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Finally the ceremony was over
and everyone started going inside
the temple for prayers or blessings.
Then, and only then, I turned around
and was stunned to see dozens and
dozens of colorful fishing boats
anchored around a harbor, with its
blue waters extending right up to
the Matsu temple. What a sight! A
fishing boat had just come in and
fish of a pretty good size were being
hauled off the boat and loaded on
a cart to be taken away. Nearby
twenty elderly guys (probably
former fishermen) were engaged
in the delicate and endless task of
untangling fishing nets. There was
a fish market, whose floors were
rather slippery, and a huge hangar
for repairing boats. It would not
be a proper fishing town without
a place to eat the fresh catch, and
this being Taiwan, the restaurants
were plentiful, and the sea creatures
offered were both familiar and
strange. In front of one there
was a fish with a blue eye, so we
immediately decided that this was
our place. The fish was served in the
form of a soup with rubbery balls
floating inside - not a bad lunch.
Fish were everywhere - spread
on long boards to dry, shredded
and arranged in big piles for one to
sample and buy, or already packaged.
Among the numerous fish and fishrelated
businesses I saw a small store
selling coral and coral necklaces. I
cannot guarantee the quality, but the
prices were quite a bit lower than
those I have seen in Taipei. I can
only assume that a town which has a
coral museum would pride itself on
offering genuine coral.
I felt sad leaving the small fishing
town of Suao - our unexpected and
yet fascinating destination that day.
In my experience, the best places
are found by chance, just by setting
out and exploring. Bilbo Baggins
was right - it is a dangerous business
indeed going out of your door….
Katya Ilieva-Stone
is a US expat and has
bee n i n Ta i pe i fo r
8 months. S he i s a
former journalist who
was born in Bulgaria.
S he ha s a l so l i ved
in Nepal, Ukraine, and
Afghanistan.
www.communitycenter.org.tw february 2012
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