11th May to 24th
May
About the
only ‘out of the ordinary’ event(s) that took place during this time would be
our trip to Green Island.
Myself
along with the Humber students and a few of their study buddies headed off to
Green Island on Friday morning (23rd) and returning on Saturday 24th.
One item
that I thought needs to be changed prior to next year’s trip is the length of
stay on the Island. Staying just one
night is not enough time to take in (with ease) the sights. Our timeline was so tight that the students
only had 40 minutes of snorkeling time and we didn’t get to go all the places
we should have. I have been there two years
ago and saw everything very thoroughly so I know what was missed and it’s only
because of lack of time.
Other than
that, the weather was almost cooperative (raining upon arrival but cleared up
as the day went on. The students had a
good time overall and what we did see, was enjoyed. Probably the two highlights of the trip were
the hot springs and the snorkeling.
The Zahori
hot springs is only one of three found in the world. The other two are located in Sicily, Italy
and Kyushu Island, Japan.
Not being a
boat person myself I choked down a sea motion sickness tablet prior to going
and it seemed to work. I didn’t get sick
but many others did, during the crossing.
The ferry takes between 50 and 60 minutes one way. The water, at times
can be rough since the Island is located in the Pacific Ocean (33km off coast
of Taiwan). The ferry departs Taitung.
All of us
rented scooters and electric bikes for the duration of our stay on the Island
as that is the best and only means of transportation. The Island is only around 18 km in diameter
so one can navigate the entire Island in a short period of time.
We enjoyed
an ‘all you can eat’ bbq dinner and that was enjoyed by everyone as well. The weather (wind) became quite fierce and
the thundering of the waves crashing up against the shore was quite loud. It was actually sort of cool walking along
the upper portion of the shoreline watching the waves and listening to them.
Next day
was snorkeling and finishing off riding to a couple of interest sites before
heading back to the mainland.
The water
was very rough at time of departure (2pm) and it was only minutes before I
heard people already getting sick. I
thought to myself great, this isn’t going to go well for me…surprisingly I did
not get sick and I’m not sure how that was prevented but I did not
complain. I took a motion sickness pill
and I fell asleep.by time I woke up we were just docking in Taitung. Oh I was so happy for this part of the
journey to be completed…hahaha
We arrived
back at the University shortly after 7pm.
Our next trip is this coming weekend where we will journey off to Taipei
for the entire weekend. Leaving Friday
morning and returning Sunday. Not sure
of the itinerary but I’m confident it will be exciting.
