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Penghu — Taiwan’s best-kept secret

PENGHU, TAIWAN — During the summer season, domestic tourists descending upon Penghu, an isolated cluster of 90 islets to the west of Taiwan, outnumber the locals tenfold. Yet outside the country, Penghu as a holiday destination remains a secret.

PENGHU, TAIWAN — During the summer season, domestic tourists descending upon Penghu, an isolated cluster of 90 islets to the west of Taiwan, outnumber the locals tenfold. Yet outside the country, Penghu as a holiday destination remains a secret.

It is no wonder that this is such a local draw. Penghu’s beaches are lined with sand so white and fine that they turn into stretches of blinding bullion under the glare of the midday sun.

The area also has the sweetest seafood, a rich history of seafaring pirates and foreign invaders; and ragged, ravishing coastlines formed by colossal basalt columns and sea-eroded cliffs. Despite these attractions, Penghu does not register on the to-go list of foreign visitors.

This tiny archipelago, measuring less than 130 sq km in total, is 50 minutes by plane away from Taipei. It made headlines in 2013 when Taiwanese carrier TransAsia Airways 222 failed to make a safe landing on the capital island of Magong during Typhoon Matmo, killing 48 of its 58 passengers.

That is, for many, the extent of their knowledge of Penghu. Much of the information available on the Internet in English either barely scratches the surface, or simply is not written well enough to inspire one to make the trip.

Tourism contacts divulge that the local stakeholders are in a conundrum about attracting more visitors. During the peak season between May to September, local infrastructure is stretched to accommodate the Mandarin-speaking tourists alone. Those totalled nearly 1 million last year — nearly 10 times Penghu’s population of 102,300.

Seventy per cent of this influx of tourists is Taiwanese. Air tickets to Penghu released between 90 to 60 days prior to departure in July and August are snapped up within hours. The 400 homestays (Taiwanese pensiones) and the few local hotels also fill up very quickly. Outside of these months, Penghu turns into a veritable ghost town.

 

LAND OF THE SEA

Penghu’s topography means it is at the mercy of the weather. The island is mostly flat and bereft of dense forestation or high hills — the tallest peak, Mount Tiantai on the islet of Wangan, stands at only 53m. There are plenty of low-lying shrubs and cacti — so much so that a Penghu speciality, the tart cactus ice cream, has evolved. After the typhoon season in September, the northeast monsoon follows.

From October onwards, very few tourists — except for surfers, sailors, birdwatchers and windsurfers drawn by an annual Penghu Windsurfing Club competition — head to the islands. Intrigued, I went there for a trip last September.

My first two days were packed with water activities. Night squid fishing — operated by Jin Hsiang Hao, a family of sixth-generation (former) fishermen — saw my group catching just one lonely cephalopod. Fortunately, the crew prepared a large net which they later hauled so we could have a dinner of Penghu vermicelli soup with squid.

Snorkelling off Sanshui beach on Magong, close to the South Islands, was more fruitful, but scuba diving in the same waters the following day yielded more sights. Excitement at the sight of many sea urchins on the sea bed, however, fizzled out when dive operator Danny Yan told me the permitted period for sea urchin foraging had ended just before I arrived.

For those who only want to get their toes wet, Penghu’s beaches are picturesque. This is especially so on Chibei, a tiny islet in the north with a stretch of beach formed from corals and shells.

One place to witness the locals’ religious piety is at the temples. There are 183 of them, with ornate swallowtail roofs, in this small archipelago.

The most famous is Tianhou Temple, built in the 16th century in the historical district of Magong.

There, the air is thick with fumes from joss sticks, rising up to the high-beamed ceilings along with the prayers of kneeling devotees. One can imagine the same scene 400 years ago, when the first settlers built the temple.

It was constructed for the purpose of giving thanks to Mazu, the Taoist goddess of the sea, for a safe journey across turbulent waters. In the days of yore, the temple was a beacon to fishermen that helped them find their way home. Today, it is an icon of Penghu’s seafaring history and a symbol for her people, who live at the mercy of the weather and reap the bounty of the sea.

 

LOCAL EXPERIENCES

A sense of history is present throughout Penghu. In Erkan village, I saw people reviving lost crafts such as making incense sticks, used for repelling insects, out of herbs.

I chatted with 73-year-old Chen Rongyi, who was at work moulding inkstones. He had left Penghu for Kaohsiung with his family at the age of five.

“My father felt there were better opportunities for everyone in the family, both work-wise and in education,” he said. But 20 years ago, he — like many other villagers who had left — began returning each summer, to take part in some way in preserving the local crafts and the villagers’ way of life.

And that way of life is quiet. There are 10 pubs in the whole of Penghu, one karaoke joint, and one cinema. There is no night market — surprising since every county on the mainland has a few.

Evening activities are of a more sedate nature. Check out the local eateries, which are rife with the catch of fishermen or local foragers. On one quiet evening, I sampled fried butterfly fish and stir-fried vermicelli with pumpkin at Tu Yin, a Taiwanese zi char stall.

I got to “forage” for seafood when I stayed at 7 B&B, a homestay owned by Seven Chen. English-speaking Seven specialises in creating local experiences for foreigners. One of my activities was stone-weir fishing, an ancient method of trapping fish at low tides. I had to release four out of the 10 baby groupers I caught, as they were below the legally permitted length.

Back at the B&B, Seven taught me how to prepare the fish for a soup, along with the other seafood we had bought at the morning fish market.

 

NATURAL VISTAS

The geographical attractions of Penghu are another testament to its popularity among Taiwanese. To the south of Magong is Tongpan Basalt — an uninhabited island with hexagonal basalt columns formed by volcanic activity more than 10 million years ago.

My favourite view was of Longcheng, also called “Dragon Formation”, in Qimei islet. It is a cluster of wave-cut platforms formed by water erosion. At low tide, pools of algae and seaweed appear in shades of jade. The twin-hearts stone weir in Qimei islet, which I enjoyed for its iridescent pools of opal, is another unmissable sight.

I stayed at Four Points Penghu during the final days of my trip. The hotel has brought in luxe options, such as an infinity pool and a fitness centre. The establishment hopes to bridge the gap between international and local hospitality standards which, although warm, can be a little rough around the edges. But the truth is that Penghu’s surrealistic beauty trumps all.

Visiting the Whale Cave on Hsiaomen islet on Siyu island — named for its shape, fashioned over many years from seawater erosion — and savouring a simple omelette studded with tiny sea urchin florets and piquant garlic bits, was a slice of heaven.

It is no wonder that the locals flock here and speak not of Penghu’s treasures. Penghu, with its cerulean seas, is the perfect place to retreat from the world.

 

For more information, visit http://www.penghu-nsa.gov.tw, the official website of the Penghu Tourism Bureau.

 

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