Amazing sunset at Hobe harbour

I have had a love-hate relationship with Danshui for years. It used to be a fantastic place, a traditional fishing harbour and a bustling night market. It was full of life, of real local life. You could see those little blue boats leaving, fishermen burning incense sticks at the temple; and you could eat tons of seafood for nothing.

And then, some local politicians or some local decision-makers decided to give it a boost and started having the kind of “great ideas” you always end up regretting. So… they kicked the fishermen out, filled the harbour… and turned the night market into some sort of dirty, messy tourist trap depleted of any kind of soul, but filled with crap stuff sold at very high prices. The place became awful. That’s when I stopped coming to Danshui.

Two years ago I decided to give it another try, walking a little bit further away from the MRT station, towards an area filled with history, near the Fort San Domimgo. This area along the Danshui river had long been left abandonned, but recently many historical buildings were beautifully, like the old customs wharf or old Japanese houses.

History here is rich, and very well preserved. And many nice cafes and restaurants popped up around the tiny Home fishing harbour, turning the area into a fantastic place for a nice day trip which will end with one of those beautiful sunsets.