Green Island - Taiwan

Walking down the road to Nanagwan for a bus when local guy asked me where I’m going so I told him and he looked and pointed across the road to bus stop saying take a bus and I said no I will walk, when his eyes and face showed “waaaaaat ..????”  it is too far he said. It was 15 min walk just to be clear and I did not mind to walk a bit, as most of the time I’m just floating in water like some puffer fish, since I’m a bit puffed 😊 Bus network is great here in Taiwan and I love the public transport especially the comfy buses what are running around the island. So comfy seated at the last row, cooling off after the walk in the sun and watching the scenery passing by on the wah to Fangliao Train Station which is another stop on my journey around Taiwan and especially on the way to Green Island. Arrived about good forty minutes ahead of google maps ‘time travel is great in Taiwan’so I had half an hour before the train departure and the power station signaled not enough fuel so I have walked around to source some fuel to throw down the hatch and found a dumplings stand with freshly steamed dumplings so I have ordered two portions of 100 dollars’ worth ‘€3’  and they were so tasty yum yum, one soup dumping and one ordinary meat one and ate them all at the platform while waiting for a train at platform 2A, where I got after the purchasing ticket for 180 dollars and bursting through gate what was closed but not for me 😊 probably some security measure or check up on tickets but well I just went through it. Train is comfy with quite big seats but it could be called freezer train as the Air condition is running like in meat factory and this is winter now here so I cannot imagine the summer brrrr. At least there is this lovely cleaning lady who walks down the train collecting rubbish from all the travelers who finished their food to keep train clean, which it is, not sure if only because of her but it is nice to be on clean train as thought of my time of   Egyptian train experience from Luxor to Cairo where the sunflower seeds were munched by train staff and the skins just dropped down on the floor. Well food glorious food as food here is the main thing as well as 7 eleven. Yeah the 7 eleven is main point of reference and also meeting point as whenever I went everyone referenced to 7 eleven if giving me directions and every 7 eleven is always full of people and car upon car is puling in front of the shop, young and old and everyone it reminds me the Local Pub back home where everyone meets and chats. It is funny to see all the other non-Taiwanese tourist hanging around and those shy looks ‘should I talk to him/her’  while checking the pockets / luggage for wallet and valuables I assume as we are all so focused on security from the news in Europe or other countries since every day we hear that world is not safe and the governments only want us feel safer by scaring us more and then control the information we are absorbing from TV, net etc etc . Well I’m not saying that I will walk around the world flashing cash or expensive items but sleeping in hotel with room open and never locked, leave stuff on the tables without any thought that they might disappear. If I was pickpocketing guy I would be happiest in tourist i.e backpacking areas where they all walking around and patting the places on their  bodies where they have valuables, voluntarily showing where to focus.  Anyhow I have arrived in Taitung and right front of the train station is tourist office, where I went to get some info about Taitung and bus to Fugang Harbour, from where the ferry is leaving. Thankfully for me the guy behind desk let me know that morning Ferry is already full and that ferry should be booked in advance especially on the weekend so I booked the next available one and then asked where is the bus stop for the local bus to Fugang harbor, which was right opposite tourist office. Tourist bus is again a little freezer on the wheels, jaysus it is winter and it is not that hot here but well the curtains in the bus will not shade the sun so AC came handy. Yes the curtains like my grandma had at home, white kind of handmade ornamental. Looked at google map and realized that I have good hour and something to the harbor I started drifting along looked out of the window, on the phone and in Taiwan must invented time travel as suddenly we were in the harbor in less than forty minutes and I just realized that I need to get off when I saw fisher boats and people with suitcases. Walked around to try find a room for one night, first hotel was closest to harbor and the lady who was in either did not want money or did not like me as she asked for one person, one night and after I said yes she said to keep walking to another as this one is 1800 dollars “glad to bled as poor man in worn off shorts and 7 eleven vest. Walked a bit more in direction she showed me and middle of the street was young guy so I asked him about hotel / room around when he just pointed across the street and therefore I went there. He was following me as no one was outside and he went to next house door shouting something in Chinese until the man came out and the young man pointed on me and said to me that this is the man, waved good bye and the man already with phone in hand talking to his phone so I waited for him finish phone call. Fool me it was google translate as he pointed phone towards me and the google translator talked to me that room with breakfast is 1500 dollars and without brekkie 1200 so I said o.k with food and he gave key from room No:1 on the ground floor. Again room without window ahh I realized that I prefer rooms where is window ‘lessons learned on this trip’ but for one night is alright. Go get some cash to famous local meeting point 7 eleven and watched people coming and going as I sat down front of the shop on bench sipping Yakult drink. Families came and go, with kids being kids with some sweets in their little hands smiling with delight. Not much to see here so after two laps around the village I decided to call it a day and went into my bunker to watch my favorite movie Scent of the Woman before the bed time.

