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.