When Malaysian Ng Boon-ming (黃文明) found Taiwan Tourism Bureau’s “Best Trip in the World” competition online earlier this year, he contacted Liew Kai-yit (劉鎧毅), his friend of 15 years, and asked the latter to join him for a trip to Taiwan.
Before then, Ng had never visited Taiwan, while Liew had only been here for brief training. They decided to call their team “Bah Kut The,” or “pork-rib soup.” They said the name of the popular Chinese dish in Southeast Asia perfectly described the formation of the team, with Ng, the chubbier one, being the “meat” and Liew the “bone.”
They spent two weeks designing a four-day tour in Taiwan, which included exploring the nation’s Aboriginal music and some of the spectacular sceneries on the east coast. Their itinerary took them to Taroko Gorge National Park, the Zhui Lu Trail (錐麓古道), Qingshui Cliff (清水斷崖), Matai’an Village (馬太鞍), Dalumake Village (達魯馬克) and other scenic spots along the coast.
“When we reached the cliff on the Zhui Lu Trail, which is 855m above sea level, my first reaction was: I am a real man!” Liew said. “It [is] the tallest cliff in Northeast Asia and I will never forget that.”
Like all the participants in the final round of the competition, Ng and Liew visited all the proposed tourist spots during the day and posted their pictures, video clips and stories on the official contest Web site at night.
A video clip presenting the highlight of their trip showed Ng and Liew dressed as drag queens singing about their travel experiences to the tune of the South Korean pop song Nobody but You.
“We went to Aboriginal villages, danced during the harvest festival celebration, drank millet, steamed fish with hot stones ... from Amis to Rukai. The wild boar tastes the best,” the lyrics said. “Bah Kuh Teh will prove to the world: Taiwan, nobody but you!”
The presentation drew many positive responses through online venues such as Facebook. Meanwhile, the two organized campus evens, wrote to newspapers in Singapore and Malaysia and secured a radio interview to tell stories of their expedition in Taiwan.
The creative themed tour and subsequent ways to promote it earned “Bah Kut Teh” the title of champions, earning them a NT$1 million (US$31,000) prize from the Tourism Bureau yesterday.
The pair is scheduled to return next year and spend the prize money on a one-month trip.
Commenting on their performance, Ng and Liew said they had a competitive edge in knowing Chinese.
“We found everything we need from the Tourism Bureau’s Web site, including the TRA Railway Pass and hostels,” Liew said. “But some of their information is only available in Chinese.”
Since May, the million-dollar contest drew 1,123 submissions from 44 countries. For the final round, 52 teams from 18 countries were selected.
The contest’s review committee gave second place to the team “West meets Dong” (東), or “West meets East,” formed by Ben and Althea van Boxtel of Wisconsin.
Van Boxtel and his wife, who is from Taoyuan, explored Taiwan’s tea culture and visited tea farms in Muzha (木柵) and Lugu (鹿谷).
The couple won round trip tickets to any destination.
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