Keelung City, Taipei, Taiwan - February 20, 2014

We pulled into Taiwan and had a smooth disembarkation. We simply had to show the paper copy of our passport which they stamped.

Three flashy dancing dragons pranced and posed for the passengers. It was very welcoming and quintessentially Taiwanese. Not so Taiwanese but ubiquitous on this trip were the terminal's duty-free gift shops hawking tobacco products, purses and booze.

There is also the phenomenon of the giant yellow rubber ducky mascot. It is EVERYWHERE! You can get your G.Y.R.D. umbrellas, keychains, iPhone cases etc. at every souvenir shop in the land...please Google to learn more because I am afraid that if I say its name three times it will be summoned...rising from the depths like Godzilla.

I had planned the Taiwan visit down to the smallest detail. I wanted to visit Ho-ping Island Park alternately spelled Heping and also known as Peace Island. It was only 7 kms from the ship and would cost $7 USD each way by taxi plus a few bucks for the entrance fee and snacks. I had even printed out the Google maps with directions in Chinese. My new friend Jayne, a fellow passenger and solo cruiser thought it was an interesting choice and came along.

The taxi dispatcher kept pointing to a different destination (Yehliu Geological Park) on his picture chart of tourist spots saying that it would be better. I was firm and insisted that this place was where we wanted to visit. He let us know that there would be no one there (exactly!) and that we would have to pay a standing fee for the cab to wait one hour. No worries. If I had not been concerned about missing my cruise ship, I might have simply taken the local bus back but we agreed to split the $900 Taiwan Dollar ($30 USD) roundtrip price.

Arriving at the park, it looked just like it had on +Google Maps street view. Not a tour bus in sight! We paid the entrance fee and received a bunch of coins as change.

There was a hill with what looked to be manicured trees on it because it was so neat and tidy and symmetrical. The wind at this place is strong. It is responsible for all of the interesting land formations and probably is the gardener that created the bonsai on the hill.

It was only about eleven degrees Celsius so we bundled up in scarves and sweaters and raincoats then made our way along a stone path towards the sea.  Tables and hibachis were provided for picnickers.

We passed a little family made up of Grand-dad, young mother and rosy-cheeked 9 month old baby in a bunting sling tied against mum.

Both Jayne and I gestured and spoke in English that they were a beautiful family. The daughter answered us in English asking where we were from and how we had discovered this place. I answered "internet" and she seemed surprised!

The Taiwanese people are so friendly and helpful. We heard from many fellow passengers that if they seemed lost or confused, someone would offer assistance without prompting.

We approached the rocky beach where waves crashed high into the air like a geyser. I got some  lousy video but, it really needs to be seen live to get the full effect. We viewed the rocks shaped into tiny mushrooms by the force of erosion and read about the graffiti cave where ancient Dutch mariners had left their mark. At this time of year, we were not allowed to walk to the cave or among the mushroom rocks.

Heping Island Park - Keelung City, Taipei, Taiwan

It was gorgeous and like I had mentioned previously...completely devoid of tourist crowds. It was quiet except for the constant howling wind and extremely clean.

Time to hit the sandy beach and see the water up close! The park set up a sea wall to enclose a natural sea-water pool. In this way the waves bash around 50m outside the swimming area so the bathers are protected from being swept out to sea. Fish can and do enter the pool though.

I had come prepared with my one piece swimsuit, snorkel, aqua socks, travel towel and dive skin but man...it was windy! There were a few local men and women swimming laps in the 20 degree Celsius water in just their bathing suits. I could have been convinced to join them but Jayne was not keen. I got in to my knees just to feel the water but I didn't see any critters.

We stopped into the gift shop where we were offered tea and samples of local treats. I bought some dried sesame fish candy, you'll have to see it to believe it and yes, it is good!

Again, the shop staff wanted to know how we found them and were amazed to know that their park was on the internet to be discovered by anyone in the world. The tourist bureau promotes other parks more aggressively so they don't see many foreigners here.

I used the Taiwanese coins to purchase some vending machine drinks as souvenirs and found the cab back to the ship. Jayne was elated to have had such a unique experience and thanked me. It isn't very hard to do the research before leaving home. The resources are out there...you just need to do it!