An island getaway

Posted by: kaichen3 | October 21, 2012

An island getaway

Again, I have to (and I HATE to) start this blog entry with an apology for being so late updating my blog. I am not sure how long does it usually take for others to post a blog entry. For me, going through the pics, researching the places I visit and recollecting my thoughts usually takes a while. I mean, 4 or 5 hrs probably, depends on the numbers of pictures and places I visited. And I do have a demanding job and other time consuming commitment such as church activities, watching Baylor football and playing video games. So I am sorry that it has become a norm the frequency of my blog entry has dropped from 2 weeks for one to 3 or 4 weeks for one. But this is life, at least I am still updating it after posting 114 entries on my blog since 2009.

Penghu Great Bridge that links up two main islands of Penghu

The Great Banyan Tree. All of these is one tree which has been growing here for 300 years

The old house built to sustain the brutal northeast wind in Penghu

All right, back to the story. My dad had been wanting to take James and I to Penghu for a while. The first time we were going to go, James suffered a collapsed lung condition and ended up being hospitalized for 3 days. Then a typhoon hit Taiwan the second time we tried to go. Finally, we made it the third time on 9/9. Located 50 something kilometers from the main island of Taiwan, Penghu is made up by more than 90 islands in the area. Surrounded by ocean, Penghu is well-known for its seafood and tourism. Prior to this trip, I visited Penghu twice before. The last time was 11 years ago with my buddy Jordan from Wenzao. Jordan’s family is from Chimi island, a beautiful island in the southern chain of Penghu famous for its heart shape stone weir. Jordan and I had a blast traveling together in the summer of 2001. This time was bound to be different though.

The village of Chen. Starting with a couple who moved here 250 years ago, everybody here is a Chen

Old school bed in a old house

The gorgeous coastline in Siyu island

My dad has a client who runs a hotel in Jibei, an island in northern coast of Penghu island chain. He had been dying to host us for a family vacation. So my parents flew from Kaohsiung and James and I flew from Taipei to spend a weekend in Penghu. Since Penghu is not big, my dad decided to rent scooters to get around the island. Despite my mom’s warning, James and I didn’t bring any long sleeve shirts, which proved to be a costly mistake on our part later. The flight to Penghu was relatively short, about 40 mins. So we landed about 7:30AM on Saturday and started cruising around the island on our scooters. Only 140 kilometers from China, Penghu has long been a place for Chinese to emigrate since 14th century and the area is rich in culture. We checked out temple and historical villages while stopping alone the beautiful coastline and fishing ports in the morning and good part of the afternoon.

James loving the scooter

One of the many small, charming fishing harbors in Penghu

Since we are in an island, got to eat like a fishman

Lighthouse at the tip of Siyu

In the afternoon, my dad’s friend sent his motor boat to pick us up at the harbor to Jibei. The guy is into many kinds of businesses from steel processing to cosmetics and tourism. He owns two hotels and travel agency and water recreational activity company in the island. As hospitable as he is, he took GOOD CARE OF US. I meant, from free water skiing to private fishing tour to a 9-courses seafood feast. As the only guest in the hotel that night, we were totally spoiled.

Off to the island of Jibei

Jibei is well know n for all kinds of recreational activities, on water

Young man and sea

The next day, we rode his boat again to Magong, the main island of Penghu. We spent the rest of trip checking out old streets of Magong, feasting on more seafood and wandering around different beaches. And thanks to our ignorance, James and I suffered sunburn so severe that we literally felt pain in our forearms. Eventually, the skin all peeled off after we got back to Taipei. I guess that’s what happens when you don’t listen to your mom. Other than that, the trip was a blast. James got to swim in 5 different beaches in 2 days and I also managed to gain 3 pounds from feasting on all the seafood. But next time, I am definitely bringing a ton of sun block lotion with me to Penghu.