              Morning is here and after the breakfast for 300 dollars ‘one sandwich of white bread with bacon and egg, one steamed bun and cups of tea’ I walked down to the harbor and sing up on the list of last minute passenger for early ferry, wrote down my mobile number and get back to hotel for my things, where the owner mentioned told me that he will drive me down to the harbor with luggage what was nice gesture even if the harbor is not further than 5 min walk.  As we were heading for the harbor my phone rang and the lady on the other side said come get your ticket now. Woo Hoo I’m on early ferry so that I can go diving with the gang 😊 Sat down in the middle section and wondered why everyone sitting alone in the window seats or better say sticking to the windows like a flies. Well in next few seconds I realized that as the previous experience in bus with aircon I called freezer was only a fridge comparing to the ferry as the air blowing down on me from the ceiling vent was like the north pole gentle breeze where your breath freeze in the air and fall down. Jeysus the ferry was really meat freezer and I have in two minutes snug myself to the fella sitting on his own at the window while his girlfriend sat behind him. As I parked my bony ass down she say hello “where you from” and we strike conversation to learn that her fella I diving instructor and that they are going to dive to Burned ‘as it was called previously’ Green Island and when I told them that I was from Slovakia they had the expression similar to Americans as where the hell it is this planet. So friend google helped me show them the location and then she said yeah and translate this to her fella. We chatted about the weather as they were interested in knowing how is winter there. So I pulled loptosa and searched the photos from Christmas ski holidays at Chopok and they were like whaaaat seen all the snow and peaks on gorgeous sunny day. We had a bit more chat and then everyone went silent and try to hold down whatever food or liquids they have in stomach as the Ferry start rocking like some old overweight rock star from left to right four meters up and down while the waves battered the hull of this catamaran ferry like bombs. I have been on boats and I know that I can stand more less to anything if I’m out on the air but being inside the boat is not the best ‘now I realized why the freeze us as cold air helping to feel les sea sick’ and after such lovely “light” breakfast of bacon and egg I was doing all I can to keep all down so I pulled phone and listen to Joe Rogan podcast with Edward Snowden which is really interesting I have to say and focused on the podcast rather on the breakfast which demanded to see daylight. Anyhow as the ferry blew the horn I was adventures enough to raise my head and look out of the window to see the waves disappeared and nice flat ocean surface was in my field of vision with the island / harbor in front of us. Did not dare to look on any other passenger or into cabin as If I saw anyone walking with plastic bag ‘which was transparent, mind you’ I would not guarantee that breakfast will stay down the hatch. As we docked the phone beeped to live with I-Ping asking where I was and that I should wait for her at the pier, while I was reading the message I saw her waiving on me and so we met, this time she smiling and happy and my a little pale or green in face happy to be on land ‘which still moved’ at least as per my stomach. So we hopped to the van and drove to pick up scooter as all was arranged ‘I love you I-Ping 😊’ I have to say that she was so helpful on this trip as well as her boyfriend and friends that I’m grateful and thankful for them and all their help and company. Arrived in the hotel, most of them giggled on me when she told them that I was suffering quite a bit from the ferry, until I don’t really remember if it was Hippo or Asu gave me two tablets for return journey back for sea sick and told me to take them half an hour prior the departure and do not eat before trip. Well my room will be ready later but the tanks arrived and we were getting ready for first dive of the day woo hoo lets go diving ! The ocean is warm here and I took my new surf shorts to their maiden trip to the salty water. What a diving here wow… they said that visibility is bad but hey it was better than in Kenting but I can see why this is diving heaven in summer, with sun penetrating the water the colors came to life and all the twinkling and shining of light rays breaking in created show that is great while you are under water observing all of it. Twinkle twinkle little star is what I going through my mind when I see the play of light in the water. Some photos are in gallery to see what I mean. I would love to know what the fishes are thinking when all the divers descent on them, especially the Nemo as most of the divers are trying to get the best photo of Nemo. I would guess that they think: ‘what the fuck are you doing here ya big bubble making monster ? This is my home so get the fuck out of my property or else… Mary, Mary get your ass here to get those strange bubble makers out of our porch !’ as they are attacking i.e. swimming to us and challenging us, for a such small fish they have courage. Not to mention that fecker blue fish who decided to nibble on my lips and hand, as I was focusing on taking the photo of Nemo. Must be the hired mercenary of Nemo as it was all over the Nemo garden aka rock where most Nemo were. I have the photo of that blue mercenary and will post reward poster for it ‘Dead or alive’  😊 But not all the things living in the ocean are badass, no for instance we came across the turtle who just rested there at rock and did not give a fuck how many photos or video we took and how close we got, it just lay there and thought: ‘another looser who cannot hold the breath and release so many bubbles, what an amateurs, trying to dive… ‘ completely phlegmatic turtle or maybe it was high on some toxic coral or sea weed that ate down there and thinking :  ‘wooow what a trip :-D I see things, big black things making bubbles and flashing their eyes, fuck I need eat less of this toxic shit or I might go mental’ yeah if we only knew what the fuck they are thinking. Otherwise we had great time diving here and I was fortunate to be part of their team, so I have eaten the best food for lunch, dinner and breakfast, since they ordered all the local yummy food. What a great time I had here and even got to taste local 58% alcohol only brewed in Taiwan what I loved since I do love the home brew from home ‘slivovica, merunkovica, hruskovica’ hmm and this one was close to it, smooth and gentle without any shaking or bad taste, pure and lovely shots to help digest dinner. Last dive there was only four of us ‘Asu, Eddie with his girlfriend’ and this time Asu took us to north side of island to experience something different and different it was 😊 current forth and back so it was like on the some sort roller coaster which pushes you forward and then immediately change direction to push you backwards so you are like shaking like the gravel on the shaker conveyor belt and I love it ! Great to feel the power of the ocean and adjusting to it as I was trying to take picture of nudibranch. Well the current shake us and we kicked to get back but still it was great dive as I love the elements challenging me and my skills when I need to breathe slowly while kicking as hard as I can to get through current. What a experience !

