Guanziling

We were going to go diving on this important weekend... a weekend off that I might not have again for a long time.

The weather seemed to have other ideas... typhoon.

So we headed to the mountains instead.



Guanziling is a little town in the mountains famous for its healing volcanic hot springs.

So we headed out there and checked into a "spa resort", beautiful room - with an en suite jacuzzi that pumped water from the hot spring.

They even gave us a pot of cool mud to apply after soaking.

It was glorious.

Kenting

For our first trip out of town we thought me might head to the big beach tourist destination.

Kenting is a National Park established by the Japanese during their fifty year occupation of the island in the first half of the twentieth century.

There is a forest attached to, what was, some amazing beaches.

We only got as far as the main beach, just to get the vibe.

The Chinese are not a great ocean going people.

Swimming usually involves rolling up the trouser legs.

If you go in past your knees the life guard comes out and tells you to come in.

The same protector of the beach then flicks a ciggie butt onto the sand...

The main street is awash with beach fashions, none of which seem to make it to the beach.



Later in the evening we strolled out of our (quiet expensive) room to find ourselves trapped in a sea of market stalls - indulging the local passion for consumption.

Next time we will be sure to head further into the Park.

Taiwan Riding

Taiwan roads are dominated by scooters.

The Chinese fondness of bicycles has met the internal combustion engine.

Luckily Kaohsiung was first laid out by the Japanese;

Wide streets with median strips and organised road names are the norm.

I spent a fair bit of time on a bike in Thailand.

It is: "same same, but different" as they say.

The Thai drive like they walk - very slowly.

Everyone putters around with the whole family on one bike, never in much of a hurry.

The foreigners rule of the "fast lane".

The Chinese however, seem to be a people in a hurry.

They still stack their bike with all their worldly possessions - including the family, but they are also moving at high speeds.

They can keep the fast lane, and I will keep my skin.

I'm quite attached to my skin.

I have never seen so many scooter accidents as I have here.

Knocking into people seems to be a normal part of life.

It's lucky that health insurance is universal here.

It's needed.

I can think of some reasons why there are so many accidents here:

Speed - as mentioned.

Traffic lights - are all timed which makes driving very slow. Also:

Green light = proceed with caution; and

Red light = proceed with caution

Cars - although they seem to be more aware of bikes than other places in the world, there is some pretty shocking driving around. It sometimes takes up to three people to parallel park.

Rain - in Thailand during the monsoon, when it starts raining, you pull over and take shelter. What ever you are travelling to, is obviously not worth getting wet for.

Here, when it rains, it people drive faster (and crazier) to get out of the rains as soon as possible.

Potholes - this is partly about rain and partly about road construction, but pretty regularly during the monsoon large sections of road seems to disappear.

This is especially dangerous when such holes are filled full of water - you never know how deep it is and whether you are going to be sent on a one-way trip over the handle bars.

To their credit however, people do stop to put a traffic cone over the hole or at least a tree branch, and it is fixed up within a couple of days. On the other hand this does leave you with a patchwork of a road.

In conclusion here are some tips for the scooter life:

1. Keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel, so to speak.
2. Never trust anyone or anything.
3. Stay at least a doors width away from parked cars.
4. Make sure your brakes and horn are fully operational at all times.
   
5. Constantly think about what it's like to come off.