Let’s be honest: much of the architecture in Taiwan isn’t much to look at, even outside of the big cities. Hemmed in by a sea of identikit drab concrete eyesores, it is easy to hanker after a weekend somewhere picturesque, without the hassle of going abroad.
Matsu, a cluster of partially-demilitarized islands a stone’s throw away from China, offers an ideal respite. With its sleepy fishing villages virtually untouched by modernity, excellent food, fresh, unpolluted sea air — and even the odd sandy beach — you could almost be on a small Greek island in the Mediterranean.
A 45-minute flight from Taipei’s Songshan Airport, I traveled there with a group of Taiwanese friends to Beigan (北竿) and Nangan (南竿), two of Matsu’s largest islands, both of which have small airports. The other main islands, Dongyin (東引) and Juguang (莒光), are without airstrips, but there are daily ferry services between all of the islands.
photo: Edward jones, Taipei times
BEIGAN
Immediately on touching down at Beigan’s tiny airport, I knew I was going to like the place. Walking across the tarmac with the sun beating down and the sea’s salty air filling the nostrils, it feels wonderfully exotic, a bit like landing on a beach. After Taipei it felt small, gloriously small. A one-minute walk from the airport and you’re already at the island’s main street of shops and restaurants, which is also home to a 7-Eleven — the island’s only convenience store.
A car sent by our B&B picked us up outside the terminal and whisked us away to pick up our hire scooters; all new and in good condition.
photo: Edward jones, Taipei times
A scenic ten-minute ride later and we arrived at Qinbi Village (芹壁村), an astonishingly well-preserved fishing village of haphazardly-arranged stone houses and steep flagstone-lined alleyways, perched on the side of a hill that runs down to the sea.
It feels as if time has stood still here and the place absolutely begs to be explored. A number of houses have been turned into guesthouses and our lodgings for the night were at the rather confusingly-named Just Coffee Hostel. But the staff were friendly and welcoming, our room was spacious and clean with a good-sized bathroom and a sea view.
ROAMING THE ISLAND
photo: Edward jones, Taipei times
One of the nicest things about the Beigan Island is there’s hardly any traffic. As you zip around the windy coastal roads on your scooter, lone soldiers in lookout huts pop up their heads and watch you go by. Opened to tourism a little over a decade ago, the islands are still fortified military bases, on alert against an invasion from China.
Qiaozai Village (喬仔村), on the northernmost tip of the island, whose name literally means “small bridges village,” and is in fact dotted with lots of Chinese-style stone bridges. The village also boasts its own temple, decorated with an eclectic mix of fish, dragons and mini pagodas.
Near to the temple are several vendors selling traditional Matsu snacks. Qiaozai Granny’s Golden Dumplings (喬仔阿婆黃金餃) — delicate, chewy sweet-potato dumplings filled with sandy-textured black sesame, ground peanuts and sugar, and plopped in a cooling, sweet mung bean soup — were a textural delight.
photo: Edward jones, Taipei times
I also enjoyed Grandma Yi’s Oyster Fritters (依嬤蚵嗲), bulging rounds of thinly-battered fritter, stuffed with oysters, cellophane noodles and spring onion.
To the east of the island is the Luoshan Nature Trail (螺山自然步道), a dramatic path along a peninsula that winds out to the sea and was once used by oystermen and fishermen. Dotted with a shrub that resembles Japanese bonsai plants and wild lilies during spring, it is a stunningly beautiful walk.
NANGAN
photo: Edward jones, Taipei times
Stepping off the boat, Nangan felt a world away from sleepy Beigan. The largest island in the Matsu archipelago, Nangan is also the most built-up and commercial. Things started to go wrong almost immediately. We had arranged scooter hire through our B&B with a local hire company.
Two of the three scooters the husband-and-wife team tried to fob us off with were death traps. The one given to me had soggy brakes, a front tire so flat you could squeeze it together with your fingers and so little tread left it looked like the inner tube on a bicycle.
The wife, smiling sardonically, helpfully offered her opinion:
photo: Edward jones, Taipei times
“That’s normal (正常啊),” she said.
Following a heated discussion, we walked away, got a taxi to our digs in the center of town and hired scooters elsewhere. Not a good start.
After checking in at a rather nondescript guesthouse, we rode up to the top of Yuntai Mountain (雲台山), the highest peak on Nangan Island, also home to a military intelligence station surveying troops movements in China.
photo: Edward jones, Taipei times
Unfortunately the weather deteriorated so that what would probably have been an excellent view over the island on a clear day, was completly blanketed with clouds.
Next we headed to the Dahan Stronghold (大漢據點) a network of tunnels that open out onto a disused anti-aircraft position with commanding views out to sea.
Steps built into the rocks take you up to the top of the cliff, however don’t stray from the marked paths here since the area is still littered with land mines. Across the bay is the much larger, flooded Beihai Tunnel (北海坑道), which is now a place to see Matsu’s famed “Blue Tears” while paddling along in a boat in pitch-black darkness. The first five minutes were interesting.
photo: Edward jones, Taipei times
Other famous tourist spots in Nangang include the Matsu Temple and a ginormous hilltop statue of Matsu, both of which are at Magang Village (馬港村). The Iron Fort (鐵堡) and the Eight Eight Tunnel (8八坑道) underground rice wine distillery — a heady experience.
There are several old fishing villages dotted around the island, but, unlike Beigan, are somewhat blighted by modern development.
Perhaps it was partly the weather, but I preferred the quieter, less touristy Beigan. Taken in the round though, Matsu is a fabulous quick getaway from Taipei and the perfect antidote to the city-living blues. And with four other smaller islands to explore, it won’t be long before I return.
IF YOU GO
Flights:
Uni Air operates daily flights from Taipei’s Songshan Airport to Nangan Island and three flights per day to Beigan Island. Tickets are approximately NT$2,000 one-way. Uni Air also operates regular flights from Taichung Airport to Nangan Island with prices starting at NT$2,455.
Accommodation:
JUST Coffee Hostel - room prices vary between NT$900 to NT$1,300 depending on room size and number of beds. Price includes breakfast.
www.facebook.com/JUST.coffee.hostel
www.matsu.idv.tw/bnb/justcoffee
Snacks:
Qiaozai Granny’s Golden Dumplings (喬仔阿婆黃金餃) and Grandma Yi’s Oyster Fritters (依嬤蚵嗲):
109-1 Qiaozai Village, Beigan Island (北竿島橋仔村109-1號)
Other:
Scooters can be rented for NT$500 per day, but anything smaller than a 125cc scooter is not recommended due to the steepness of the roads.
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