Betel Nuts

Today was my last training day in Kaohsiung! So to celebrate, I brought my camera to take a few photos.

So - while we were waiting for the bus to take us back to the Train Station in Kaohsiung, talk turned to Betel nuts. For those who don't know, Betel Nuts are a local treat, usually consumed by truck drivers and tradesmen. They are the small fruit from the Betel Palm tree, wrapped in a leaf and mixed with lime. When chewed, the betel nut gives the chewer a pretty strong buzz - it's certainly not an altered-state high like one gets with smoking weed or doing acid (one can think quite clearly while 'intoxicated', but it's a pretty short and intense head rush.

Erick was the only one of our group who had tried it, while me, Stephen and his girlfriend hadn't. So, we thought.. why not give it a try. Getting Betel Nut in Taiwan is a simple matter - as it is 100% legal there are little Betel Nut Kiosks everywhere. The Betel Nut vendors are somewhat of a unique feature in Taiwan. The booths consist of large, raised glass boxes containing a very sexy, very scantily clad "Betel Nut Beauty", who spends her day wrapping and selling Betel Nuts to the passing fare. With $50 NT in my hand, I walk across the street from the bus stop to the Betel Nut stand on the corner, and buy a bag of eight nuts from a woman with a rather large tattoo on her left arm. I walk back to the bus stop, and we see the bus pulling up. As chewing Betel Nut causes one to spit quite a bit, we decided not to dig in until we are off the bus (Betel Nut causes your spit to turn a dark orange, an I am sure the bus driver would not have appreciated us horking red all over his bus).

So we get off the bus at the train station, peel off the top of the nut, and pop it in our mouths. Within about 20 seconds of chewing this rather strange tasting mass in my mouth I get hit with this head rush that shocked even me. Even Erick (who chose not to experiment with us) noticed that my face flushed BRIGHT red. Stephen and I were really buzzing while we bought our tickets and got some lunch at the station's McDonalds (all while chewing the nut in my mouth). After about 5 minutes my head returned to normal, and I spit the residue out. Other than feeling a little pink in the cheeks for about an hour, there was no ill effects.

Will I try it again? Maybe. I've never been the kind of guy to get off on getting altered by anything (I've gotten drunk maybe 4 times in my life) - so I don't see myself being a closet Betel Nut junkie, laying on my bathroom floor with a red foam at my mouth. It was interesting, though - I guess all part of the Taiwan experience :)

Here are some photos from my journey to, and while in, Kaohsiung.

It's tough to get a parking spot at the train station in the morning, as you can see. Some dog owners tie up their pooches to their scooter while they commute to work on the train. Some dogs are friendly and lonely, but others you've got steer clear of.



A train pulls into the station.



Morning rush hour at Tainan train station



Some typical city houses, taken from the train



A street in Baoan



Rear of some track-side houses in Baoan



Baoan Railway Station



I am not sure what these little ponds are (there are lots dotting the countryside). The spinning windmills and water gurglers make me think they are fish farms.



Luhju Railway Station



A Goose farm in Lujhu. Fields and fields of geese.



Trackside Construction Site



Some apartment buildings in Gangshan



More houses in Gangshan



High Speed Railway, in the distance, under construction. They say you can make Kaohsiung to Taipei in 90 minutes once it's complete (a 600 kilometer trip)



Oil Refinery in Kaohsiung. Taiwan produces and refines 100% of it's own oil - so world gas prices mean nothing here.



Some sort of mill in Kaohsiung. Kaohsiung is an industral city, as well as an important port.



Classy apartment buildings in Kaohsiung



Finally! Arrived in Kaohsiung.



Motivational banner. Go! Go! Go!!



More photos later!