Wandering Fel

Showing posts with label Taitung. Show all posts

Experience the Ocean in Sanxiatai, Taitung

During one of our road trip in Taiwan, my friend decided to drive around Taitung. We seldom visit Taitung because usually most of us cannot drive but since finally there is someone who can and willing to drive, we seized the opportunity to experience the Pacific ocean in Sanxiatai, one of the popular destination in Taitung.

Sanxiatai used to be a narrow and elongated cape into the ocean. Sanxiatai offers a beautiful rocky coastal view. Hence, as you can see, the area is full of odd shaped rocks. There is a walking trail that goes around the island. If you are interested to walk around the island, the total journey will take about two hours with leisure pace.

Pacific Ocean View at Sanxiatai in Taitung

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When we decided to come closer to the rocks, we were quite amused by what we could find laying on the rocks at the shore. For instance there is a crayfish.

And there is this cute white mollusk which I don't know the name. Being born in big city, this kind of sight is totally rare (if not never) for me.

Sea Creatures in Sanxiatai Coast Taitung

Sanxiatai is also classified as nature reservation in Taiwan and hence, there is minimal human disturbance done at Sanxiatai.

The rocky coastal of Sanxiatai in Taitung Taiwan

It is recommended to visit Sanxiatai in the morning when the weather is good to take a beautiful photo of Sanxiatai. The breeze is also nice to enjoy while walking around the island. You can take bus from the main bus station near Taitung Station but the bus timing is kinda irregular. It is possible that you will be stuck at one destination for two hours to wait for the next bus while you only need 10 minutes to view that destination. Alternative to self-drive, you can also hire a cab for one day so that the driver will bring you around according to your own itinerary.

What to buy in Taitung, Taiwan?

If I did not go to Taitung by tour, I'd probably have no idea on how to answer this question. Why is that so? Well, joining a group tour will guarantee you a visit to some kind of shops (so that the tour operator can earn commission from these affiliated shops). It's a "sometimes interesting, sometimes irritating" kind of affair I guess.

So back then in Taitung, the tour group (i.e. Dwidaya) brought us to WuHe Legend, a souvenir shop which sells all kind of famous products from Taitung.

The famous stuff that can be bought here is the tea leaves. I don't know why but up to this point I still believe all tea leaves in Taiwan come from Alishan. So I don't really know the originality of this tea (probably Taiwanese grow tea in Taitung too?).

The tour guide then brought us to another local speciality store, a Ling Zhi Mushroom store. Ling zhi mushroom is known for its number of health benefits. However, it does not come cheap. #healthisexpensive

They will not give you a big mushroom for you to cook by yourself. Instead, the shop sells a variety of Ling Zhi products, like smaller pieces of dried ling zhi (for cooking) and ling zhi pills (for supplement).

My mum and I shared a bottle of ling zhi (which costs a bomb as far as I can remember). We can't really vouch for its effectiveness in healthy lifestyle but we know that when we have lower immunity, we feel better (and fitter?) after we eat ling zhi. Same can be said that when we take a pill after we eat a lot of high-cholesterol food, our digestion seems to be better. But I suppose this is not a miracle weight-loss pill that make you feel less guilty after you enjoy your glutton affair. XD

Taiwan Aborigines Dance Show in Taitung, Taiwan

If you are wondering what do tourists do in Taitung, well, for a start, they watch dance show in Taitung. A tribal dance, to be exact.

Formosa Aboriginal Dance Show Taitung Taiwan

Taiwanese recognize the existence of the ethnic minority which they refer to as "Taiwanese Aborigines". In general, the ethnic minority looks like Mongolian rather than Chinese I suppose. The Aboriginal culture is preserved by the Taiwanese government and you can see quite a number of them at some location, for instance, Taitung and Wulai.

The dance is quite fun to watch because it needs a lot of teamwork to perform. The dancers ask participation from the audience too e.g. clapping and cheering.

Not only that, toward the end of the dance, the dancers will start to drag some crowd from the audience to dance together with them. Go join them if you want to have some fun. =)

After the performance ends, you can take a picture with the performers. Not sure if an additional fee is required. I did not take picture with them because we are pressed for time and hence, must rush back to our bus tour immediately after the performance's ended. XD