Kenting

Kenting is the township that is in the eponymous national park. It's not a sleepy little town; it spills over with tourists on the weekend. After I had showered and rested, I ventured into the evening. I wasn't motivated to do this. Faced with the unfamiliarity of a new destination, my first inclination is to crawl under the sheets and sleep. But I'm glad I didn't because the night market was in full swing. It was breezy and a welcome change from my stuffy room.

I began to understand why travel bloggers raved about night markets in Taiwan. They are a kaleidoscope of colours of stalls and redolent of tempting smells from cooking food. Looked like dinner was sorted, no need to look for an eatery. I had a cob of grilled corn, then a hot dog wrapped in hash brown, an iced drink, and finished off with a green tea ice cream.

Most of the food was grilled, barbequed, or fried, some steamed, and all prepared on the spot. Some stalls were offering Japanese, Korean, and Thai food. This one for the adventurous was selling German Pork Knuckle. I also saw macarons and liquor spiked iced tea, a variation on pearl tea which Taiwan has spread throughout the world.

When you think about it you understand: The mild climate is conducive to alfresco dining, Taiwanese want to get out of their cramped housing and socialise so night markets are an ideal solution. Speaking of social, Taiwanese are nearly always found in groups or couples. At stalls they gave me two skewers for the food out of habit, even though there was only one of me. A sharing culture.

There were also funfair games, hit the target types, and pinball machines. A small number of stalls were selling bric-a-brac or gadgets, such as this one selling an extension arm for taking a selfie from further away so people wouldn't suspect. All Taiwanese have a mobile phone and 200% of them will be taking selfies with it at holiday spots.

I will continue to report on night markets around Taiwan even at considerable risk to my waistline. Somebody has to do this dangerous job.