I’m relatively new to Taiwan and have some time off before the Lunar New Year. I am thinking about heading to Penghu Islands. Do you think it is too cold to go there? Will there be much to do for a lone traveller (25 year old male)? If you don’t think Penghu would be good, any suggestions on a good 4 day trip to somewhere else? I have heard that it may be difficult to find accomodations and such this last minute because it is public school vacation time? ie - Taroko gorge would be too crowded?
I’ve never been to Penghu before, but I’ve heard that it’s extremely windy there from November to April every year. It’s so windy that there’s often sandstorms at the beaches.
Penghu will be cold (small, flat islands in the middle of the sea in the winter = cold) and probably deserted, as well flight and boat schedules will be subjected to the weather conditions and they are unpredictable, especially at this time of the year.
Penghu - haven’t been there at this time of the year, but have heard it’s cold and the wind is nasty.
I went to Taroako once during Chinese New Year a few years ago. It was wonderful for the first couple of days, when people go home to visit their families and eat lots. Well, actually it was kind of wet and misty, but that just added to the atmosphere and made the hot springs even more tempting. Then, voom, all of a sudden the place was packed. So was the rest of the East coast. And the traffic was really bad. We camped, which was uncomfortable (I’m not really a big fan of tents) but at least there weren’t any accomodation problems!
The traditional houses on Penghu have tiny doors and windows in order to counter the gale-force winter winds. Farmers have built stone walls around their plots in order to prevent their crops from being sandblasted.
I went there at the end of September and the place was extremely quiet, but a trip nowadays would be like visiting a ghost town.
Wait a little longer but go before the crowds. Taiwan people like to go to the beach when it is extremely hot and the sun will make you pass out. Go in the spring when it is already quite warm by western standards and it won’t be crowded. By the way, regarding the above posters saying it will be a ghost town if you go now, a ghost town sounds perfect as long as the restaurants and coffeeshops are open. Who wants to go when the place is mobbed with people?
I completely agree with Hobart. A trip to Penghu is far more enjoyable when its without the hordes of tourists… I was lucky enough to go there in September. It was still quite hot (low 30’s for a whole week) and the water temperature was beautiful, but the place was totally deserted (e.g. we were the only people on the beach), which made the trip all the more enjoyable. The added bonus was that the price of hotel accommodation and scooter rental was negotiable (much cheaper than the prices quoted in The Lonely Planet), although I recall that many places were actually closed.
Hobart, was it you who gave me a few tips (quite some time ago) about travelling to Penghu? Or was that Matsu?
I really need to get out of Taipei for a little while. Going back to Penghu sounds good; but I wish to avoid weather that would make it unpleasant for anyone but windsurfers.
How are things this time of year? If I went, say, next weekend, would the weather still be nice but the islands not be filled with tourists? Are prices down from high season already?
Disadvantages: Very windy. Seas too choppy to take boats to outlying islands.
Advantages: Few tourists. Cheaper lodging rates. Less road traffic and more parking. Still an interesting place to visit. Unlikely to sweat in sweltering weather.
Also: Police presence heavy: as heavy as it is in the summer tourist season. So there are more police out to get you if you rent a car and unwittingly violate a traffic law. (Hint: if you see a big white triangle painted on the road surface at the entrance of a street one-way street, it is NOT pointing in the direction of traffic flow. :loco: I got a ticket from misinterpreting that confusing symbol.)
Penghu was great. Still warm. Quiet. Few people, despite this being a weekend. Once September is over, the crowds drop off considerably.
My wife and I stayed in a new B&B, hǎi tiān yī shè (海天一舍), and got low-season rates. The “breakfast” part of “bed and breakfast” was some doujiang and a few things from a breakfast place down the road; but that was fine with me. The bed was nice. The room was large and had a balcony overlooking a large bay, which was directly outside the window. And the laoban, who’s a teacher in his day job, let us use his scooter for free. (We paid for the gas.)
The only drawback to the trip was that the wind started to pick up in the late afternoon, which isn’t too bad if walking around but considerably more intense if riding a scooter into a headwind. My guess would be that it would be too windy to ride a scooter comfortably any later than the first half of November. But in October it’s fine; and Penghu’s cheap and relatively deserted then.
[quote=“cranky laowai”]Penghu was great. Still warm. Quiet. Few people, despite this being a weekend. Once September is over, the crowds drop off considerably.
My wife and I stayed in a new B&B, hǎi tiān yī shè (海天一舍), and got low-season rates. The “breakfast” part of “bed and breakfast” was some doujiang and a few things from a breakfast place down the road; but that was fine with me. The bed was nice. The room was large and had a balcony overlooking a large bay, which was directly outside the window. And the laoban, who’s a teacher in his day job, let us use his scooter for free. (We paid for the gas.)
The only drawback to the trip was that the wind started to pick up in the late afternoon, which isn’t too bad if walking around but considerably more intense if riding a scooter into a headwind. My guess would be that it would be too windy to ride a scooter comfortably any later than the first half of November. But in October it’s fine; and Penghu’s cheap and relatively deserted then.[/quote]
I was only in Penghu once in the late 70s. And I think it was during the windy season. IT was real windy and bleak feeling. The plane I took there, tail number 1870 from CAL was later lost making a landing attempt at that very airport. I guess the winds make landing especially challenging? Probably the prop planes do better there. I think thats all they fly there now? OR?
I remember FAT had these ancient Vickers Viscount VC8, 4 engine prop planes going out there at that time along with their 737. The only domestic airlines at that time was FAT and CAL. On the way back I took a FAT 737 flight to Tainan and that was the shortest jet flight iv ever taken. We skimmed the waters at low altitude and the flight from wheel up to wheel down was only something like 13 minutes.
I didnt do a lot in penghu, having only flown there in the morning and out in the PM. IT seemed like it would be a place to go in the summertime. Im sure its alot more fun nowadays. Do any tourist go there during low season or is it basically shut?
Kenting seems like a place where one could experience the sort of high winds found on Penghu?
