pescadora penghu

penghu is a cluster of over 100 islands that forms a natural boundary between the south and east china seas, located about 45 km west of taiwan. penghu also goes by the portuguese pescadores, for "fishermen." my friend adora bravely lives and teaches on the biggest island in the archipelago. by her account, penghu is marvelously hot, welcoming, and beachy 6 months of the year, and fiercely windy, overcast, and grim the other 6. based on half of what adora says plus the basalt rock formations, fresh ocean breezes, and proximity to snorkeling, i entertained fantasies of staying forever... or at least the duration of another contract in taiwan.


finding-my-way-in-taipei karin and i spent a weekend exploring penghu on 50 cc's, with adora and adora's delightful mom. during this time, we learned about some of penghu's trademark distinctions:

penghu's official...

*karin's first time driving a scooter*

--flower: firewheel (gaillardia pulchella)

--tree: chinese banyan

--rock formation: basalt column

--ice cream flavor: cactus or aloe (i prefer aloe)
--cake: black sugar
--stone: agate (or more appropriately, "vein stone")
--festival: fireworks (during the month of may)

--construction material: coral chunk

adora led her guests on an artful tour of her island, penghu, plus baisha and si islands. we witnessed the long and important cross-sea bridge; a giant and ancient banyan tree that could easily be confused for a small forest; a traditional island village built from coral chunks (boasting cedarwood incense and splashy almond milk); a basalt formation called "whale cave" (our favorite theory was the one that says a whale's body was thrown against the rock, thereby punching a whale-shaped hole in it); and a white sand beach.

the weather was mostly gray with occasional sprinkles, but in my final hour, the skies cleared and the sun made a guest appearance. we dashed back to the white sand beach where our friend rod showed us a good and out-of-the-way place to snorkel. the coral was heavenly and both it and the fish glowed with electric colors. rod, who was wearing gloves, demonstrated how to make puffer fish PUFF. once puffed, they roll around the water like poky little balloons... puffer fish, according to rod, are as abundant as ants in penghu. the puffer fish in these pictures are drying, filled with pieces of coral to help them hold onto that timeless puffy look.

transportation options between penghu and big taiwan island are limited to sky (30 minutes to kaohsiung) and sea (4.5 hours). i chose the boat. the tai hwa was like a super-economy cruise ship, with restaurant, mini-casino, observation deck, and little bunks to sleep in (betelnut optional). my favorite parts were the flocks (schools?) of flying fish skimming over the water like nautical swallows, and the sight of a horizontal crescent moon topped off by the bright and beautiful planet venus.

"and then i went to bed."


photos: basalt coastline, tongliang village's 300+ year old banyan, gaillardia flowers & coral walls, us & our 50 cc mickey beasts, coral-crumbly erkan traditional village, drying incense, puffer fish pokers, attractive yet foul tai hwa smokestack, moon view from the 2nd floor deck, anonymous catnap in the tai hwa massage chair