First leg of my walk - the remote Matsu islands
Trip Start
Nov 06, 2006
1
4
99
Trip End
Dec 31, 2008
Peikan, Matsu,
Taiwan
Wednesday, November 8, 2006
Chinpi village view
. A verdict on many of the issues involved is still out. [ Amendment in June 2008: After KMT's Ma won the presidency direct fights from this sirport will begin in July 2008 ] Both sides pull arguments for their side of the fact that the just recently opened High Speed Rail shuttling between Taipei and Kaoshiung and serving all major cities and counties on the western side will lead to less flights. ] I steer directly to the Nankan ( largest island and administrative center ) ticket counter, confident to get my ticket without problem, although I have no reservation - it's weekday - no tourists as general rule. So you can imagine my surprise when I see that all flights till the early afternoon are fully booked. Strange. The stand-by list is already pages long, so I'm sure that I won't stand a chance. [ Later the evening I will learn from my homestay landlord that the morning flights are always full with transit travellers, Taiwanese business men who live and work in PRC can make use of the Mini Links, established in 2001. They are a specialty in Taiwan-China relations. They allow to take a boat which travels directly the few kilometers between Nankan ( Taiwan ) and Mainland China's coastal cities. Same arrangement is valid for the Taiwanese island of Kinmen. Background of this curiosity is that no direct Three Links for postal, transport of people and trade exist since 1949, when the KMT under Chiang Kai-Shek withdrew from the Maoists in Mainland to Taiwan. Since then all travel and transport has to go through a third country, for passangers mostly ( still ) Hong Kong, but also Macao, Japan or Korea, ships often go through Japanese waters near Ichigaki or Hong Kong
Chinpi reception
. ] I change my plan and fly to Matsu's second largest island Peikan, also with a more recently built airport. I get a ticket for a 12:00 o'clock flight. I use the waiting time to read about Peikan and Matsu. [ The Matsu islands are the farthest territory in the north controlled by Taiwan. Matsu consists of 18 islands and islets with the four townships Nankan, Peikan, Chukuang ( Tongchu and Hsichu islands ) and Tongyin ( two by bridge connected islands ) and 22 villages. They lie directly off the coast of mainland China, with Peikan only about 2 kilometers away, near the mouth of the Min river. This location makes Matsu, like Kinmen islands a heavily fortified front line defence with military installations and soldiers for the case of a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The island groups Matsu and Kinmen were fortified by landmines. They shall now be cleared by 2013 - 303 mine fields totalling an area of 3.88 million square meters and an estimated 100.000 mines. So, do take warning signs serious! During the 1950s and 1960s several sea battles were fought. Matsu and Kinmen were until recently considered hardship postings for young men doing their compulsory military service. The limited local economy was geared towards serving the military and its soldiers. This changed when in 1996 the island opened to tourism and the military importance decreased, as did the number of soldiers stationed here
Peikan airport
. ] My plane leaves on time. My co-passengers are all young soldiers, except perhaps 5 other civilians, no foreigner. It is a smooth flight gracing a perfectly blue sky. Just before 1:00 pm we touch down on the short landing strip. The weather is perfect, almost unusual warm for November when I pass through the modern terminal. On my left is the main village Tongci, but on the far right I see a beautiful old village set against a small mountain. I decide to walk there first. Taxies I politely decline as I want to walk. The small village Houao is really beautiful, two story houses built with raw cut grey granite stones and tile roofs ( usually not to be seen in Taiwan ) with heavy rocks spread out on top. I see only a few people, mostly old. I pass by a house with small rooms and bath tubs - the communal bath house. Houses are decaying, but several are beautifully restored, as is the pavement in the small lanes - I am glad to see that they value the "old" and maintain it for the sake of their culture and tourism - go on like this! The whole place has the tranquility of a Mediterranean village - wonderful, especially coming straight from bustling Taipei. I walk up the hill behind the village and get to a peninsula with a War Peace Memorial Outdoor Park. The park was a military base. Here you can wander around on green grass overlooking the ocean and see bunkers, military tanks, cannons and vehicles, often from the 1950s to 1970s. A small museum houses military uniforms and other military equipment. When I want to venture further to the tip of the peninsula I am stopped by some soldiers who tell me that the trail is closed due to construction
Tangwo beach
