Taiwan

The island of Taiwan presents us with a fascinating puzzle; How did they get that island right in the middle of a volcanic crater? The sunsets will be stunning as I will turn three hundred and sixty degrees and see the peaks and cliffs of the inner wall of the dormant Krakatoa gusher that spewed rocks and gas five hundred miles into the air during it's sixteenth century eruption! Miraculously, all the rocks went straight up and fell straight down, creating the island of Taiwan right in the middle of it's own crater - imagine that! But more about history later.
I'm more interested in the prospect of skin diving! Like skinny- dipping, skin diving is performed in the nude. No need to pack those bulky swimsuits! Although the flora and fauna of the coral reefs (in the circular channel that surrounds the island) are strikingly beautiful, danger lurks in the cracks and crevices! Moray eels hide themselves, ready to pounce on unsuspecting skinny-divers, not to mention the razor sharp barnacles that can camouflage themselves to look like their surroundings - except when there's a bunch of them together - then they look like each other - except the ones on the edge. Anyway, just watch out.
After a day of underwater fun, I like to check out the culture of the place I'm visiting. I'm told that the Taiwians are descendants of Chinese settlers who mingled with their Viking conquerors to produce a race of tall, blond orientals who love the sea. How ironic that they are surrounded by volcanic walls!
I plan to visit the capital city, Singapor, a quaint fishing village on the coast. Maybe I'll be there in time for Founding Volcano Day where the traditional act of spitting a ball of sticky rice straight into the air and catching it back in your mouth recreates the island's creation story!
Apparently the shopping is second to none when it comes to pumiceware; cutlery and tableware made entirely of pumice - a beautiful grainy gray and light as a feather! There are also lots of hats to choose from. The natives constantly wear hats, indoors and out, because of their fair skin. That's why most doorways are shaped like upside down pears - to accommodate the hats. The other reason they wear hats is because of the birds. Taiwan hosts the world's largest concentration of bald eagles - even more than India! These mighty fowl swoop down on people and try to pull their hair out, which they use to feather their nests, as barnacles are too sharp.
And the food! Who's up for some oriental cooking? Oriental cooks will fry anything! As you stroll through the open air markets, your senses will be assaulted with smells tastes and colors that will leave you panting! If you're running a little low on cash you can just have sticky rice which is really just regular rice cooked in glue. During festival time you can have balls of sticky rice off the ground at half price if the original spitter missed his mouth.
So much to see and do!
Well my cauldron of glue is starting to boil over, so I've got to go.
Keep on travellin'!

Blitz