Kenting Peninsula

I went down south to the Kenting Peninsula twice, once during Spring Break for a couple of days, and another time for a geology trip in late May - early June. Kenting is a wonderful tropical area of Taiwan, surrounded by vast forests, rivers, incredible geological formations, mountains, all surrounded by the ocean. It is much hotter than in Taipei, usually with lots of sun and humidity. It's the ideal place for vacations away from Taipei.

I stayed in a place called Hengchun, which is not far from the very southern tip of Taiwan. Hengchun is a small town that has some historical artifacts and quiet streets. Next door, basically, to Hengchun is the town of Kenting, where a bustling night market, restaurants, beach houses, and the rest are located. On the border of Kenting is the Kenting National Park, which holds a large mountain looming high into the sky.

Kenting is also home to the Taiwan National Marine Biology Museum and Aquarium, which has a whale shark exhibit, beluga whale shows, and many other fascinating marine life. It was quite the interesting visit! The lobby had giant sea creatures suspended from its ceiling, almost close enough to touch.

The Kenting Peninsula is also home to many geological wonders, such as Chuhuo Scenic Area. Chuhuo (出火), literally "coming out fire" is a leak in a natural gas reserve, which when heated by the sun, ignites immediately. It spews forth a constant flame, which locals come and roast their potatoes next to. The area was quite hot, even away from the flame. But that was a good thing, as usually the rain extinguishes the fire until the area can warm up again.

Other areas such as Jialeshui, Wanlitong, Eluanbi, and Maobitou are all very famous spots on the Kenting Peninsula. Many of these places I also visited during the geology trip I participated on. The trip was a required part of a geology course, in which we surveyed the outlying areas for strange geological formations, learned how Taiwan was created, its indigenous creatures, and how Taiwan has continued to grow for thousands of years.

The trip was a fantastic experience as I learned so much about Taiwan. It allowed me to gain understanding of how islands are made, and how and why Taiwan experiences so many earthquakes! Really interesting! It also gave me a chance to meet so many amazing people. Every night we met for cards or just talking and had a great time. We would go out into Hengchun, get food, and enjoy each others' company. On the last night everyone who came on the trip all participated in a large BBQ and danced/performed! It was a real treat. Even during our lectures on the trip, we all had fun making jokes and seeing the scenery/doing fieldwork. Lots of fun!

Below are pictures of a view scenic spots: the first is Jialeshui, which is an outcrop of coral reefs being uplifted by the tectonic plates ramming together underneath the water. The second is Maobitou, which is a large shelf of coral reefs, similar to Jialeshui, but have been above water for a much longer time, also showing the erosion and ware to the reefs from external devices. Kenting is a fantastic place, very worth visiting again and again.... and again!