And then I came across the chapter on Lanyu. It`s a small island in the South East of Taiwan and quite off the beaten track still (well all of Taiwan is off the beaten track in terms of European
I did the trip from my "home base" in Kaohsiung and my friends helped me organise the plane ticket and accomodation and a rental scooter. I took the train early in the morning to Taitung and then ventured to the small airport that had a very easy-tropical-breeze vibe. Except for being called back for a hairspray in my luggage the check-in was as quick as it gets. A tiny 19-seat plane is flying to Lanyu 6 times daily. Somewhat bumpy of course, but fun for anyone who is not
I did a first tour of the island right away. The tour around the island by scooter takes around 1.5 hours if you don`t stop. There are many impressive rock formations around the island which itself is mountaineous as well. Little beaches that are virtually deserted show up once in a while. On some you can see the traditional long boats with beautiful paintings that are typical for the local Yami tribe. The locals like to hang out in small huts that are on stilts and right next to the road. Looked a bit like the "fale" in Samoa that my sister showed me. They were friendly for sure and always greeting and winking at me, the benefit of a rural place. There is little traffic on the island, most people ride motor scooters
In the evening, after sampling some of the host mum`s fish soup (hm, very bony - soup, not the host) I went for a night tour of the island to watch animals. We were around 20 people to unite at the guide`s home. Robert, a Spanish guy and me were the only non-Chinese speakers and the whole introduction as well as the tour were in Chinese. We had some friendly translators though. We ventured out on our motorbikes to a small forrest on the hills to watch night animals like owls and various insects and endemic plants of Lanyu. The Yami, the local aboriginal tribe is still quite connected to nature and know how to use the various plants a
In the morning I had breakfast at the LP recommended cafe "Breakfast" and enjoyed delicious pancakes, coffee and fresh homemade soymilk. We could also delve into politics a little. It seems that the relationship with mainland
In any case Lanyu was a very worthwhile trip and is probably naturally one of the most beautiful spots in Taiwan. It takes a while to get there, but the rewards are rich.
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