Day 28 Aogu Wetlands (鰲鼓濕地森林園區) to Budai Fish Market (布袋觀光魚市)

Tuesday April 29th, 2025.

“As we set out on Day 28, I thought: ‘Today will be a walk in the spirit of champions—and almost champions—with Liverpool having already secured glory and Leeds still chasing promotion. Both teams carried the hopes of their faithful, proudly wearing their team shirts—just as we carried our packs beneath the fierce Taiwanese sun!’”

I digress…… Maintaining the format from previous West coast walks, Elaine, Martyn and Rich caught the High Speed rail from Taipei Main down south  to ChiaYi  and met up with Tim who had traveled north from Tainan.

It’s always a fun feeling to pile into a taxi for the start of the walk and today’s experience was particularly colourful as the ChiaYi high speed rail station taxi drivers wear brilliant tropical shirts as their official uniform —like a cheerful welcome committee dressed for vacation. It’s one of those delightful Taiwan details which makes one smile.

Our driver expertly drove from Chiayi High Speed Rail station, bypassing the main roads and headed straight for the coast, delivering us to the middle of the AoGu Wetlands under a cloudless, electric-blue sky. Having taken the regulation start of the walk photos, including one of Elaine and our tropically attired driver, we began the day’s walk.

As usual, the walking team—Rich, Elaine, Tim and Martyn—set off at a steady pace, weaving our way south along a narrow trail skirting the wetlands. Birds darted above, mostly herons and egrets, but we were also lucky enough to spot several species of tern, a black shouldered kite and a hoopoe, which is a strikingly beautiful bird and difficult to see in Taiwan. The other birds we saw included black winged stilts, water and moor hens and lots of drongos, doves and pigeons.

AoGu is part of a vast conservation project aimed at restoring habitat for migratory birds, especially during the winter months. Once slated for industrial development, the area was rescued and rehabilitated by the Forestry Bureau. Today it stands as a testament to what conservation can look like when ecosystems are given space to breathe and the numerous species of birds we saw were a testament to this.

We left the wetlands and walked along the levies which protect the terrain  which has been wrestled from the ocean; reclaimed and reworked into low-lying villages and aquaculture ponds. We were immediately immersed in the flat, watery expanse of Taiwan’s western edge. The sky was high, the air thick with heat, and the salty scent of the sea hung heavy. It was going to be a scorcher, so Elaine took extreme anti sun measures and looked like – I don’t actually know, as it was difficult to see her face!! Even the reflection in the mirrored signage for the Fulai fishing port inspection office failed to offer any clues.

Before long, we were hailed by a woman  from the Environmental Protection Agency. She greeted us with a warm smile and then in English offered us a lift. We politely declined but paused to chat. Her job, she explained, was to monitor coastal pollution—specifically the waste that washes up from fishing vessels. BuDai and DongShi are heavily dependent on fishing, and while the industry supports many livelihoods, it also generates a significant amount of debris. Her work, part science and part stewardship, reminded us of the quieter forces preserving Taiwan’s coastal beauty.

We climbed up to a tiny roadside shrine built on a platform level with the  seawalls. These small temples, often dedicated to Matsu or local earth gods, provide both spiritual protection and a few blessed moments of shade. Incense burned slowly in metal urns; the air inside was cool and quiet—a brief sanctuary from the searing heat.

We passed more stacks of oyster shells piled up like bleached mountains and it was quite the juxtaposition to see a primary school in the midst of the aquaculture ponds and oyster industry. Soon we were walking through DongShi, a township where the land and the sea have always had a complicated relationship. This part of Chiayi County is known for its oyster farms—vast grids of wooden poles stretching far into the tidal flats, each holding clusters of oysters that sway with the changing tides. It’s a tough, weather-beaten industry that forms the backbone of the local economy.

