lost in magong: a day that started with coffee and ended with squid
so i woke up in magong, penghu, with no plan except to find a good cup of coffee and maybe a beach. the weather was doing that weird thing where it’s humid but not hot, like the air is just...there. i just checked and it’s 20°c right now, feels like 20.35°c, hope you like that kind of thing.
first stop: *magong old street. i heard it’s touristy, but whatever, i needed caffeine. found this tiny place called black cat coffee that smelled like burnt sugar and sea salt. the barista had a tattoo of a squid on her arm and told me the squid here is “better than sex.” i believed her.
wandered down to four-eyed well, which is exactly what it sounds like-an old well with four little holes. someone told me it’s haunted, but i didn’t stick around long enough to find out. instead, i grabbed a penghu boat noodle from a stall that smelled like garlic and fish sauce. slurped it down while watching old ladies haggle over dried squid.
later, i rented a scooter (because of course i did) and headed to shanshui beach. the sand was white, the water was blue, and the wind was trying to steal my hat. i sat there for an hour, eating peanut candy and pretending to read a book. mostly i just watched the waves and thought about how i should’ve brought sunscreen.
heard from a drunk guy at a bar that fenggui cave is worth the trip if you like caves that smell like wet rocks. i didn’t go, but i’m telling you because maybe you’re into that. if you get bored, xiyu and wangan are just a short drive away, and apparently they have even weirder rocks.
for dinner, i went to zhou’s stinky tofu. yes, it smells like feet. yes, it tastes amazing. i sat next to a group of old men playing xiàngqí (chinese chess) and lost badly to a 70-year-old who kept laughing at my moves. he bought me a beer, so i guess we’re friends now.
if you’re into street food, penghu is your jam. magong night market is chaotic and delicious. i tried oyster omelet, scallion pancakes, and something called sea cactus ice cream* that i still don’t understand. but i’d eat it again.
so yeah, magong. it’s not fancy, but it’s real. the kind of place where you can eat squid, get lost on a scooter, and make friends with a chess master. and if you’re lucky, you’ll leave smelling like the ocean and peanut candy.
for more info, check out penghu county government or tripadvisor的極品海門專題.
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