2020 小琉球 Xiao Liu Qiu Travelogue
Taiwan is known for its diverse landscape, fertile grounds, and rich ecology. Beautiful panoramas from towering mountains, fertile farmlands, to spectacular cliffs capture the island’s nature beauty. With recent outbound travel restrictions, I’ve come to discover hidden gems of Taiwan, and the nearby islands were an unprecedented delight. This trip to 小琉球 with E**** presented the liberating charm of Taiwan’s southern tropical islet, despite under the scorching summer heat of mid-July.
We arrived at 東港鎮of Pingtung city after a train ride and taxi transit, a hectic fishing port that supplies an abundance of quality sea catches to seafood restaurants around Taiwan. We visited the local fishermen’s market that served fresh seafood, and local cuisine, and dined at a Sashimi restaurant in the wet market with delicious and freshly prepared sushi — shipped directly from the sea!
We were extremely lucky to meet a taxi driver who passionately shared his local insights on developments of the小琉球 township. It is positioned at crossroads between an old identity of a small fishing county and its recent metamorphosis as an ecotourism hotspot. It relied heavily on distant-water fishing in the past, while the economy shifted towards the accelerated growth of tourism in recent years. Yet, the seasonal tourists made the economy dependent on vacation visitors and vulnerable to black swan events — the taxi driver talked about a burger shop with skyrocketing sales in the summer and 4 burgers sold throughout the day in winter. With limited education (2 elementary schools and 1 junior high school) and medical services, most youngsters leave the island to seek for a living. Yet, in recent years, youngsters have been “recalled” by aging parents with the waves of tourism, with spectacular flourishing hotel businesses and water recreational activities.
With more than 500 homestays and hotels welcoming visitors on the island, I was extremely grateful with our stay at M*******. The hospitable owner was a pioneer in ecotourism, initiating intertidal zone(潮間帶) guides for visitors with in-depths introduction to the ecological biodiversity flourishing since 18 years ago, when ecotourism started to take off. With 2 tours a day (one in the afternoon that took us to the semi-restricted bay area exploring marine diversity and the other at night discovering wildlife and creatures by motorcycle), I was inspired by the owner’s passion and perseverance in leading daily guided walks led by himself… since 18 years ago. Reputation is built with steadiness over time — through his guides on marine diversity and stresses of importance on ecologic balance to each visitor day after day.
Sinking my feet into the crisp sea water and waddling with the guided crew, we glimpsed the diversity of such a fertile land under environmental regulatory protection. Sea bass, sea urchins, tropical fish, crabs, and many other species laid themselves under our feet. We had to walk with attentive focus, in fear of stepping onto the beautiful gems hidden under our feet or toppled by the fossil rocks of varying shapes. 小琉球’s abundant marine beauty and diversity is not preserved in a day. Through lobbies, legislations, governmental action, and local preservation, we were lucky visitors glimpsing the fruit of such dedication to environmental protection.
Water sports are a major highlight in the summer time for小琉球 — ubiquitous diving shops paraded the climax of summer with diving equipment displayed along the streets. E**** and I selected one of the most avoided diving timeslots: 11am -1pm, with the sun was blazing at full force heating up the island into a humid semi-fried oven. But being a “late-bird” came with perks too, we were awarded with a private session (only us two in the group) with a laid-back and fun diving coach. Tanned, young, and easy-going, our coach shared that his father was among the fishermen of 小琉球. He left the island to study in Kaohsiung and returned a few years later with the island’s tourism growth. I asked where he learned swimming, and he pointed at the open water in the distance. “My father pushed me into the water when I asked to learn, telling me I had to learn how to 喝水(drink water) before learning how to master the water.” I guess it came naturally for the locals — with their livelihoods dependent on the sea surrounding their village, kids thrive in the open water from a young age. E**** and I dressed up in full gear and waddled into the crisp cool water, a relief from the humid heat mid-noon. We observed an abundance of tropical fish in flamboyant colors, a squid trying to break free from the mouth of an eel, and coral fossils of various shapes in the shallow areas of the seashore.
As we advanced towards the deeper tidal zones, huge green turtles emerged! With sizes that range from palm sized (as a baby) to those of advanced ages (100+ years old) as large as a truck, we were astounded by its size and oblivion to our presence as we swam right on top. I enjoyed submerging myself underwater and exploring the marine beauty underneath — but the strong tides crashing against the seashore made me slightly dizzy. Breathing through the snorkeling tubes was no easy task when waves send you gasping for breath haha, it was not the most pleasant experience seeking fresh air (being dizzy and feeling slightly suffocated) but I recovered soon after we went on shore.
E**** and I had similar upbringings yet were complete opposites in character. She was blunt, outgoing, talkative (nonstop), and had a great sense of humor. I was reserved, reflective, introverted, and polite. She studies computer science, thrives on late night assignments, direct, and has an insatiable hunger for new experiences. I study business, am an early bird, observe before voicing out, and enjoy habitual rituals attuned with familiarity. Despite these stark differences, we clicked along as University roommates and this trip was no exception. Getting along wasn’t without discomfort and adaptation initially– we learned how differences in habits, knowledge, and comfort zones create unprecedented synergies. While her insatiable curiosity and nonstop questions were met with my reflective silence gaps and repetitive “let me think about it”, we balanced communication and conviviality with mutual understanding.
Through sharing our ups-and-downs, reflections on sharing and listening dawned on me in these personal conversations. We chimed away on vast subjects — personal insecurities, relationship contradictions, family matters, future pursuits, and past experiences. Listening to understand requires us to be all ears to the other individual –by being present, not judging, and being practical, simple, and compassionate. Being a good listener doesn’t come naturally, sometimes we are in search of a quick reply before actually digesting where the conversation could lead. In taking time for others to express inner sentiments, we identify if the other individual sought emotional support, desired experienced guidance, or simply needed to express and articulate their inner thoughts. You can always be surprised by what you don’t know and what synergies are created in deep conversations.
On the other hand, in expressing inner thoughts, I’ve always been the reserved and guarded type. It takes trust and time for me to share previous moments of complexity, contradictions, and vulnerability. Private thoughts are expressed only to a selected few and gradually, only after long reciprocity, understanding, and trust. Yet, E**** toppled my understanding of this perspective in day one, asking questions, sharing inner thoughts, and addressing concerns bluntly without reservation. I still hold firmly onto my reservations, but it did make sharing for me easier when the other was being direct as we developed mutual understanding. “ You can share your vulnerability without the others asserting their strength when trust is established.” This says a lot in building interpersonal connections — to share conviviality, to learn from different perspectives, and to clarify our inner turmoil. In the end of the day, we seek long-term relationships — those that you can turn around and seek for counsel, support, and guidance in the different stages of life.
