Unlike Miyakojima, Keelung was perfect as a port for big vessels. Miyakojima Island is formed by coral reefs and is shallow to a considerable distance from the shore. We had to use a tender boat to reach the island, but the Diamond Princess was able to directly berth at the pier in Keelung. The Diamond Princess sails under British colours and Japanese passengers disembark in Taiwan. I presumed that the procedure of passport control would be too much trouble, but all the formalities were already finished by morning. Really skillful! I recalled the incompetent Russian officials whom I had met in Karafuto, Sakhalin in Russian language. (link)
When we walked along the designated route at the pier, our guide spotted us. It was a good idea to have sent our pictures in advance. By the way, where should we go in the heavy rain? I wanted to see shīqiúlǐng suìdàoas built in the period of the Qing Dynasty and has been partly preserved. It's also a historic spot of the first-ever tunnel in Taiwan, but I had to give it up due to the heavy rain. I'd heard of a historic battery, Ershawan Battery , in Keelung, which was originally built against the British invasion in the times of the Opium War and was destroyed during the Sino-French War (1884-1885). However, the battery was renovated and now open to tourists. I wanted to see it, but our tour guide advised us not to visit the place in the heavy rain, because the tracks to the battery were very muddy.
We dropped in at qìng ān gōng, or Qingan Temple which is dedicated to Mazu (the Goddess of the Sea). Our tour guide was a real pro and her explanation on the temple was perfect. We were lucky to hear her story exclusively though it was expensive to hire a tour guide. I informed her about a shrine also dedicated to a deity of the sea which is located near my hometown. It's well-known in Japan. It would be helpful for her future guidance.
https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2015/09/review-of-the-karafuto-tour.html
https://kumo.typepad.jp/weblog/2015/09/immigration.html
(Vocabulary)
berth 停泊する
shīqiúlǐng suìdào 獅球嶺隧道
qìng ān gōng 慶安宮
Taoism 道教
宮古島上陸とは違い接岸しているので上陸は楽ちん。船はイギリス船籍でその船から日本人が台湾へ入国するわけだが、入出国の手続きは昨夜のうちに終わっている。実に手際が良い。樺太で目にした仕事の遅いロシア人たちを思い出した。(リンク)
船から下りて決められたルートを歩いていると、ガイドが待っていてくれた。あらかじめこちらの写真を写メしていたのですぐに見つけてもらえた。さて、このひどい雨の中でどこへ行くか、、、、獅球嶺隧道を見たかったが、諦めた。これは、清朝統治時代の鉄道トンネル跡で、台湾で最初かつ清朝時代のものとしては唯一現存する鉄道トンネル。そして、海門天險（アヘン戦争時代にイギリスの侵略を防ぐために築かれた砲台で、清仏戦争で破壊されたが修復された）も道がぬかるんでいるため訪問できず。
あまりに酷い雨のため、雨を避けてまずは慶安宮へ立ち寄った。支那文化について少し学ぶ。こういうとき、独占的にガイドの話を聞けるのは有り難い。高いガイド料の価値はあった。四国に金刀比羅宮があるが海上交通の安全を守る神様ということで似ていたのでガイドに教えてあげた。次からの日本人客のガイドに役立つだろう。
Comments