Green Island

Well, I am still figuring out the camera stuff but I don't want to let too much time go by before I write about my last trip so here goes. Last Thursday was a religious/cultural holiday set aside for "tomb sweeping" -- going to the graves of relatives and cleaning them up. The government, in its infinite wisdom, made it into a four day holiday by giving everyone Friday off also. Actually, it isn't a gift -- we have to work this Saturday to make it up.

Anyway, three of us went to Green Island, off the southeast coast. We had tried to go there before but the weather was too bad in February so we thought we would wait until April and try again. It was colder and rainier than it had been in February! but we went anyway.

Took the train to Taitung -- about 6 hours total, where we spent the night in a pretty grim hostel. We got our money's worth but only because it was REALLY cheap. It was the only place we could find as this is a popular travel weekend.

Took the ferry the next morning in the pouring rain. It only takes 45 minutes but for the queasy among us, it was a long rough ride. One friend stayed outside and didn't get sick but did get soaked!

The island is gorgeous. It began its life as 5 volcanoes so all beaches are black and there are massive lava boulders everywhere. Anywhere it has been ground down is incredibly lush and the mountains fall straight to the water in many places, reminiscent of Hawaii.

I had planned this trip so that I could go diving at least once in Taiwan and did. It was a great dive despite a very strong current discovered after hiking about 1000 yards in full gear down stairs and across slippery rocks to get to the water. I decided once was enough.

We had a great barbeque dinner. These are popular here. It's an all you can eat, cook it yourself extravaganza. They barbeque sort of odd things but by and large it is a much needed protein infusion.

The next day we diod what was supposed to be the highlight of the trip -- a visit to one of the world's three salt water hot spring spas. You can sit in the hot water and watch the sun rise and the waves rolling right up to you! Well, there was no sunrise since it was pouring so we went back to sleep. By the time we got there, it was mobbed and the bathhouses are not as nice as they were in Chihpen the last time. So, I had no sandals, no towel and it was cold and rainy. It is actually nifty to sit in hot water and have cold rain coming down around you, but here you must walk a long way in the cold rain before you get to the hot water. In other words, it wasn't quite as nice as I had pictured.

One of the most fun things was that we rented a golf cart for the three of us to ride around in. It was great because it was covered and offered at least a little protection from the rain and is quiet enough to talk comfortably. The island is only 9 miles around so we did the whole round and it is truly beautiful.

The island has a bad historical connotation. During the 50s and 60s, it was used as a penal colony for political prisoners of the KMT. That is over now, and they are trying to develop its tourist potential and, from the amount of people, I would say it has been successful.