A Day in Danshui

Situated north-east of Taipei, Danshui (淡水 or 'fresh water' in Chinese) is a sea-side town where the Danshui River meets the waters of the Taiwan Strait. The town is a weekend escape for the county's urban dwellers, conveniently located on the MRT line forty minutes from down-town Taipei. After a few days chasing jobs in the big city, Leese and I needed to breathe in some semi-clean ocean air to soothe our congested nasal tracts. But, of course, a blog from these two travellers would never be complete without a little history.

Due to its close proximity to mainland China and its large natural harbour, Danshui became a large fishing and trade port during colonial times. For nearly 400 hundred years, sovereignty over Danshui changed hands from the Spanish, to the Dutch and finally to the British, who lost jurisdiction over the area towards the middle of the 19th century. Fort San Damingo, a beautiful structure built by the Spanish in the 16th century, has at various stages of Taiwan's history been operated by the country's colonisers. Towards the end of the colonial years, the Fort was used by the British government as the Consulate for Taiwan. The Fort still stands in its albeit rennovated glory.

View outside the Fort San Domingo

The fort, which is perched nicely on a hill overlooking the river mouth, offers fantastic views of the surrounding areas. The Taiwanese government has done its best to preserve the building as the British had left it. And, indeed, if you close your eyes, you can picture the Brits sipping Indian cups of tea, polishing their elephant guns and waxing their moustaches surrounded by ultra-Victorian decor and the necessary bourgeoius trimmings. Mixed in with the original site is a suprising amount of kitsch. For example, with the appropriate model at your disposal, you can all appreciate the over-sized pair of clogs sitting in the building's courtyard. A fitting tribute to the Dutch.

Clog-a-licious!

Bali, a smaller town on the other side of the river, is but a 10 minute ferry-ride from Danshui. Lisa and I took full advantage of the newly constructed bike path along the river. After hiring two mountain bikes from the local vendor for just under ten Australian dollars, we spent the next two hours riding up and down the foreshore, sheer bliss! A quick ferry ride back to Danshui MRT station and we were thoroughly exhausted. Tomorrow we both have lunch with a member of Minquan University and in the afternoon Simon has another interview with Susan's English School.

Love to you all - S&L