beaching in Kenting, Taiwan

are your toes cold? because mine are freezing.

it got down to 3 degrees celsius this weekend in Taipei. I could see SNOW on the mountains from my neighborhood. and while I realize the eastern US also had their own snowpocalypse, please bear in mind I live in a sub-tropical climate zone where most homes [mine included] do not have central heating. I do, however, have 20-foot ceilings and a wall of windows with no insulation. right now I'm wearing 4 layers and a winter hat, fuzzy socks and boots. inside my apartment.

so it seemed like a good day to look back at photos and pretend like I was roasting in the sun with a cool drink in my hand. [rather than contemplating how well I would be able to type this while wearing gloves.] let's take a little trip to someplace warmer, shall we?

Kenting is known for being Taiwan's beachy vacation town. there's a national park, a legendary night market, and of course: the ocean. situated on the island's southern tip, it's not the easiest to get to. but for years people have been telling me I should go.

last fall, a friend finally talked me and a few other girls into spending a long weekend in Kenting. looking back at these photos, I'm not sure why I needed convincing.

we started off early by hopping the high speed rail in Taipei and heading south. by the time we arrived - the last leg by cab instead of bus or shuttle [oops] - it was nearing sunset. so we quickly changed and walked off in the direction of the water.

we ended up on the eastern end of Kenting Beach. it was only a little crowded, decently clean, not far at all from town, and a lovely first introduction to Kenting. we splashed around a bit and I did an awesome beached whale impression. the sun went down and the cameras came out. a storm approaching from the east made the color of the water deeper and the sky full of crazy pastels.

I have to take a moment to show you this - the complete opposite vibe of the last few photos. what seems to be the most popular Kenting beach is actually down in Hengchung Township, known as the South Bay Recreation Area. we ventured that way for a stunning meal at Piccolo Polpo - definitely worth the trip - but took one look at the crowded beachfront and decided to spend our swim and sun time elsewhere.

elsewhere being here...

clean sand, blue water, volcanic rock formations, and only a handful of people. these are just a few of the reasons why Little Bay or Xiaowan Beach was our favorite spot in Kenting. it's a short walk from the eastern end of the main strip in town. 300NT [or $10 US] will get you a small table with an umbrella and chairs, for as long as you choose to linger. there's even a little beach bar where you can order snacks and drinks.

I'm closing my eyes right now and trying to imagine up the warmth of this sunshine...

this beach was totally heart-eye-emoji worthy. I was so shocked that I was still in Taiwan. not New Zealand, not Thailand, not Hawaii. still on my own island and just a few hours travel from Taipei. even after nearly 4 years here Taiwan can still surprise me. clearly - this beach was a gorgeous hidden gem and I highly recommend it over the other areas near town.

I don't know that I would come to Taiwan just for the beaches, but if you're here and exploring the island, Kenting is definitely worth a stop for some sun and relaxation. they are experiencing a bit of this cold snap right now as well, but will be back up near 80F by midweek. um, maybe it's time for another vacation?

hope you all are keeping warm, wherever you are! [if not - just close your eyes and think of Kenting.]

life's adventures lately

aside from scooter adventures, catching up on our New Zealand road trip, and climbing every mountain I can see - life has still been happening. in an effort to keep the small stuff from falling through the cracks, I've assembled a life update. here's a few random things I've been up to lately:

becoming a bus girl

I'm not sure why, but I kindof love taking the bus. it makes me feel so accomplished to have figured out how to get from A to B without springing for a cab or spending an hour walking. the other day I discovered a new bus that has the most convenient route from my house to the MRT and I got so excited. maybe that's strange but I'm just going to embrace it.

girls weekend in Kenting

two weeks ago I went on my first Taiwan beach day. that led to planning a girls weekend in Kenting over the 10.10 holiday. we had such a great time! the weather didn't downpour the whole time like it was supposed to, we found a gorgeous hidden beach, ate some truly tasty meals, and made friends with the coolest bartender named Mars. I'm so glad to have found friends that understand food allergies, have the occasional need for wine o'clock, and will jump on the beach 40 times for a photo op.

loving on Taiwan

it's kindof hard not to after these past few months of exploring. the whole weekend I was just in awe that the beaches of Kenting were on the same island as the mountains of Yangmingshan and towering marble walls of Taroko Gorge. I could have been in Hawaii or New Zealand, but I was only a few hours from home. I know I'm biased, but I'm so grateful to live on this island. and in case I haven't sold you on visiting yet, you may want to read this article on how Taiwan became the hottest food destination on earth. it also gives a succinct and straightforward summary of Taiwan's political history.

blogging from the heart

last week I started an e-course through Susannah Conway called "blogging from the heart." I've always loved her end-of-year workbooks and have been considering this for a while. I really want to get back to the guts of blogging, and this course seemed to line up with my philosophy more than any others out there. I'm a little behind on my lessons [what with the long weekend and all] but I'm hopeful this will have a good impact on my space here.

homesickness for fall

as awesome as it was to spend a weekend on the beach in October, a part of me longs for sweatshirts and crunchy leaves, apple cider and tailgate. I always miss Michigan in the fall. [if you've ever been, you know why.] I also just watched the New Jersey episode of Bourdain's Parts Unknown... and was completely caught off guard by how nostalgic I got for the state that was my east coast home for 4 years. fall is the season where we would visit the apple orchard, shop at the farmers market, order wings or hoagies and host football parties. Taiwan weather has been attempting to cool off, but it's not quite to the fall I remember just yet.

planning for the end of 2015

I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who is feeling stunned at how little time is left in this year. we've been working on booking our Christmas holiday, preparing for my sister-in-law to visit in a few weeks, and dreaming up an expat Thanksgiving menu. we are also trying to sort out our big plans for next summer. destination[s?] have not yet been set but I can tell you that I'm going to be exploring a new continent!

and that's about it for now. anything exciting going on in your life lately?