Xiaoliuqu – or how adventure found us unexpectedly
We went to Xiaoliuqu with few expectations. It’s a small coral island off the coast of Kaohsiung and all we wanted was a few relaxing days at a beach, as we had spent the last month constantly on the move (there is just so much to see everywhere!). Little did we know that we had one of our best weeks ahead of us.
Rough Start
When we arrived on the island, we got lost a few times and ended up not eating. By the time we finally headed out for dinner (8ish), I was starving and when an elderly Taiwanese lady didn’t understand my fumbling attempt to ask in Mandarin whether or not she sold dumplings at her restaurant, I was nearly in tears. I spent a year in China when I was 16 and though I have since neglected practicing my Mandarin, I had an inner expectation of just “getting right back into it” which caused me some anxiety when I realized it wouldn’t be quite so easy (this is, of course, aside from the fact that many Taiwanese people speak… well, Taiwanese not Mandarin).
Turning Point
When we eventually found a little grill/bar for dinner, a fairly shitty day unexpectedly turned into a great one. A little girl at the next table seemed intrigued with Adam’s beard and pretty soon we were talking to her mother and her mother’s friend. It turned out that the three women in the restaurant were friends with the owner and one of them, Lynn, had spent a lot of time in Australia – her English was great. We got to talking and spent a lovely evening happily chatting away. Ya Xing and Lin Ting, friends of Lynn, and sisters, later joined us and when we asked them to recommend a place for dinner the next day, they instead invited us to come over to their house. Locals opening their homes to backpackers is something we had read about, but on the road we quickly discovered that it was often difficult to get to know locals. Language barriers are part of the problem – but also people usually have better things to do than making friends with tourists who will leave a few days later (let’s be honest, when was the last time you invited a complete stranger to dinner?). The girls’ kindness was all the more impressive and they even gave us a ride home on their motorbikes (another first for me!).
Week Of Adventures
The next day we made our way to Vase Rock, the island’s most iconic coral structure. The girls told us that we might spot some sea turtles in the waters around it and so we donned our snorkels to check it out. Several groups of Chinese tourists arrived at the same time; though they were wearing full neoprene suits and swim vests and were being dragged through the water by guides. Swimming is not a skill that is commonly taught in China and large parts of Asia. We waded into the water, thinking we maybe we’ll get lucky and spot a turtle, but the moment we dove under, a giant turtle about 1 meter long appeared, happily munching away on seaweed. It was like what I imagined it might be like to meet an elephant – they are beautiful, old creatures and I was in awe – and I made sure to keep my distance.
For dinner, we assumed we’d spend the evening at the sisters’ flat – however it turned out that their Mom and Dad had cooked up a feast and we were to visit their family home. Adam learned that if you bring a bottle of Sake to a fisherman’s house, you better be prepared to finish it with him – and then some. We became good friends with Lynn, Ya Xing and Lin Ting throughout the next couple of days – they took us to their friend’s hotel for drinks, helped me practice my poor Mandarin and took us out for hot pot. Eventually, we got our own scooter (learning to ride it was an adventure of its own for poor Adam) and went to visit Ya Xing’s shaved ice shop, which serves the best milk tea flavored shaved ice on the entire island. Ya Xing explained that she doesn’t want children, because it means that you have to take care of them until you die – instead she is a guardian angel to the island’s many stray cats: feeding roughly forty of them each night and taking some to the mainland to get spayed.
a very serious family picture after a very fun night
We talked about the intricacies of long distance relationships and about the difficulty of three generation households. In many Asian cultures, the woman is expected to move in with her husband and his family on the day of their wedding, often making it a very tearful event full of goodbyes for her and her parents. One of our friends was questioning this tradition, as she had left her widowed mother’s house to move in with her husband and inlaws – leaving her mother alone and herself lonely when her husband went back on long trips out to sea on a fishing vessel. Taiwan is known as one of the leading countries in gender equality in the workplace, yet at home tradition still seems to prevail. Xiaoliuqu is a special place – the islanders are laid back and the women we met are all entrepreneurs – Lynn just opened her first hostel, Ya Xing convinced her husband to come live with her family and open the ice cream shop, Lin Ting is planning her next adventure abroad.
Future Dinners
Adventure will find you when you least expect it and part of our travel frustration has been that you can’t control when adventure finds you. The week started out rather rough and yet ended up being one of our greatest adventures yet. We befriended three hilarious, open women, who will hopefully come visit us in Munich one day (I mean it, you guys!). Their kindness and openness had an impact on me that goes further than the mere fun of meeting new people and having long conversation until the small hours of the night – I will make an effort to return the favor one day and just invite strangers for dinner – maybe adventure can find us at home too.
