Day 26 - Puzi To The Fishing Port Of Budai, The Long Walk South In Taiwan
Day 26 - Puzi To The Fishing Port Of Budai, The Long Walk South In Taiwan
We woke up early in order to get an early start on our walk.
I made us sandwiches to eat for breakfast and lunch, because it looked like we would not be walking by many convenience stores.
I also loaded our backpacks with water bottles, at least enough to keep us hydrated until noon.
We started walking at 7:00am, but even that early, the weather was already hot.
I hoped that we could adjust well to walking in the heat, because we had a long day of walking ahead of us.
We first stopped at the local Starbucks to have matcha lattes, and we arrived just after they opened.
Then we left town and headed mostly west, but also a little south towards the port town of Budai.
Budai is not only famous for its oysters, but also for its fresh seafood in general.
I thought that possibly we should be tasting the oysters or eating some fish, because looking at Google maps, it seemed like all the restaurants in town were seafood restaurants.
We walked through many fields until we got to an area that was closed for construction.
The detour onto another road meant that we would be adding a few kilometers to our already long day of walking in the heat, so we tried to walk through the closed road.
A guard run over and stopped us, saying that we couldn’t walk through.
We didn’t argue, we just turned around and walked in the direction of the other road.
The road was narrow, exposed and offered no shade.
After almost two hours of walking in the heat, we came upon a rural shrine and stopped to drink water and eat one of our sandwiches.
It was so nice to take off our backpacks and sit down.
From then on, the only places that we had to stop and rest, were the rural temples along the way.
They always had a seat or benches in the shade.
The enshrined gods seemed to be happy to have our company.
On a long and narrow road, we met an English cyclist.
He passed by us, took a second glance and circled back to talk to us.
He said that he lives in southern Taiwan and that he was out for a three day cycling trip.
He said that we had chosen a nice quiet road to walk on and that we would enjoy southern Taiwan, where the beaches are beautiful and the weather is hot.
Listening to this I almost cried.
Could it really be hotter than this?..,
He spoke about the typhoon which had recently bashed the south and told us that the weather is scheduled to be good for awhile.
He said that he had never met foreigners who were walking around the island, although he said that it is a popular thing to do among the younger generation.
Students do it before enrolling in University.
He took our photo and wished us good luck.
We walked through agricultural roads, crossing several small rural villages that had no services for pilgrims.
We did not pass by any convenience stores, until just a couple of km before the end of our walk.
As we neared Budai, the fields and chicken farms gave way to fish farms.
We walked by many vast ponds, some aerated by small rotating paddle wheels.
Others ponds were filled with green water and dead fish.
The longer we walked among the fish farms, the stronger became my resolution not to eat the fish in Budai.
Tourists come to seaside harbors, wanting to eat local fresh seafood, fantasizing that it is all caught in the sea.
But the vast array of fish farms that we walked through told a completely different story.
It was so hot, that the fish might be boiling in some of the shallow ponds.
We arrived in Budai in the afternoon, and checked into our guesthouse.
The place was modern and nice and comfortable.
They allowed me to use their washing machine to do our laundry and we showered and changed our clothes, before going out again to see the town.
Budai has a very lively fish market with vendors that sell fish, crabs, shrimps, and oysters in big bags for only $3 USD, candy, soy sauce and a variety of dried fish products.
There were many eateries that served oyster pancakes and omelets, and will prepare the seafood you have purchased for you.
The market is constantly busy with many tourists.
We enjoyed walking around the market, listening to an old lady who was begging for money by playing the guitar and singing.
She couldn’t sing and couldn’t play the guitar, which was so charming.
We bought some iced tea and sat on the stairs in front of her, enjoying her mumbling.
We found some vendors who sold fried slices of sweet potato, taro and turnip cake.
It was yummy, and we were sure that this was enough for our dinner.
Jules was happy that we had arrived early in Budai, and thus had time to enjoy the place before everything was closing down.
He suggested that we start walking early again tomorrow, because we have another long day of walking.
We walked over to the famous blue high-heeled shoe church/wedding venue, which was located in a big park by the water.
On our walk back to our guest house, we came upon a small vegetarian cafe offering kelp soup dumplings, udon noodles, vegan risotto and other dishes.
We decided to return to eat dinner there, even though we were not hungry.
The couple who owned the cafe was so lovely and the dumplings and wontons we had were very good!
We even packed some of the generous portions they served us to eat for lunch tomorrow on our walk.
Overall, it was a fun day in Budai and we enjoyed seeing the place.
With love,
Tali
Today’s Stats:
Steps - 35,622
Daily Distance - 25 km.
Total Distance To Date - 398 km
