Penghu Strangers - first week of June

Xu, Guo Zhen, a photographer with 10s of trophies; outside his wife's restaurant on Cimei

Hi everyone.

I've just come back from Penghu, a group of 64 islands off the west coast of Taiwan. I had a great time there despite the wind and cloud, though I do have a suntan. It wasn't cloudy all the time!

Xu, Guo Zhen, is a photographer and helps run his wife's Vietnamese restaurant on Cimei. Penghu's most southernly island. Xu, Guo Zhen, takes photos of Cimei's landscape and nature. He's won numerous awards for his photography and certainly knows what he's taking about. Because of him, I'm taking one of my lens for a clean. He also plays keyboard for 'live' Karakao and has a great knowledge of plants.

If you want Vietnamese food when you're in Cimei, you can follow the ads painted on the walls from the main port in Cimei. They also have Vietnamese coffee, mmmm!!!

Hygeia and Xingyi looking gorgeous on the sunny island of Cimei. Xu, Guo Zhen suggested the composition, one I think works well. (Certainly better than the other two portraits this time round)

Hygeia works on Penghu, studying a special kind of coral that can move with the tide. This species is only found in Penghu and only off the coast of Baisha, near the aquarium. It looks different to most coral, in that it's long and has no branches. She sounded like she loved her job. It's certainly different to working in an office.

Xingyi was on vacation. A friend of a friend put her in contact with Hygeia as she wanted to travel to Penghu. We bumped into her on her last day. She was in Magong city busy buying presents before taking a flight back to Taipei.


Xun,Cha Ya runs Erkan Min Shu, a guest house where people can stay in traditional style houses. Sorry about the portrait, not one of my better ones :(

Xun, Cha Ya is only in his twenties yet he's running a beautiful guest house and he's an excellent cook. We stayed at Erkan Minshu for a night. The rooms and 'houses' are in the same style of Erkan village next door. They looked great and were also comfortable too.

Erkan has numerous traditional houses. It prospered because the people of that village traded Chinese Medicines brought over from China with people in Taiwan. Whilst many places in Penghu have traditional houses, Erkan stood out as most of the homes are still occupied and it feels much more lively than the other old places we visited.

Erkan Village, a village with lots of traditional houses that are still lived in.

Penghu was fun. We also went fishing and took quite a few boat trips. I should've got more strangers but hey,,,, I was on holidays. I'm a bit dispointed that a couple of the portraits didn't come out well. I'll definitely have to rethink my night photos.

Anyway that it's for today. I'll be back soon

Ciao