Thanks to Anson, I made one more friend. She's a god-send to me, and she is Carrie! Before I departed, Carrie had been helping me lots, she even rang up to confirm a booking for one of the places I was going to stay. We had been e-mailing in Facebook for a few weeks before my arrival... and I couldn't wait to meet her.
It was about 1pm when I arrived a Chaozhou 潮州 station, it's a real tiny station... And there she was, with that prominent curly hair, I would recognise her from afar. She recognised me too and was shocked by the weight I was carrying on my back! She was driving down to Kenting with her niece to catch up with a couple of friends there, so I chucked my bag in her car and followed. I never had the intention to go Kenting on this trip because it was not near the train station and would take another 2 hours of bus journey... but it suddenly became part of it, I was certainly more than happy to go!
Carrie took us to a less touristy beach, which was apparently much cleaner. I met her 3 friends who awed me with their fluent Spanish. Carrie's niece was so engrossed playing in the waters that she was sulking when we asked her to come under the shade. I was sitting under the shade enjoying my belated lunch from KFC, not very keen to get under the blazing sun! But Kenting is truly beautiful, the blue waters. We stayed till about 5pm and had to leave as her niece had to collect an award at school in the evening.
It took about two hours for her to drive back, on the way we enjoyed bubble tea and saw the most romantic sunset. We couldn't help but stopped for a few pictures! We were almost too late when we got back, her poor niece had to rush for a quick shower and skipped dinner to go out. Carrie's family live in a small town near Pingtung, it's probably a 3 storey house and fits the family of 5 comfortably. Carrie's mum cooked us a fabulous dinner... very chinese, but not what we normally have in Singapore. I decided to join in the fun and went along to see the school Carrie's niece was attending. I had my first two scooter rides!
We got back with the little girl very pleased about her 300NTD prize money. She's adorable and reminded me of myself when I got my scholarship too. After a short while chilling out in her brother's room, her brother's friend arrived. He was taking all of us in his car to 東港 night market, a very local one. Carrie and her brother are such hospitable people and I felt so at home!! They bought a lot of food for me to try but I was already so full!! I really like the mango shaved ice though!
The next day, Carrie was supposed to go Tainan with me but unfortunately work caught up and she couldn't. Her friend whom was supposed to host me couldn't make it either. It was a panicking night... but I assured her it would be okay, I could always arrive and asked at the visitor centre. That night, we watched the World Cup match for 3rd placing... but Carrie dozed off. I did too but eventually I finished the match!
The next morning, with a bit of luck, I found a budget hotel at an affordable price in Tainan. I was so pleased with myself, and of course it did give Carrie peace of mind! She got me a bus ticket to the train station after a nice Taiwanese breakfast her family bought. I sure miss them, they were super nice!
The train ride to Tainan was pretty fast, but I had to switch at Kaohsiung. It was easy though. Soon enough, I was there and I visited the visitor centre for the first time in Taiwan. The staff were super helpful and suggested all the things I could do given the time I was there, and gave me lots of helpful maps. Right then, I knew I was right for not skipping this wonderful city! I love Tainan and the friendliness.
Getting to the hotel was a bit of a walk but I had no trouble finding it! There were signs along the way and definitely very helpful! The old lady at the reception was just as nice, she gave me a room key and even told me where I could take the sightseeing bus. She asked me to check the room if I liked it or I could switch. Then I realised I was given the biggest corner room, what more could I ask for? I felt so blessed!
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