The Penghu Islands are just epic. I don’t know of any other way to say it. In Taiwan, I have two favorite places (or, at least two top spots tied at first place); Taroko Gorge and the Penghu Islands. And perhaps this is because I am a bit biased on the side of geological marvels. But these places are just otherworldly.
For the common traveler, it gets no better than to rent a bike and be alone for a few days with no rules, no risk and no limitations. Once on the back of a simple 50cc scooter, one is free to putt around, buzz through the back alleys and drive right over the grass to reach these amazing sights. And in few places of the world are they more plentiful. They simply cast a shadow over the nearest conglomeration of natural wonders.
And did I mention they’re cheap? It costs around $30 to fly there from the mainland. It takes 45 minutes to get there. And once you’re there, pop a tent and spend your nights knowing that when you unzip your vestibule the next morning, you’ll be overlooking 500,000-year-old volcanic columns that were pushed up from the center of the earth… and a sunrise.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxbpxILGznA&w=560&h=315]
In addition to this portion of the film, I am also including one of my most recent uploads from the “Outtakes & Extras” section. Of the many outtakes that I had to refrain from including in the feature length film, I regretted this one a lot. It’s a nice, succinct introduction to the behemoth columnar basalt formations in the background and I wish it could have made it into the film. But as it stands, I simply had to trim all the fat if I was going to keep the documentary under two hours.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPZHmAqQaMk&w=560&h=315]
But as far as the bulk of my amazing experience in Penghu, this portion of the documentary really says it all. It’s got the best parts of the three-day trip that I took there. And what I didn’t release with the feature length documentary, I published to the web on the Taiwan film page of my website. So after you’ve watched this part, be sure to head over and check out those outtakes and extras. And if you feel so inclined, make a donation and support future trips.