GO GO JUICE. This stuff is potent! It's Green Tea, pronounced Lui Cha in Chinese. I heard a rumour that it's got more caffeine in it than coffee. Whether this is true or not, I'm not sure, but it does a good job keeping me awake when I'm sleepy. It tastes great, too. 

On the way home we passed this massive golden Buddah. Sorry about the poor picture quality. 

This is pretty much the Southernmost point in Taiwan. The view was excellent, but the wind was unbelievable. I'm guessing 100km/h at least. That's Rob S battling the wind. 

Many Taiwanese are very superstitious. This little shrine to I'm not quite sure who, was just outside the door of the owners of the campsite we stayed in. I'm guessing this is to appease the ancestors and bring good luck. A lot of Taiwanese 'religion' (it's more superstition than anything else) seems to be based upon these two themes. 

This is Taiwan's most popular surfing spot. The waves would have been exellent, had there not been a super strong sea-to-land wind that day. We met this cool Japanese guy there who was in the process of installing air pumps for one of Taiwan's new semiconductor factories. 

The Taiwanese are great lovers of beverages. From the endless variations of tea, to these freshly blended juices, Taiwan is definitely a country that hates to be thirsty. 

This is Rob S looking down from the top of an old (I suspect Japanese-occupation era) gun tower on the coast line near Kenting. 

After our snorkel we went for a lurk around the Kenting night market. This is me jumping on this crazy trampoline/bungee rope hybrid thing. It was excellent! One could do all kinds of acrobatic maneuvers without fear of permanent paralysis (something which always holds me back on untethered trampolines). 

Cactus Box. This was the first Chinese word I learned. I saw it alongside it's English equivalent on the plane flight over from SA. It means 'exit'. 

Rob H. 

Me. 

Rob S. 

Post snorkelling sunset shot. 

We did some good snorkeling around the massive rock behind us, named 'Sail Rock'. Quite a variety of fish were seen, and I was quite impressed. It cost a mere NT150 to hire all the equipment (R30 for SA readers) 

Rob S pulling into a nice tube. This beach was literally 4 meters from our tent, but was 'private' so we weren't allowed to use it. About 10 minutes after we took this shot, some security guard kicked us off the beach. Annoying and stupid. Beaches should never be 'private' as far as I'm concerned. 

A rock. 

The classic 'footprints' shot. Would have been perfect with a setting sun and some heavily italicised text. 

The infamous 'betel nut'. I had to try it, just once. Not sure if I like it or not... Need to try it again. For those not in the know, betel nut is a type of palm fruit that Taiwanese guys like to chew in a similar way to tobacco. It's usually wrapped in a leaf with of lime smeared on it. Chewing it is meant to give you a buzz. It's not a polite habit, becase when you chew it, your saliva goes a really disgusting red-brown colour and your teeth get stained an unsightly red hue. It also causes you to spit everywhere, especially in the street. Oh, well, when in Rome... 

The 2 Robs with 'Old Faithfull'. The car is a Nissan Sunny from who knows how many years ago. It worked perfectly. 

Kenting

Just got back from my first official holiday this year with Rob Harding and Rob Sparrow. Here are some pics.

You've got to love Taiwanese innovation and lack of respect for global corporations. I'm sure Epson's ink cartridge division would freak if they saw this photo. What a great and logical modification. 

This is for my fellow blogger Davida (http://www.blogger.com/profile/4294326) who loves this dog. Her name is Roxy, and she's hyperactive (but cute!). 

Sorry about the wavyness (is that a word) of this panorama. It was taken in the middle of 'People's Park', in a busy, really nice part of Taichung, not far from where I work. Click on the image to enlarge it and get a good look. 

Drinking on the job. It was totally unintentional, I promise! I bought this fizzy sour apple flavoured drink an hour or two before my class the other day. After I had finished it, I noticed the 4% alchohol label. Didn't affect me at all, but I'll have to be more carefull about what I buy next time! 

Well apparantly it's autumn. The trees seem to think so, anyway, but I'm not fooled because it's still 29 celcius on most days. 

So, call me a nerd. All my money, neatly arranged into 13 envelopes. Taiwan is a pretty cash based society and all my salary is given to me in banknotes and coins. Envelopes are the way to go for those with self control problems!!! Simply work out your living expenses for a week and put that money into an envelope. When the money is gone, you have a problem until the next week rolls around. It's a good technique that helps keep your spending in check!