Day Trip to Taiwan

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Hi All,

Kinmen is only a 50 minute ferry ride away. Once at the port I took a bus to the main town on the island Kincheng. At the bus station in Kincheng there is a tourist information centre where free bicycle hire is available. I took my trusty stead for a ride around the countryside for 4 hours until the sun got the better of me and I had to give in the the heat.

It has a lovely small town feel to Kincheng. I saw lots of temples with the traditional Fujianese roofs and loads of original Fujianese style houses which are becoming rare on the mainland. There are also a lot of disused bunkers and ruins from the war with China. Kinmen was shelled from mainland China, which only stopped once Nixon had visited Beijing, and martial law was only lifted on the island in 1993.

I visited the Chukang Tower which was built in 1952 in honour of the dead fallen in the war with the P.R.C. Inside the tower on the top floor is a small museum telling the story of the war and of the remnants still left on the island. In the countryside there were parachute poles. these were 3 metre tall concrete posts with spikes on the top which were spaced 3 to 4 metres apart to kill paratroopers. Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos, as I only saw them from the bus.

Well worth effort to come here today

Enjoy the photos

Jah Bless

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