Taiwan, Page 3
Little Okinawa Island
Dong Gang harbor.
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We picked Kaizen up from his Chinese
nursery school, and did the three hour drive, past Kao Shung, to the port
town of Dong Gang, where we caught a high speed passenger ferry for the 10
mile trip to Shau Liu Chiu (Little Okinawa Island.) I had last been
to the island in 4th grade, when I did a report on coral for a science
outing.
Back then, the island had no electricity, and two jeepny buses were the only vehicles on the island. Each family had a car battery, which they took to the harbor once a week to be charged for their meager night lighting. |
This coral island has numerous bluffs and a rugged coastline. The few beaches consist of ground coral pebbles. |
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The island is three kilometers long and 1 1/2 kilometers wide. 12,000 people who live on the island are mostly in support of fishing, fish farming, a small tourist industry, and manage the 20 Buddhist temples on the island. A small town at the main harbor offers a variety of restaurants and a few hotel options. We stayed at a new government campground which was on the water and offered very complete camping facilities as well as Quonset hut style cottages with king sized beds, private showers and air conditioning for $35/night. We rented scooters, and after dropping off our stuff and a quick snorkel, we headed into town for dinner at a sizzling steak house. We had the choice of steak, chicken or pork, with a fried egg on top, noodles and vegetable, brought out on a sizzling platter, for about $5. The little stand across the street had not only killer milk tea, but Gui Cha, a juice drink of squeezed small sour oranges with sugar, that was so good I just had to keep going back over the three days.
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One of three small fishing harbors. |
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In the morning we did our first long snorkel. The 10' coral bluff along the park's shoreline made getting in and out a bit treacherous; diver's booties, with good rubber soles, were essential on the very sharp coral. Once in, it felt like bath-water. Coral fingers protruded from the shoreline, with sea grass growing on their upper surface, and narrow canyons between the fingers provided havens for fish. Most of the fish were small, understandable with the fishing that was going on from the PVC boats 24 hours a day. We did see a few barracuda, and twice sent hawksbill turtles swimming away in a large arc. On a previous trip, Sam had seen a green turtle larger than he was, which was totally unbothered by the snorkeler next to him. Close by were 60' diameter floats supporting nets which hung to the bottom 40' below. These were fish farming operations, with tilapia, red snapper and other varieties being raised for market.
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An upgrade from the old bamboo raft, the current fishing boats are made of large PVC pipe. They are cheap, safe, and a 7hp outboard will get one on a plane in a short time. Larger versions of these were used in extensive smuggling of goods between Taiwan and China, with TVs and tech going to China and fruits and vegetables returning. With China's current prosperity, I suspect that the smuggling is waning. |
Coral fingers. |
Fresh bao tze, ready for steaming. |
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Government campground. |
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When we weren't snorkeling, we
explored the small island by scooter. Outside the main harbor
town, most people lived in small communities, with always a temple close
by. Many of the temples were very ornate, with elaborate dragons,
eagles, and gods on their roofs.
The second day we snorkeled off one of the better beaches with an easier entry. Night was falling, and two local spear fishermen arrived with miniature Styrofoam boats about five feet long which contained car batteries and 50' of extension chord for a spotlight. As they swam around on the bottom looking for fish, the lights cast a strange glow, making the water look like something from a science fiction movie. I suppose that what few sizeable fish were left were enticed to within spear range in this manner.
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One of twenty temples. |
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Elaborate roofs. |
Breakfast. |
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Looking at shells. |
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The onion lady. |
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Don Webster email: websterdr@yahoo.com
Don's Home Page: www.jali.net
