Days 16 and 17 ~ Kenting National Park, Ocean, Tunghai

Day 16 began with a guided tour of Kenting National Park in the very southernmost tip of Taiwan.  We made various stops along the way to see famous geological landmarks and historical sites within the park.  Because the national park has been established only recently, there are small villages and even a nuclear power plant within the park boundaries.  At the very southernmost tip of the island stands a bright white lighthouse surrounded by walls and a steep ditch.  This is the only guarded lighthouse in the world, and was established in 1883 by the Qing Dynasty.  The walls were built to prevent raids by local aboriginal tribes. After our tour of the park, we went snorkeling at a local reef.  I have never been snorkeling, but the experience was definitely something I would do again.  The fish were beautiful, darting in and out of small tunnels in the reef.  We even saw an octopus sleeping in its hole.  After snorkeling, we headed to the local beach for some time in the sand.  Its winter in Taiwan right now, but our whole group was so excited to see the ocean that we jumped right in.  We were the only people in the water. After watching the sunset on the beach, we stopped by a local fruit stand for coconut juice straight from the fruit, and then we were off to dinner at a wonderful restaurant called Bossa Nova.  The food and atmosphere were both excellent.  Day 17 was spent driving north to Taichung city, specifically Tunghai University.  That evening we met the students in the Zebrafish lab our instructor has connections to, and had dinner at a hot pot restaurant with them.