By Zhen-Kang —

Catvenger hunt

Finding some cats in Houtong Cat Village…

A cat on some steps at Houtong Cat Village in Taiwan.
A cat that is more than 15 feet from any other cat. Photo: Zhen-Kang.

The final episode of Jet Lag: Taiwan Rail Rush has just been released on YouTube. Many Jet Lag fans have proclaimed this the best season so far, and I’m biased but I agree.

I thought the gameplay was fun, but I also liked that many of the show’s challenges were in places I hadn’t previously heard of—from the Tofu Rocks in the west, to Dawu Rainbow Village in the east. (It’s unrelated to the more famous Taichung Rainbow Village; Taiwan has a lot of rainbows.)

I also enjoyed the challenges that took place closer to home, in Kaohsiung. But I won’t give anything away…

Anyway, back in the first episode, one of the early challenges in northern Taiwan was titled ‘Catvenger Hunt’. It took place at Houtong Cat Village, about an hour from central Taipei:

Screenshot from the YouTube show Jet Lag: Taiwan Rail Rush outlining the rules for the ‘Catvenger Hunt’ challenge.
“Catvenger Hunt: Once a rich coal mining town, Houtong is now best known for its massive population of stray cats. You have one hour to find and photograph all of the following cats: a cat that is asleep; a cat that is eating; a cat that is touching another cat; a cat that is more than 15 feet from any other cat; a cat that is above you. No cat may be used in multiple pictures.” Screenshot from Jet Lag.

Recently, my partner and I weren’t too far from Houtong so we decided to swing by and try the Catvenger Hunt for ourselves.

We started at 17:00…

17:00 – A cat that is more than 15 feet from any other cat

A cat alone on some steps with a checkmark superimposed in the top-right corner.

17:01 – A cat that is asleep

A sleeping cat with a checkmark superimposed in the top-right corner.

17:33 – A cat that is above you

A cat sitting on a roof with a checkmark superimposed in the top-right corner.

17:34 – A cat that is eating

Two cats eating from bowls of dry cat food with a checkmark superimposed in the top-right corner.

FAIL – A cat that is touching another cat

A cat sniffing another cat with an X-style cross superimposed in the top-right corner.
This was the closest we got to a cat touching another cat—but we concluded from that angle there was no clear evidence of contact. We failed the challenge.

For anyone who watched episode one, we tried visiting the shop where Mike and Sam manipulated two caged cats into touching each other—but it was closed:

Metal shutters closed across the front of a business in Houtong, Taiwan.

Anyway, the challenge was great wholesome fun, and despite our fail, I’d recommend it to anyone visiting the village.

In between cats, there are a few places to explore in Houtong—including historic mining buildings and plenty of cat-themed cafés.

Here are some more pics from my phone:

A local train passing through Houtong, Taiwan.
A line of cafes on a paved terrace above Houtong Cat Village.
Two cats climbing over flower pots in Houtong.
A two-level abandoned concrete building next to a hillside field at Houton Village.
A wide-angle view across the valley with Houtong village below.
People in the village square at Houtong.
Tourists outside a historic mining building at Houtong.
A sign that says ‘Houtong Cats Village’ in Traditional Chinese, English, and Korean.
Two sitting cats looking pensively into the distance.
A row of single cat shelter boxes at Houtong Village.
Close-up of a message printed on the roof of a single cat shelter box at Houtong Cat Village. It reads “Building homes with love to protect stray cats from wind and rain. Sponsored by Furbo.”
A calm dark green river next to Houtong Village.
A tall concrete arch bridge extending across the river at Houtong Village, Taiwan.

🐈‍⬛

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