It never rains in Kenting...

Yes, the title is stolen from the song "It Never Rains in Southern California." Surprisingly, I've been in both California and Kenting when it was raining.... go figure.

Needless to say this past weekend was kind of not what I expected. I left work on Saturday at 8:30 pm, got to the train station and left by 9:30pm. We arrived in Kaohsiung by 12:00 am and got something to eat and stayed the night in a hostel. The next day we took a taxi to Kenting, a beach city about 2 hours south and also home to the most southern point in Taiwan. That seemed like a long ride. Anyway, we got to Kenting and rented scooters to go to Jialeshuei, where the surfing competition was being held. When we got there it was raining a little bit so we got something to eat, then it started raining harder. We all had to buy raincoats and watch the competition in the rain.

That night instead of camping on the beach, we rented a beach cabin and stayed the night there. As I tried to go to sleep that night I heard the rain rush against the window all night. When I woke up the next day, it was partly cloudy with the sun just peaking its head out. We took advantage of that and did a bit of sightseeing. Then we went to the beach for about 2 hours before we had to leave. We had a break of sunshine. It was nice. I played in the sand and water. The waves are different in Taiwan; they aren't as rapid which makes it easier to swim. Also, yes, Kenting is a touristy location, but it's not as commercialized as American beaches; it felt almost like a remote part of the island, even though I knew there were hundreds of people around. Anyway, I think the trip was worth it even for the little bit of time spent on the beach. If I could live near the beach, I would. I'm such a fan of the environment and just sitting back to relax and read. When the sun hit my skin I felt so incredibly happy and, frankly, that's been my mood since I've been in Taiwan---incredibly happy. That's what I wanted most out of this trip and I got a little bit of it. So I'm rather pleased.

The ride home was bittersweet. I wish I could have stayed longer to see Kenting in all its beauty, but I was also happy to come back home to Changhua. I'll probably go back during Chinese New Year with my college friend, Camy, who's planning to visit.





Or maybe I'll just move there....