My first month in Taiwan is officially over. I have a place to live, my very own method of transportation, a place to teach for the next year, and I have taken my first Taiwanese vacation.
On Monday evening I returned from Kenting (墾丁), a national park on the southern coast of the island. We passed a very enjoyable three days lounging at the beach, jet skiing, snorkeling, wandering around the night market, and hiking through the tropical forest. There was rather a lot that happened, so I’ll just settle for telling one story only.
On Sunday, we decided it was high time that we go snorkeling. The southern tip of Taiwan is surrounded by a coral reef, an ecosystem I am entirely unfamiliar with, not having spent a lot of time on tropical isles. While I was out eating with Caroline, the rest of our crowd made what must have been exceptionally sketchy arrangements for all of us to be picked up at our hotel that afternoon. Consider that for about US$12 apiece, we got round-trip transportation, snorkel gear—including wetsuits—a snorkeling tutorial, a tour around the reef, and a ride on some inflatable thing you attach via a rope to the back of a jet ski. Definitely not legal.
We were picked up in an unmarked van around 2:30 and carted off to our in-the-middle-of-nowhere destination. It took a little while to get there, but as we pulled into the “marina,” we were greeted by another unmarked lot, complete with several shack-like constructions that probably could be entirely deconstructed at a moment’s notice. Let me tell you, there were some people in that van with me wondering if we were about to be sold into some bizarre form of slavery.
The Taiwanese fellow in charge of our group (who introduced himself as Bruce Lee, by the bye) spoke very little English; this was not so much a problem, but it did make for some incredibly awkward moments. For instance, he took one look at Grace—tall, blond, lovely (read: curvy) lass that she is—and said in Chinese that she looked very American. What came out in English, though, was, “You have a nice body.” Complete with hand movements in the air emphasizing her curves.
We got fitted with wetsuits, which was amusing in and of itself. The whole production, in fact, made us wonder if the locals were having a laugh at our expense—let’s see what else we can get these foolish foreigners to do! Fifty points if you can elicit more nervous laughter! As Taiwanese women are generally rather short of stature and many American women are not, some of the girls were given men’s wetsuits. I’ll leave the details of where they failed to fit to your adept imaginations. They gave us boots, too. And snorkels, which I’m sure had not been properly cleaned. But here in Taiwan, sometimes, it’s important to just go with the flow and not sweat the small stuff. I mean, it’s not like one small child in Kaohsiung already got diagnosed with swine flu or anything.
Despite our initial misgivings, after we were let loose in the water, we had a great time. It’s really amazing how much life there is in a coral reef. We saw fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors. Coral, by the way, comes in a multitude of colors when it’s actually alive (in opposition to the only coral most Americans ever see, which is decidedly dead). In addition to the traditional whites and pinks we’re accustomed to, purple and green are present in abundance. There were starfish, plants, and crabs (also of all shapes and sizes). The coral itself comes in a huge variety. It was quite entertaining watching the fish dart in and out of their watery houses in the body of the coral, and in their native environment, as opposed to in an aquarium.
Alas but our under-the-table snorkeling experience had to come to an end. Bruce Lee gave us a ride back to our hotel, and on the way back he asked me if I was 30. It was fantastic. I mean, I know I’m old, but 30? Really?
1 comment:
gee, that's how you guys emulating Asians?
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