              So last dive completed, gear washed and hung to dry out and we were preparing for dinner as Asu said that we are all going for dinner with owner of the hotel and his daughter at six. We went to the Crazy Fried restaurant and again what a feast of food, sweet lord I have no idea how they keep so thin, while eating so much. So tasty I did not know what to eat first so I tried everything and stuffed myself but this time less with rice and more with all the yummy things. Nicely full on the way to 7 eleven ‘where else’ for one Tiger for digestion while flicking the movie channels to see something worthwhile to watch. Sleep is great after diving have to say as I drift without any problems to sleep by nine o’clock tired and with automatic shutting off the Audio Visual before the lights went off in control room.  Last three days here on the island are for exploring so I went on tour the island on green hornet ‘scooter’ to see all and I was told by Asu that it take around two hours with stopping here and there, well it took me whole day as I went for walk on Mountain Trial, than on various viewing points and still want to come to some places since I was starving so needed to go for food and then back to Prison museum ‘White terror museum’ for political prisoners, what is interesting to see since it will gave you perspective what one apparently “human” can do to other humans. Viewing points as great and I plan to do the hot spring too in the early morning for a sunrise. Woke up at 5am and drove to the hot spring but it was dark and cloudy so I decided to not go in and maybe postpone for tomorrow as there is no point be there for sunrise when I cannot actually see the sunrise. Well another trip to some places I saw previously today and then maybe something else. One and half day left so plenty of time to explore island.  

              So the plan was great, however as they say people are planning and God is laughing on their plans so exactly the same happened last two days since the weather has changed from nice sunny and hot to real wintery Asia thunderstorms and downpours changed with an occasional break of sun rays through the clouds as if it was prison break for the Sun. So I have completed fifty percent of planned and available hikes on island since there are only two running on the top of the mountain range. Since the storms and rain are not hiking friendly I decided to spent some time in hot springs as there does not matter if it is rain since I’m up to neck in forty degrees water and listening to waves crushing below the pool. I have soaked myself until the danger of dissolving in the sea water after two hours in the pool. Did a bit of walk on the top of the cliff above the hot springs since I was so relaxed that longer walk or drive will be too much. While sitting down on the grass and trying to rest a bit the clouds came and I run for  scooter to make it to hotel in time and dry. What a fool I was 😊 as soon as I hit the road the downpour started so heavy that I have to admit that I believe human body is great design and also waterproof but there is one fault….wipers are missing as I was driving “sailing” down the road and it is really hard to see in such downpour when the windshield aka eyes are without wipers. Call me mad but I love it and I have to admit that in such moments, when I feel the elements in their best aka worst moment I feel alive. Well I thought in second that I could do the mountain rescue trick and get naked, with clothes stored in boot so when it stop raining I have dry clothes but I think that society is not ready for survival techniques to be used in the civilized town instead of nature 😊 One hot shower later and clothes hanging to dry I’m ready to change to dry clothes and maybe head out for some food. Taitung tomorrow if the ferry is going fingers crossed.  

Woo Hoo another thunderstorm downpour now as I’m uploading this in afternoon :-D really this is the summer I travel to ….. ? 😊