Chuhou Eternal Flame 恆春出火
Kenting is a beach town, which is all I expected when arriving for the first time over 10/10 holiday. However, one of our first recommendations (besides the beaches ofcourse) was to check out a park in Kenting where the floor is literally on fire!
Known as Chuhuo Eternal Flame (恆春出火), this protected area has natural gas leaking from the Earth over centuries. Usually in winter when the grounds are more dry, the gas is ignited and the floor is lit with small to large groups of flames.
While we went in October, the flames were still pretty small and located only in a few spots. I think going at night may have been a better idea as the flames would be much more visible. While many blog posts mentioned that you were able to cook popcorn, we had a security guard in the area that told us it was now banned since some people had gotten hurt.
Pop at your own discretion.
To get to Kenting you can take Taiwan’s HSR train to Kaohsiung (2 hour ride) then take a bus for another 2 hours or drive. Book your HSR tickets using this 3-day pass which gives you unlimited rides there and back.
This tour takes you around Kenting if you don’t have a car or scooter to get around. Without one, it’s hard to find taxi’s or public transportation!
Lunch at 山下人家
After Chuhuo, we found a local homestyle restaurant nearby, hidden away in an unassuming location. While it was only a few minutes away, it was tucked away on a small road, with no obvious signs or restaurant front and we almost missed it!
We parked on the side and found an opening through some metal containers used as walls, it led to a garden space with a rock path, large family-style tables, and pets everywhere! There were cats and kittens, birds, prairie dogs(!?), and turtles.
We hadn’t made a reservation since they opened at 5pm and we got there right before, fortunately they had enough space to squeeze us in right before the dinner rush and we were able to sit on one of the large tables in the garden.
We immediately ordered the salted egg tofu, which we had seen on Google Maps and was the sole reason I picked this spot, then asked for recommendations for their vegetables, and added a chicken soup. We also last-minute added more stir-fried beef, and a plate of fried chicken to go with our food, classic Rechao dishes.
We ended up ordering a little too much, but were able to finish almost everything! The plate of fried chicken was much larger than I thought it was going to be and so filled us up pretty fast. The vegetables super fresh and crunchy!
As for the stars of the meal: salted-egg fried tofu, and chicken soup cooked with fermented peppers, I was over the top satisfied. I’m drooling again just looking at the photos. A generous heap of beautiful golden eggs on top of a bed of tofu with firm and bouncy shell and soft insides. A hint of chili and green onion for extra flavor.
The soup was a mix of spicy and sweet, with lots of flavor from the chicken as the base. A healing broth perfect after a long day at the beach and exploring.
山下人家
No. 64之1號, Shanjiao Road, Hengchun Township, Pingtung County
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