. I try to express that I did not understand ( I did because I had just passed a barrier with a ' do not walk on sign ' ). They out-smart me and call their chief on a walky-talky, who speaks English, very polite, no offense. Ok, I give up ( it is anyhow very hot ) and walk back, pass by the airport to Tangci village. I have a lunch at a 7eleven [ All goods have to be brought in by ship or plane. Fresh goods like my lunch pack were flown in at about noon time - may be I was sitting on mine stored in the belly of the airplane on my flight over ] The village and hotels are nothing special ( meaning cheap or with a character ). I decide to walk to Cinbi village on the other side of the island - it means steep up the hills ( highest point 298m ) and back down to the sea on the other side. I have read that Cinpi is a beautiful old village with homestays in the old stone houses, something I wanted to experience. Matsu's island's are hilly, something you feel when walking with a backpack The road is lovely, almost no traffic and winding through pine forests ( the vegetation here is quite continental ), gates the only visible Army intallations are everywhere between the trees and in the hills. Often the respective units have their signs painted on rocks beside the entrance ( see picture ). The guarding soldiers are glad to see a foreigner as a diversion from their daily routine. ' Hi and Hellos, Ni hao, where I'm from and where I go ' are exchanged and we wave good-bye till the next encounter. A beautiful view of the hills and other small islands floating lazy in the sea - now I know again why I walk, these views can only be enjoyed when moving as slow as on foot
Military anf freedom park
. As it is already past 4 pm I do not walk into the small village on my right called Chiaozai - tomorrow is another day ( not only Bond 007 would say ). The streets are very clean, now I know why - I pass by a unit of soldiers cutting and cleaning the grass along the road - their enthusiasm is kind of limited and also they enjoy seeing a foreigner for a change - especially such a strange guy who walks out of free will. We chat a bit, I get water to drink and I continue my way to Chinpi. A few more turns, a few more bays and slight ups and downs and there it is: Cinpi. At 4: 30 pm, in the setting yellow and golden sun, the small village with its granite houses nestling in the hills from just beside the sea looks spectecular - I love it - better than descibed in the Lonely Planet ( but please also consider that I have not been in Europe for years and this comes close )! I walk up narrow stairs only to end up in a maze of small alleys which wind up and down between the stone houses on different levels of the hill. Finally I see a terrace with wooden chairs, tables and sun umbrellas set between a stone house partially overgrown with greens and a wall facing the ocean - I close my eyes just to make sure it is not a mirage. When I enter the place the owner tells me that it is a coffee shop and homestay. We negotiate a bit and agree quickly on an off-season price of NTD 800 for one night and 1.400 NTD for two nights and only myself
The penninsula
. Before anything else I sit down, my backpack against the wall and have a caffee latte. I totally relax with a view on the old stone houses, the ocean with other even smaller islands ( one near-by is called turtle island - not because it has many turtles living on it, but because its shape shall resemble this animal - give it a try ) and more remote the coastal line of Mainand China. Everything so peaceful. I would never imagine that the island is a fort on a possible war frontline. Let's hope it will always be peaceful like this and the isssues between Taiwan and PRC can be resolved by peaceful means and solutions. [ Cinpi's architecture is typical for eastern Fujian, the nearest province in Mainland China. The houses have two stories and are made of grey granite stones. Windows are opened in higher places and have their outer side smaller than the inner side. Houses also have two sets of doors, one on the first floor facing the sea, the other on the second floor leading to the higher located back alley. Why? China's past had many rough times and rough fellows during the past centuries and pirates were a common sight on all of Taiwan. The more recent history of the 50s and 60s can be witnessed in form of anti-communist slogans displayed on the walls of houses, such as 'Reconquer the Mainland' and 'Annihilate Zhu De and Mao Zedong'. The roof tiles are closely covered with stones to strengthen them against the strong sea breeze. Although still many houses are empty, a lot of houses and walkways have been restored with their original character - congratulation
Freedom Park
! Taiwan as a whole needs more of this preservation of the history. Cinbi has been the richest village in Beigan due to its ocean resources . The villagers were diligent fishermen and fishing earned them a fortune. After the island had been turned into a military stronghold fishing was restricted and the people moved to Taiwan. It is still possible to see slogans painted or inscribed in the walls from the most confrontational period in the 1950s and 1960s. Only after martial law was lifted and the islands were opened to tourism some owners moved back. Now they hope that more Mainland Chinese tourists can visit to drive the local economy. ] The owner comes and wants to show me my place. I wonder if I can experience some of the historic feeling - without the pirates would do, although, now that I know about the backdoor...We walk past a few houses and then stop before one of the old houses. He opens the door and gives me the key - the house is mine ( OK only for two days ) !! First floor living room and shower, second floor six wonderful beds ( tough choice ) with mosquito nets and...my emergency door. All with wooden floors, wooden roof and original windows with wooden shutters. May the storm come, may the pirates attack - I'll rest peacefully. In the evening I walk a bit through the village, see another homestay just nearby my place, also in old houses, but I feel the character not as well preserved in its simplicity and a small temple. Then I have a simple dinner on the terrace with my landlord and another lady from Taipei. I enjoy the evening with the clear air, stars and a bit later the moon coming up from behind the hill more than the conversation ( purely my fault ), which I can only follow in small parts - so I will never learn some of the island's secrets - and sorry also not you, except you'll give it a try. Good night. See you tomorrow.
