Kenneth Whiting (AV 14) - Naval Cruise Book

Page 47 text:

A STRANGE LAND OLCiEST CITIZENS . , . These two Papasans are brclhers and repre- sent 170 years, all cf them in the Pescadores. Having served under fcur flags — Dutch, Spanish, Japanese and Nationalist China — they kinda ' like their homeland and have made no plans at the present to move. Lcdr. Neal takes note cl a typical farm girl in t.1a Kun.: THE BANYAN TREE . . . This huge tree covers some 4000 square feet. Three hundred years old, it is a landmark in the Pescadores. The branches, if allowed to hang to the ground, will soon take root and will continue to spread. A favciile lingering spot for the villagers because of its protection frcm ihe scorching sun, here they rest, sleep and play — especially the very old and the refreshing young

Page 46 text:

THE PESCADORES A PLACE IN THE SUN . . .Sand and rock dwellings along the barren and rugged shoreline oi Anyplace. Pescadores. This young woman has trod this road many times . . . oiid in all proba- bility, will never walk down it so far in one direction she can ' t make it back before sundown. A hot, humid and windy land of contrast and quietness, the Pescadores. And ahhough we were all aware that this trip was necessary, and our job there was important, before our five-week oper- ation ended at Boko Ko, 583 American officers and bluejackets ached all the way down to their proverbials. . . The first travel agency to produce a brochure on the Pescadores will write about numerous sandy beaches ringing a torquoise bay, but they are un- healthy for swimming; about airplanes arriving and leaving daily, but the island ' s only means of travel is ox-cart; about a population of 80,000 apathetic souls in incessant motion, but the stillness is stifling; and about a human characteristic that would ap- pear to most Wcotornorn difficult to understand: the many people ti liope . . . but seemingly none who dreo:. .phlet will have to tell that the Pescadores i... l; n.r.id where many wish they could go elsewhere, but few ever do. And it will go on to mention that within an environment of unend- ing contrast, there looms one formidable and com- mon malady: most of the 80,000 stomachs lack suf- cient food. And therein lies the inhabitants ' chief concern. By stretching the most apt imagination, one could not visualize them a vacation site, although many of the qualifications are present. But unlike some island paradises doting the Pacific, in these lonely outposts nothing goes together. Throw together the sugar and spice and the results are likened to wear- ing a tuxedo to a nudist camp. ' Tain ' t right. The majority of the islanders are stay-putters. In the house of their births they will live a life span, and there they will die. Family ties are strong and few break away. They have lived long in the islands, especially the present generation, and their main- land makeup has all but disappeared; they have become a distinct breed — Taiwanese. 42

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i.!A KUNG ' S SUPER-i ' vlAHKtr . . . Here you can purchase almost everything from soup to nuts, but it ' s Pescadores soup and nuts, and it ' s doubtful indeed if any Westerner could identify any plant or item in the place. Sturdevant and Mussetler posing beside villager ' s fishing scow. Decorations of boat bow will keep evil spirits away. Of the 68 islands, only a half-dozen are inhabited; the remainder being only white craggy toad stool- like coral reefs rearing ugly heads out of the sea. The group ' s complete worthwhileness is con- centrated on the two larger islands, Ma Kung and Bai Sha Tao. On these most of the citizens live, work, and from them will pass on to the land of Buddha. The largest and capital city. Ma Kung, is located on the big island of the same name. It is the site for 70 percent of all industry. Here 35,000 people live in an area comparable to a U. S. community of 5,000. The typical home is 1 and 2 rooms, and houses a 4 to 10-member family. Most shopkeepers and their families live within their 1-room shops. The island of Bai Sha Tao is rural, sprinkled with small, sti ll villages. These are located near the water so the residents may tie their boats near home during high tide. Their farms are carved out of the high ground. The men sail the blue island waters in quest for fish; the women and children do the farming. No small number of American Navy men think this a splendid arrangement. But again, no smaller number of their ladies back home would think it strictly for the birds, so the motion would never get a vote. Bai Sha Too is no comfortable location in which to live. Here 25,000 farmers and shopkeepers fight a prevailing wind from, August until May. During that period a 30-knot gale tears their crops with incessant and unmerciful fury. The chief crop is Kai Liang (Guy Lee Ong). Similar in appearance to sugar cane, it contains very littte food value. Some goes for animal food, and the re- mainder is chopped and distilled into a 160-proof whiskey that is reputed to have curled the toe nails of the esteemed Buddha himself. The islands are a far-cry from self-sufficient. They have to import all their rice from Formosa. In this temple this follower is washing the altar, which is always cleansed after each prayer. Often times a Taiwanese will kneel and pray for many hours without rising. Inside one of the temples two Westerners examine some of the tools cf the trade. Captain David Lavigne, American liaison officer, and Doug Mauldin look over the Prayer Blocks. While the islander intones prayer he drops these blocks until they land flat side down. It might take all day, but he ' ll pray and keep dropping until they come to rest in the right position. 44