Further south we go! We write our signs and throw up our thumbs. Anywhere south. 
After one couple driving over an hour out of their way to get us closer to Kenting, and several locals walking us door to door for about thirty-five minutes, we finally find the house we are looking for. We are staying with some friends of a friend’s house, in Kenting. I was pretty nervous to arrive at this girl’s house, considering
we had never met. But, I figured that it is Taiwan, and not everything adds up the way it does back home. So we went with it.
The group of people that we are staying with are beyond welcoming. The second we walked in the door, we were told that this was our house too. Not only did they share endless laughs and stories with us, but the beer and fried food supply was never slim. The music played to meet the sun, and nobody complained. There were all the fluffy cuddles that you could imagine from their husky and kitty.
In Kenting, we didn’t do too much. We received the relaxing beach day we so desperately had 
been imploring for in cloudy Dulan. Frying our skin to a crisp in between the three different Taiwanese people who asked us if they could take pictures with us. That sure does get old pretty quickly. If you ever wanna feel like a celebrity for a day or just flat-out weird, travel to Taiwan as a blonde, white girl.
The beaches were empty, and the sun was strong. Just how we like it. Brace yourselves, I am about to change your life with the next bit of information.
Banana milk and coconut Oreos. That’s right folks, I said it. Banana milk and coconut Oreos. Do yourself a favor and try this tasty snack. Make sure you eat it while you’re sitting on the beach, though. I really can’t think of anything more tropical. It tasted like I squeezed an entire tube of sunscreen into my mouth.
I know that doesn’t sound too appetizing. But you know, that magnificent smell that sunblock emits? That makes you feel like you’re at the beach, as a kid again. Well the coconut Oreos dipped in banana milk gives off the same effect.
After soaking up as much sun as our skin could possibly handle, we headed into town to explore a little more. We walked about 3 kilometers before reaching Kenting Road. 
This is actually my favorite city in Taiwan so far. The city hustle and bustle was simmered down a bit by the laid back beach vibes. We walked up and down Kenting Road,
meandering our way into different shops and tasting bits of new foods along the way.
For lunch we stopped in this cheap little place where
we ordered a beef and onion dish along with a spicy tofu dish.
Unfortunately, the name was in Chinese, so I can’t pass the good advice along. Then, we ate a variety of things from the street vendors including: fried milk and potatoes with cheese. Being a pretty big fan of milk, I was not impressed with the fried milk, but to each his own.
Giant squids the size of our heads were displayed at one vendor, but we kept walking. How in the world would you even begin to eat that thing? 
Up and down the streets we slowly walked, wishing we had more room in our stomachs to fill with all of this unique, foreign food. Eloise had to head back up north to Dulan that night, so she made a sign and headed towards the road, in hopes that someone would stop despite the fact that we were in a city. Luckily, a car scooped her before the sun went completely down. Off she went to Dulan, and off I went to the Hengchun night market.
At the bus stop I met another American solo traveler. Ironically, she was from the state above me. Confused as can be, we both got on the bus, hoping it was going towards the Hengchun night market. Luckily, our instincts (or luck?) were correct. We were exactly where we needed to be. We met up with the people from the house I was staying at and indulged in the night market that only occurs on Sundays. It was packed full of people, Taiwanese friends and families spotted with the occasional foreigner stuffing their faces full of some odd Taiwanese dish.
The second I see the dumpling stand, I unzip my wallet. If I spent every last penny I had on dumplings, I wouldn’t have an issue with it. We tasted bits of omelets, cakes, edamame, and bamboo juice. Wasn’t quite a fan of the bamboo juice; sorta got the impression that my teeth were rotting out from it. It was pretty interesting to watch them make the juice though.
Night Markets in Taiwan are similar to fairs or carnivals in The States. You have your food vendors, which are the main attraction. But you also have small vendors selling clothes and other items. Then you have games and even some rides for the kids. The game that intrigued me the most was a game for children to practice fishing. There were various buckets of different sized fish, minos all the way to massive gold-fish. The children got a little net to catch the fish, then put them back when they had finished. At
the end of the fish tanks there was one tank for shrimp. The intensity of the game jumped immensely once you reached this tank. You no longer got a net, you received a pole with small hooks on the end. And when you caught your shrimp, you didn’t put him back.
To the left of the shrimp tank was a small grill, surrounded by young children grilling up their latest catch. Once you catch the shrimp, you take it over to the grill and start cooking him. Teaching em young, I guess.
We were sitting down at the small table waiting for the omelet we ordered. Because of the high volume of people wanting to munch on an omelet, we sat with a Taiwanese lady who was sitting alone, drinking soup. Or should I say fishing in her soup with her fingers, tossing all the contents all over the table. She was highly intoxicated and it was noticeable. She was yelling at any by-passer, and continuously harassing our poor waitress. She was just obsessed with the fact that there
were two white girls sitting at a table full of our Taiwanese friends. She kept yelling things to me in Chinese.
Luckily, my friends were pretty good translators. They informed me that she was saying I was very beautiful, over and over again, trying to hook me up with her son. I kindly shook my head no, only to be followed by her asking to touch my face. She wanted to touch my face with her nasty soup scoopers, she called fingers. They were dripping with soup and had remnants of cabbage still on them. She was leaning over the table, reaching her hand out towards my face. She retracted when I said no. I was feeling pretty uncomfortable, to say the least. I will never get used to the amount of people who want to touch my face or my hair in Taiwan; it seriously weirds me out.
We then left for a bar that was about a ten minute scooter drive down the street. We pass a temple where there are several people dancing and chanting around a big fire. Now that is where I wanna be!
At the bar we are joined by several of other friends. We order our drinks and chit-chat the night away. Best drinks I’ve had in Taiwan so far.
I was then handed some mystery chunk of meat on a stick and told to try it. This one smelled bad, really stinking bad. I nervously ask what it is, only to be disgusted by the response. I put the stick close to my mouth to go for a bite, and get a big whiff. Ooh, no! I quickly turn my head and pull the stick away. I can’t do it. There’s no way I am eating this. Then I start the countdown in my head. This is the method I use for cliff jumping too. You count 1….2….. then jump! Always! Surprise yourself. Don’t ever let yourself get to three. Jump somewhere, anywhere. But, always before you get to three. I did the same thing with this meat.
The taste wasn’t repulsive, but it was bad. The texture was way worse. I just put a chicken heart in my mouth, and swallowed it. It was squeaking and sliding around my mouth, but I wasn’t backing out. I swallowed it. The only way to describe the taste was organ-like. It tasted exactly who you’d imagine an organ would taste.
These foreign foods may be unusual for me, but I am so glad that I am trying them. I am grateful to have met so many incredible locals along the way that push me out of my comfort zone with these exotic foods.