Keelung, Taiwan

Taiwan is an island separated from nearby China by the Taiwan Strait. Until the 1950s, it was known as Formosa, Portuguese for beautiful island. China claims that Taiwan is a part of China, and relations continue to be tense between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China.

Early in the morning, we arrived in the port city of Keelung, which is located on the northeast coast of Taiwan and 16 miles from Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. Because of its frequent rain, Keelung is nicknamed the “Rainy Port.” The dock was close to the city and from our cabin we could look out at the main road along the seafront and at the city skyline.

Since I was still recovering from being ill and in quarantine, I was only able to view the city from our cabin. But from there, I could see a number of interesting sites without getting off the ship. John ventured out for a quick visit and took pictures for me.  

We had looked forward to traveling to Taipei to see the National Palace Museum, which houses an extensive collection of Chinese art treasures that Chiang Kai-Shek brought with him from Mainland China in 1949. It is said that the collection is so extensive that even with the size of the museum, only a portion of it can be shown at one time. One of our tablemates who visited the museum said that the massive crowds there made it difficult to see much.

View of Keelung from Cabin

High on a hill overlooking Keelung stands the 72-foot statue of Guanyin, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. It is the largest statue of the goddess in Southeast Asia. An internal set of stairs leads to the top of the statue and provides those who make the climb a splendid view of the harbor and city. Nearby sits a statue of a laughing Buddha, a bell tower, the Martyrs’ Shrine, and various temples.

Statue of Guanyin

Keelung Canal

Temple

Docked nearby the Queen Elizabeth were at least three Taiwan naval vessels.

Later in the afternoon, John went in search of a barbershop. He had previously had his hair cut on the ship, but he felt he couldn’t get the proper military style haircut he wanted from the young women who worked in the salon. I think it was also the fact that the older men on the ship don’t feel comfortable having a very young woman cut their hair. The day after John relayed his adventure to two other passengers, they went ashore for a man’s haircut.

John ended up having quite an adventure finding a barber. When he asked the attendant at the information booth where he could find a barber shop, the man gave him lengthy directions and then changed his mind, took John over to a taxi driver, and said that the driver would take care of him. John showed him the 500 Taiwan Dollar bill (about $20 US) he had and asked him if that would be enough for the taxi and haircut. The driver nodded and drove John way out of the city, pulled up at a house, and told him to knock at the door. At this point in his story I almost had heart failure, but since he was there to tell me about it, I calmed down.

A little old lady answered the door, and when John saw a barber chair, he went in. The woman gave John what he thought was an excellent hair cut, and when he went to get out of the chair, she pushed him back in and said she wasn’t done. She then pulled out a switchblade-type razor, and with no water or soap, proceeded to shave around his sideburns, the back of his neck, and in his ears—with that bare blade. He laughed about it when he told me of his experience, but at the time, he said it was a bit painful.

The taxi driver came into the house and offered John some green tea from an unopened bottle, which John accepted. At that point, John realized that it must be his home they were in. When the women finished, John paid her and gave the coins he had in his pocket to the little girl sitting nearby. The taxi driver took him back to the ship, and John paid him with the remaining money. That was probably the most hair-raising cut he’s ever had.

After hearing his story, I decided I wasn’t letting him out of my sight again.

Sailing Away From Taiwan