The same Covid development that canceled my trip to Hualien also
almost canceled the next one. Kasania,
Tonya and I had planned to visit Penghu together, the largest of Taiwan’s
outlying islands. It is, in fact, an
archipelago of 90 islands and islets lying slightly to the west of the main
island, in the Taiwan Strait, named the Pescadores long ago by Portuguese
explorers. The first weekend of April
was a long weekend, starting on Friday and continuing to Monday. Kasania decided she would not come, and I
initially agreed, though Tonya was having none of it. I soon realised that the scare in northern
Taiwan had been brought under control, and I booked with time to spare, though
the best flights were already sold.
Never mind.
Tonya started her holiday a day early, on Thursday, flying to
the island along with her friend Aryn and Aryn’s two children. I arrived at sunset on Friday. I decided not to start running about
immediately and instead, completely foregoing dinner, rested at the
accommodation until morning. Then I
headed south to where Tonya was staying.
My room was in Magong City, whereas the others were staying together at
Shanshui Beach.
Having gone to bed not long after sundown, I was up very early the next morning. Breakfast, which was included in my room rate, had been purchased from an unknown nearby vendor and was waiting for me when I got downstairs. My hostess and I discussed the horrific train accident that had happened the previous day in east Taiwan, killing 49 people. Then I got moving.
I stopped in downtown Magong City to visit Zhongyang
Old Street and the ex-military quarters turned art space. Soon it was time to meet Tonya and crew. The ride took around 20 minutes. Well, it took a little longer because I
missed the turnoff and went for quite a while before checking the map. I turned back and arrived for (my 2nd)
breakfast as planned, if a little late. En route, I passed this little joy.
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After filling up, Tonya and I mounted our scooters. We’d invited the remaining three, but they opted to stay at the beach. The two of us headed north, though Tonya had already come along this route yesterday. It would carry us across three of the larger islands and one or two smaller ones. We stopped all the way to take pictures. One of our stops was at the Tongliang Great Banyan. I was excited to be here because it was one of the things I remember from my previous trip over 18 years earlier. As it turned out, this was not the same place, but the same sort of phenomenon. Here I bought some art, natural art in that it is some kind of sea plant that had been washed ashore during a storm and subsequently dried. It will make quite a striking display once I’ve got all my boxes unpacked – I’ve just moved into a house to accommodate my sprawling collection of mis-match pieces bought all around the world.
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We continued down to the end of the road where Yuwengdao Lighthouse stood. Returning in the opposite direction, we took a slightly different route, passing Daguoye Columnar Basalt.
The next stop was at arguably the main attraction of this archipelago. I should begin by explaining my title. Most of the oldest structures here were built out of coral. There are dozens of ruins of previously occupied homes all over. Additionally, a smattering of modern buildings paid homage to this history by including the motif in their design. I liked this very much indeed.
The village to which we now headed, Erkan Historic Village, is a
reef of such structures, lovingly restored by the Penghu County Government and
offered as a tourist attraction. One
could wander through the narrow corridors, poke one’s head into some of the
buildings (others were inhabited), drink some tea, and buy snacks and curios to
bring home. It was hot by now, and we
didn’t dawdle very long.
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We now headed back to Shanshui Beach. We were to meet up with Aryn and the kids and
go for dinner at a barbecue restaurant.
Since we’d eaten in this kind of establishment on Orchid Island,
Xiaoliuqiu and now again Penghu, I think it might be safe to say that it is one
of the most popular cuisines for Taiwanese on holiday. I call it cuisine, but one should really just
call it a genre of food – I don’t think I like it enough to call it cuisine. You have to cook it all yourself, and since
it is not very expensive for eat-all-you-can, the quality of the meat is not
fantastic. Smoke stings your eyes, clogs
your nose and scents your clothes, and since you’re riding a scooter, beer is
not permitted. Still, it’s a fun thing
to do with friends. After dinner, I returned
to my room in the city.
The next morning, I was up early again. I had my breakfast and headed out. Tonya, her friends and I had agreed to meet up in the city since they wanted to see Old Street and other attractions, but that was unlikely to happen early – they like to spend time on the beach – so I got moving on my own. Among others, I stopped at Penghu Recreational Area, Aomen Beach, Lintou Park military memorial, Moses Parted-Sea Trail,
and finally returned to the city to find a museum or two to kill some time. I found none, though I know there are some. Then I had lunch, at which point Tonya called to say she had arrived, without Aryn and the kids.
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By now, the weather had turned, and Tonya was in need of a jacket. This took us on a surprisingly difficult quest. Neither of us had remembered that today was Tomb Sweeping Day (which was why we’d had a long weekend), and some places were shut, despite the tourists. We did eventually find one at an affordable price, and then turned our attention to more leisurely matters. We wandered through Zhongyang Old Street and the ex-military quarters turned art space. When I came yesterday, it was very early and nothing was open, so now, we were able to do some souvenir shopping. I got another lovely piece of art.
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On the wander, I learned of an American nurse who settled in Penghu and embarked on a war against leprosy. A statue of her stood among the downtown streets.
We ended the day at Shooting the Breeze Café. I’d been invited to Shanshui Beach for
dinner, but they were starting their barbecue late, and I was flying home early
the next morning. Tonya donned her new
jacket and rode south in the strong wind.
One tiny bit of excitement was still hiding in wait. As we came in to land at Taichung Airport, I
caught a glimpse through the window of my favorite building, the National
Taichung Theater.
