Day 3 The approach of Typhoon Morakot was felt throughout the day with strong erratic winds, short bursts of rainfall and clouds all going in one direction. We practically spent the entire day in our room watching cable TV.
Day 4 The typhoon made landfall sometime in the pre-dawn hours and we found ourselves in ankle-deep of water as the drainage at our hostel got clogged. We got it good since many places either had landslides, waist-high floods or houses flattened by the strong winds. Must be a blessing to have planned our itinerary to make the most of what would have been a disastrous trip.
Day 5 The slowing of the typhoon overland eventually saw it leaving the island in the early morning. The skies still bore the dark clouds but we started out to the National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium. I had been here previously during our RnR 9 years back and the place was just completed then. As there were no bus services running, we decided to try walking to take in the view of the countryside as well as the devastation caused. Somewhere a few clicks North of Town, a driver offered to drive us further up the road to where he was going and we hitched a ride. Along the way, when he learnt of our destination, he was aghast and warned us of the distance, and then proceeded to offer to drive us there. It was all good and we paid him NT$400 for his trouble. The Aquarium had undergone an expansion with a new building housing samples from around the world. The winds were still strong and the surf was terrible (the museum was near the coast) and we spotted a marooned ship on the shoreline as we made our way to the new annex. I could hardly remember what was inside back then but looking at the fish and animals in the tanks filled me with joy and wonder (sorry but I have never been to the local Underwater World yet). When it was time for us to return, we found ourselves slightly stranded since the fella from earlier was too busy to come pick us up (we were gonna pay of course...) so I dragged my buddy along the route and tried to hitch a ride while walking down. We got lucky when a car picked us up and he was on his way to Hengchun as well. All's well that ends well with the rest of the day mucking around the room minus some cable channels due to the lost transmissions.
Day 6 We were originally scheduled to leave for Alishan (阿里山) but our plans literally got washed out due to the extent of damage caused to the mountainous regions so we tried picking up the places in Kenting we were not able to visit due to the typhoon. Our first stop in the morning was the east coast area of Jialeshui (佳乐水). A coastal area with many strange rock formations. Initially we tried looking for a waterfall that was supposedly there but couldn't find it. Instead we spotted yet another marooned ship on our walk northwards along the track strewn with mud and debris. We spent slightly less than 2 hours there, wandering among the rocks and taking photos before we head back to town for lunch and then another bus direct for Oluanpi (鹅銮鼻), the Southernmost tip of the island. Unfortunately, the place was still closed due to the typhoon in spite of the hot sun. I ended up buying some souvenirs before taking the bus to see the famous sail rock (船帆石). From a certain angle, the damn rock really did look like Richard Nixon. Then, in the stifling humidity, we made our way to Kenting town, missed the bus (when it refused to stop after we tried flagging it down) and caught a cab back to town where we spent the night packing up. It was disappointing that we had to miss out visiting Oluanpi and Maobitou (猫鼻头) but I think it had been a nice experience to be back for a visit to the places and fulfilling that desire.
The writer is still sorting through the photos so please be patient.
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