The Penghu Islands - Giant footprints, historic houses and alien beauty

Everywhere islands are appearing like ships traversing a vast ocean of blue— dark shapes, painted green and outlined with shimmering white beaches. Buildings become visible, growing in number as we approach Ma-gong Airport. Arriving in the Penghu Islands, a sense of freedom spreads through me like a warm smile, and the dirt and grime of city living fades away.

My girlfriend and I wait for the boat to Niauyu Island as seabirds glide on the air-currents overhead and wind turbines gracefully choreograph the harnessing of nature’s energy on an opposite shore. The local people are genuinely friendly and the relaxed atmosphere of a slower, more enjoyable pace of life begins to cast us under its spell.

Niauyu is a small island with fishing vessels bobbing about in the harbor. A street of low-rise shops and houses runs beside it. Our guide takes us through the day’s itinerary and introduces us to Michael, a 14-year-old Alsatian dog, media-famed for its selfless rescue of those in trouble at sea.

We are provided with snorkeling gear and head out to a white sandy cove on an inactive volcanic island. Jumping over the side of the boat we are immersed in another world. Under the water everything takes on the muted quiet of a cathedral. Coral gardens of alien beauty stretch out beneath us.

Iridescent in the sunlight filtering through the water, fishes of varying size and shape flit in and out of view, dressed in yellow, orange, blue, purple and red, some with stripes, some with spots, others with a combination of both. They are an exhilarating sight.

On our return delicious hot seafood soup and platefuls of little fish have been prepared and we eat beside the harbor in the sunshine. Later, we walk down to a rocky sea-shore and our guide shows and tells us all about the eco-system and its inhabitants. We dive again. Schools of electric blue fish swarm around us, taking food from our hands.

A tour of some of the islands around Niauyu introduces us to a haven for seabirds where nature flourishes undisturbed by man. A huge rusting cargo shipwreck is marooned on the rocks of another island. It stands out on the horizon, a ghostly reminder to beware the dangers of the sea. One of the islands is guarded by a giant rabbit rock formation, a natural sculpture formed over time by volcanic eruptions and sea erosion.

The following day we go to the southern area of the Penghu Islands. On our way to Wangan we stop at Hujing Island. At the highest point on the island a giant statue of Buddha stands serene, as if entranced by the spectacular views on offer here. On Tongpan Island we visit a timeless village and satisfy our hunger with tasty fish soup and squid balls.

In Wangan our accommodation is comfortable and the owners are very hospitable. They take us to Tiantai Hill. Grassy, flower-clad meadows roll out as far as the eye can see and cacti grow on the copper-colored cliff tops. An indentation in a rock here is said to be a footprint left by Liu Tung-pin, one of the legendary Eight Immortals of China, when he stopped to relieve himself in the sea, resting one foot on Tiantai Hill and the other on a cliff in the east side of Huayu. Both footprints can still be seen today. We settle ourselves on a cliff face and spend a few hours painting sea and landscapes.

The wonderful white beaches which hug the coastline of Wangan have earned it the nickname of “Honeymoon Island.” Giant green sea turtles nest here and our hosts tell us that when the eggs hatch, the sight of hundreds of baby turtles scrambling down to the sea is an awesome event.

Jungshe village in Wangan has a well-preserved group of Ching Dynasty houses. It is the only place in the Taiwan area that can boast a whole collection of historic residences. Some of them are still in

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