Kaohsiung to Liuqiu

Leaving the cities behind

Si and I headed down to breakfast around 8am, leaving the kids in bed.  Breakfast was an interesting mix of dishes, from pork in white wine to nuggets and chips.  We tried a few different dishes including a boiled egg before filling up on toast with peanut butter and jam.  Good, healthy cycling food.  G joined us before we had finished.  After a leisurely breakfast, we completed our packing and bid farewell to Jonno with instructions to check out.

The streets were quiet as we left, and we soon picked up the Love River and cycled along the foreshore past the Kaohsiung Music Centre, which was stark white against a brilliant blue backdrop. We passed a yellow duck submerged headfirst into the ground and a yellow submarine.

We detoured via a Carrefours supermarket to pick up some wine and snacks to take to Xiaoliuqui as there were no supermarkets on the island, just a couple of convenience stores.  G waited patiently with the bikes while we wound our way through the massive hypermarket in search of the requisite provisions. 

We travelled the designated bike path to the edge of town and past the international airport after which we moved onto a separate bike lane at the side of the road.  We stopped for morning tea in a little park before rejoining the road again, making good time except for the interminable red traffic lights which slowed us down.  We had a quick toilet break at a 7-11 and Jonno messaged to say he was at the port. We were still 12 kilometres away but made good time as we turned off the main road and drastically reduced the number of traffic lights.

Jonno was waiting near the first of the three ferry options and had already checked out the Donggang Huaqiao fish market.  We declined the offer of catching the next ferry and decided to eat lunch first. There were many seafood options available, and we treats ourselves to some super fresh and very tasty sushi which we watched being made.  We also opted for some miso soup complete with most of a crab.

It wasn’t quite enough for lunch, so we went our separate ways to find something more to eat.  I settled on an oyster omelet and Si ordered a shrimp one.  Replete, we headed back to the bikes, buying our tickets on the way.  We rolled our bikes onto the ferry a few minutes before its 2pm scheduled departure.  It was just over 20 minutes to the island and, on disembarking, we made our way directly to our accommodation.  Our room lived up to expectations with views across the harbour and out to sea.  The kids had a slightly narrower view of the harbour from their room, one floor above.

Determined to make the most of the beautiful weather, we decided to ride around the island, starting with the famous Flower Vase Rock, just a few hundred metres from our accommodation.  We also chatted to the man at the rental shop to work out the gear available for our planned snorkelling adventure tomorrow. 

The route round the island was super hilly, with lots of short, sharp pinches and there were heaps of people whizzing past on scooters, including a large number of shirtless guys, a few of whom were taking selfies of themselves as they drove by.  Jonno headed inland to find a free dive rental shop whilst we continued around the outside.

Back at our accommodation, we called home to speak to mum and dad, whilst sitting on our balcony with a glass of wine in the late afternoon sun.  An hour later, we headed out for a tasty Thai dinner, picking up some lemon ice blocks at the 7-11 on the way home. 

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