been having so much fun here in taiwan meeting friends, making new friends, surfing, drinking, eating, eating, and eating. stayed with hawaii local boy Keith and Kiki at their brand new guest house. very clean, very cheap, and very relaxing.
if you ever head to south taiwan, contact Keith by checking out his website: http://waveriderhouse.com

the rooms are spacious, clean, and very peaceful. i slept like a baby until i heard Kimura-san snoring next to me. haha. Keith, congratulations on your new awesome guest house. i love it!

there is a very interesting night market a 10 minute walk away from Keith’s place. locals only, good food, cheap shopping, and lots of people.

i rather buy things the old fashion way then buying things at costco. i bet hawaii use to be like this a hundred years ago.

2X world champion Kelia Moniz still advancing at the contest in china. it would be great for her to bring home the world title again! Go-Kelia!

Kimura-san from Kobochihama has always been an inspiration to me. i think about him all the time ever since we met after 3/11. when i have my bad days, i think about his smile and it brings me right back up. when i went to visit him this past summer, he was telling me about his new boat. it was then in the making, and now it’s finished. i hope he named it “The Last Samurai.” Kimura-san, congratulations on your new boat! i’m so happy for you and i’m so excited to see you driving it with your big smile. hope to see you someday soon.”
well, back to taiwan. 5am and going surfing. surfed 2 rounds yesterday, ate too much delicious food, met new friends, picked up Hayato from the airport, and we have 3 more days to enjoy this wonderful place called Taiwan!

The long journey home.
I’m so satisfied!

the best part of traveling is meeting new people. Kimura-san was on Rote Island in indonesia where he met Mori-san. we called him on the way up to this area and met him. a super cool guy that loves surfing just as much as we do. i guess that’s why we all get along very well. good waves together, good food together, good drinks together, and good laughs together. this is surfing!

Mori-san moved here 4 years ago and has been surfing perfect empty lineups ever since. if he’s not here, he’s somewhere in the world surfing world class waves. a cool soul surfer that surfs super good! thank you Mori-san for taking care of us!

had a great conversation with these taiwan surfers. they drove 6 hours from taipei to surf this secret spot. one of the girls told me “you guys are VERY LUCKY!” that’s what i love hearing.

there’s a big city 30 minutes away. perfect for a good massage and good food.

$25 for an hour of a full body pampering. i was sleeping the whole time but when i woke up, i felt so fresh.

then we went to eat the best taiwan nabe ever! it was Mori-san’s favorite and i’d have to say it tastes better than any taiwan nabe i’ve tried before. spicy and good!

the pig blood was interesting. tasted like liver, blood, with a tofu texture.
ok, i gained about 8 pounds on this trip. combine that with the 8 pounds i gained in japan, my stomach looks pretty happy. i better get back to hawaii soon before it gets out of control. but until then, i’m going to eat, eat, and eat!