Little Kinmen

Cycling around Little Kinmen

The weather had been forecasted to be better than yesterday’s.  That’s why I had reserved Little Kinmen, off the main island of Kinmen, for today.  I walked from my homestay to the ferry terminal about 20 minutes away.  The terminal for the boat to Little Kinmen was hard to find, overshadowed by the big one processing passengers to/from Xiamen.

I had just missed one ferry and had to wait 30 minutes for the next one at 0900.  The crossing took only 10 minutes.  I explored the pier area, and found the tunnels here which offer the same function as the ones I visited in Jhaishan yesterday.

Moving uphill, I found the free bicycle rental place in a sleepy quiet corner of the police station.  It appears I was the only customer today.  The lady took care to explain to me that the left brake handle operates the rear and I should use it in preference to the right/front one to avoid somersaulting the bike. I never knew that!

I find that Taiwanese usually have the time to talk and explain properly.  They could be the nicest Chinese people in the world!  And that’s not just from one observation but from all the little experiences on the this trip and the previous.

I was on my bike at 1000 opting to travel clockwise around Little Kinmen’s 18km cycle track.  I had some confidence issues as I don’t cycle much.  The downhill slopes at the start were worrying as the bicycle gears were in high to start off with; and I wasn’t really moving much yet to change them correctly.

The track was well-built and well-maintained.  It took me past some gorgeous beaches, small fortifications, temples and villages.  I was ready for lunch when I got to the Generals’ Temple on the west.  It had come highly recommended for oyster omelette/pancake.  Unfortunately they were closed for a private function.

Continuing on, I struck some gear problems on the steeper part of the track.  I couldn’t decide if it was very truly stuck between gears or whether I wasn’t cycling fast enough uphill for it to transition fully. I had 5km left to go and I shuddered at the thought of walking the bike up and downhill for the remainder of the track.  Fortunately, once on flatter ground, it fixed itself.

Somehow, I got off the track on to the road instead, a little more inland.  It wasn’t a bad thing as the track would have gone right under the construction zone for the bridge linking Little Kinmen to Kinmen.

Approaching the pier area, I found an eatery near an ornamental bomb in a junction.  I treated myself to the much-awaited oyster omelette/pancake and an shaved ice dessert which came with a large dollop of taro mash (which I thought was ice-cream in the picture).  What a reward for the hot sweaty morning!

The word for oyster and taro are both “oh” in the local dialect and it had been confusing when locals were giving me recommendations for food.  I had thought the local specialty was oysters on ice when in fact it was taro (mash) on ice.

I was on the boat back to Kinmen at 1430 and the bus back to my village 15 minutes later.

Back on Kinmen

I was on the boat back to Kinmen at 1430 and the bus back to my village 15 minutes later.

When dinner time came, I didn’t feel like taking the bus to town.  I found the one and only local place open for dinner.  I was told it closed at 1800 but it looked pretty busy as I sat down around 1730.

I ordered an oyster meesua (noodle) soup and followed up with taro and meat rolls.  I had my last wander around Shuitou village and said goodbye to Kinmen, the place my maternal great-grandfather had originated from.