin clay and tea. They have the doctor fish which eat your dead skin on your feet, it really tickles. We tried it and my feet felt smoother but then Pra worried me about catching aids from them. I think that is just a rumour. I wonder if you fell in if they could kill you, a slow death that would be. I felt like I was back in 1940's Japan, the decor was very nice all Bamboo and flowers, It was called the 'the kings garden villa' or something along those lines.

On the way to the Guanziling village there are lots of chicken restaurants The area must be famous for this chicken or something. They cook it in a big pot like some kind of potted bbq. We tried it on the way back...delicious. it's like a big rottissery chicken. They serve it with chicken oil which you use for dipping the chicken and with a chicken soup aswell. decadence. the feast accompanied by noodles, rice, bamboo rice, veggies cost us 250nt each nt i couldn't not have stuffed anything more down. 

we kept the bones and gave them to a stray dog on the way home. At first Octav dashed the bones out of the car with the plastic bag on them. The dog just looked scared and bewildered. So I got out the car and ripped open the plastic bag the little dog looked like it was christmas. His expression changed from one of confusion to that of a dog hypnotised by the scent of chicken. 'yo, is that chicken?' We watched him devour the chicken and then drove off.

Green Island

The infamous puke boat 2minutes in and people were barfing.

Taitung harbor 

Green island beach near the lighthouse.

Coral sands

Local attractions include deer. Unfortunately most of them if not in the forest are tied up outside shops which sell deer meat. I guess what Bambi doesn't know doesn't hurt.

Kings of the hill.

It has been a great weekend, unfortunately I came back with a sore throat and a headache. I can only blame myself for drinking so much and walking for 5hours in the rain. Where did we go I hear you ask? Why green island.

Green island is a tiny island off the East coast of Taiwan. It’s a 50min ferry ride away from the mainland and the port in Taitung. The ferry is infamous for it’s ability to make people puke. I am lucky in the fact that I rarely get motion sickness, infact I have never been seasick. It’s not so much the size of the ship but more the motion in the ocean. 2minutes in and people were puking. There are puke bags at a handy for every passenger and you can see puke encrusted on the bins. I took seasickness tablets and was okay, my friends who also took seasickness tablets were not so lucky. I can still envisage my friends puke sliding into that sea through bag, that’s enough to make anyone hurl. But not me with my stomach made of steel. The boat speeds through the waves aswell, I am not sure if going slower would help or only prolong the suffering. You know that feeling when you ride a rollercoaster and your stomach is still in the air as you drop, imagine that feeling for 50minutes. It’s worth the pain tho as Green island is awesome.

You can drive the island in 30mins on a scooter which is the preferred method of transport. Normally you can rent one without a license but due to a fatal accident of a young westener we were left lumbered with bicycles which turned out far more enjoyable, when they weren’t breaking down. We took our bikes around the island and stopped off at every opportunity. There was a cool cave called ‘swallow cave’ which should have been renamed goat poo cave. There was a dead goat on the beach which must have died from childbirth because two Taiwanese tourists had found her baby and were cradling it. Very cute- the baby goat that is. We cycled to the lighthouse which has a nice little sheltered area for swimming. We were the only ones in the water and I got a tan in seconds even though I was wearing suncream. When we  bumped into our Scottish friends we saw the damage of fair skin without suncream they were two toned and sore. There is a really nice walkway out into the sea which is great for snorkelling just past the lighthouse. Snorkelling came free with our package and was really fun. There were fish of all colours and the guide threw pieces of bread into the ocean and all the fish swarmed around us so close you could touch them. We saw a grim looking sea snake which could have been one of Ursula’s babies, but it stayed away from us. The snorkelling is very over protected and reflects the Taiwanese love of the sea or not. We had full on wetsuits to protect us from poisonous bites, lifejackets to protect us from waves and had to hold onto a series of floating rings as the tour guide pulled us along. We soon let go and did our thing in the water which he was not happy about and swiftly told us off. The fish are beautiful and the diving is very good there, we didn’t try but our friends came back with awesome tales. I want to learn soon.

The weather pissed it down on Saturday but we thought we would take the opportunity and Bear Grylls style do the Ancient trail in the forest 5 hours later we had made it through the other side

We did take a detour up this path for a view on top of a mountain. I was way out of our route but worth it I think this was the best part as the view at the top was awesome. I couldn't take any photos as it was too wet at that time. We found an all you can eat bbq place 250nt on Nanliao well worth it. 

All in all wish I could have stayed longer. if you wanna book you can do through www.greenislandadvntures.com

Food glorious food

Uncle Chicken shit's favourite flip flops cheap, plasticky, blue and very sexy.

Festivities at the Heaven and Hell temple Tainan.

Scooters in the rain.

Try your skill with BB guns at the night market.

We went to an all you can eat bbq and shabu shabu restaurant. Shabu Shabu is hot pot, a big bowl of stewing water heated underneath. Inside you boil all kinds of vegetables and meats. The soup was 'herb' on the menu and contained goji berries, astragalus and other strange things but certainly felt very healthy. But we didn't really go there for the hot pot we went there for the all you can eat bbq and all you can eat we did. There seems like there is quite a few of these all you can eat places around town but this one was definitely the best value. Infact I can't imagine how they make any profit because we definitely got our moneys worth. It cost 450nt which is about 10punds with limitess sushi, sashimi ,beef, prawns, fish, squid and scallops to throw on the BBQ. Delicious. We went with Lisa our landlady and she ticked 1 of everything on the menu. It was a feast and all the protein i would need in a week. I would deifintely recommend it to a friend. It was the the stone bbq on Jhonghua road. Theres always a line so book ahead.

Went clothes shopping yesterday it was fun, for me that is, not for Pra who moped around between the railings playing the part of the bored boyfriend very well. The only problem is the size, everyone is so bloody tiny here. I managed to squeeze literally squeeze into a few things so I am happy with my wares. Infact I plan on doing more clothes shopping. Clothes here are cheap but the quality can also be poor too. 

It's Easter today not feeling very Eastery tho. Had a late one in Armory infact the stragglers came tumbling out of the doors of Armory drunkenly singing at 8am. Then we had spicy beef for breakfast. 5 hours kip then we met up with a friend called Bell who cooked us some traditional Turkish food it was really tasty. I made my very easy Salmon and cream cheese surprise. The surprise is that it is minimal effort with maximum taste. Belle has an oven so we could make it in there. It's just a little tiny thing but it gets the job done I would like to get one. Belle's really sweet. She was telling us how she is the only foreigner on her course at university and she finds it quite lonely. :( She's very good natured so I am sure we will see more of her. And a good cook. 

I've got to plan lessons now loooooooooong!!!