Jenni and Elly in Taiwan! (Part 2)

Thanksgiving Day
Kenting, Southern Taiwan

On Wednesday, we took the HSR (High Speed Rail) down to Kaohsiung, and then got a bus to Kenting, in the southernmost tip of Taiwan. The trip took about five hours, but we got to see Taiwan from top to bottom. It was a beautiful journey.

We arrived in Kenting and wandered around checking out a few different hotels. After settling into our little pink room (for $25 per night) we walked across the street to eat dinner at a Mexican place (we've traveled to Mexico together twice, so it felt like the right thing to do).

Jenni's jet lag was kicking in so we went to sleep early... or rather, she went to sleep early and I watched TV. The next morning we got up and had some coffee at Starbuck's (Starbuck's has truly taken over the world. And I'm okay with that) and went for a walk. On the bus the day before, we had seen a restaurant that Lonely Planet advertised as having great breakfasts with smoothies and pancakes. So we set off to find it. Apparently, it was much further than we thought (we never made it there)! But we did see some beautiful scenery and ended up eating snacks from 7-11 on a lovely beach, where we relaxed all afternoon.

Starting our walk..

A Taiwanese cemetery on the side of a mountain, overlooking the ocean...


The tombs are elaborate, with places for burning incense and paper money (for the deceased to use in the afterlife)


Gorgeous scenery... not sure why I ended up in industrial northern Taiwan and not here!

You can't see from this picture, but there was a man fishing out on that rock. We don't know how he got there! There was no boat!

And another fisherman (see his little hat peeking over the top of the rock?) So cute!

The quiet beach where we spent our Thanksgiving playing Would You Rather? and laughing...

A pet pig on a leash, wearing a leopard print shirt and a leather backpack, with his owners at the beach. I love Taiwan.



Thanksgiving dinner at a Thai restaurant! We ate fried rice and green vegetable curry and spring rolls and were very thankful!


The view from our hotel room...

Friday morning, Jenni woke me up at 6:24 or something, wanting to call her family for Thanksgiving. I protested, reminding her that it would still be Thanksgiving in Illinois for several more hours, but she was wide awake (jet lag) so we both called our families to wish them a happy holiday. Then we both fell asleep again and had a little nap before starting our journey back north.

We got back to Jhongli in the early evening. It was cold and yukky. We did a little shopping and ate dinner. Then I took Jenni to get a Chinese foot massage--there are little foot massage places all over here! They're pretty cheap too--45 minutes for about $12. They hurt a little bit but afterward, your feet and legs feel amazing. She liked it (I think... or she lied to me!) With our refreshed and reflexologized legs, we wandered around the night market, a culturally shocking experience that I didn't want her to go home without.

...And then it was Saturday morning and we had to go back to the airport. The trip was way too short and already seems like it was a dream. I haven't laughed that much in six months. It was so incredible to have her here. And while she was just coming to see me, she ended up loving Taiwan, too! Having her here really showed me how much I've grown and changed and learned in Taiwan, and she encouraged me deeply. I am ready for the rest of my time here--whether I stay for just a few more months or five more to finish out my year (I haven't decided yet)--and know that when I do go home, it will be really nice to have someone else around who has seen and fallen in love with Taiwan!