It’s said that Taiwan produces around 20,000 tons of oysters annually, much of it harvested right here along the coast between DongShi and BuDai. By the time we reached the edge of  Dong Shi, the sun was relentless and our water bottles nearly empty. Fortunately, a newly opened HiLife convenience store appeared like a desert oasis. We ducked inside, grateful for the icy air conditioning and fridges stocked with cold drinks.

We needed to cross the river and the only way to do this was to join the highway. We could have done an extra 20 minutes taking the actual road, or we had the option to scale the barrier onto the highway and save us some time – we chose to get a leg up and do the latter! Once on the south side of the ZhuoShui river, we had the option of walking nearer to the coastline or slightly inland on local highway 17. As there was zero shade nearer to the sea, we made our way down the highway towards Guogou.

Reaching Guogou, we found a 7-Eleven and repeated the ritual—another drink, another moment to recharge and this time, we treated ourselves to ice lollies as well – delicious! The walk had been fairly bland up to now, but there were a couple of colourful things up ahead. One was the cute roadside artsy display and the other was the floral arrangements outside a local funeral hall. We didn’t wish to linger in the vicinity of the Buddhist prayers and rituals, so carried on southwards towards BuDai. The highway continued straight and was quite boring, except for a huge field of Solar panels, standing like mini giants against the mighty sun. There were more signs for the salt hills and the harbour, so we pushed on getting hotter and hotter with each stride.

After cooling down  again in another 7-Eleven, we crossed the road to explore Budai Salt Hill, a gleaming white mound that stands as a reminder of the region’s once-thriving salt industry. For centuries, salt production was a vital part of life along Taiwan’s southwest coast, with expansive salt fields stretching across Chiayi and Tainan. Workers would painstakingly rake sun-dried salt into heaps under the blistering sun, forming the backbone of the local economy. Though most salt harvesting in Taiwan ceased in the early 2000s due to cheaper imports and shifting industries, places like Budai keep the memory alive. The hill, reconstructed using leftover sea salt, offers visitors a glimpse into this vanishing trade— and a great vantage point over the flatlands we had just walked

We decided to walk a newish looking trail  towards the harbour. It was very pretty as the setting sun shone on the waterway, but then we had a problem. The path ahead was being repaired and the only way forwards in the direction of the harbour was to cross a low concrete wall. We all thought this was far easier than making a huge detour, but a local walker was insistent that our plan was “way too dangerous” and kept repeating this in Mandarin. Elaine and Martyn were equally convinced that there was absolutely nothing dangerous about it and walked ahead to prove this. Fortunately, Tim and Rich soon followed and we all safely crossed the gully and waved our local friend a very safe and happy farewell.

We were approaching BuDai harbour and onto the last leg of today’s long journey. After hours of walking beneath a relentless sun—our shirts damp and brows permanently furrowed—we finally saw the shimmering silhouette of the High Heel Church on the horizon. It was almost absurd, this 17-meter-tall blue glass slipper rising out of the flat plain like a surrealist sculpture. Built in 2016, the structure was intended to attract more tourism to BuDai, and while it’s not actually a church, it’s become a curious symbol of hope and romance. According to local legend, the design was inspired by a woman in the 1960s who contracted Blackfoot disease (a peripheral vascular condition caused by arsenic in groundwater) and lost both her legs. She never got married. The high heel is a tribute to women like her—those who suffered and were forgotten.

After the obligatory photos and a moment to rest beneath its shade, we made our way back towards the harbour area and treated ourselves to a well-earned seafood dinner. BuDai is famous for it, and the harbour area did not disappoint. We ate as the sky burned orange, tired but happy, salt still on our lips from both the sea and our sweat.

 We lingered over dinner, our limbs heavy but spirits light, the sun finally sinking into the west. The day had been long and hot, but full of the kind of slow discoveries that make this walk around Taiwan such a rich experience. It had been one of the hottest days yet, but full of those perfect Taiwan walking moments—kind strangers, quiet temples, odd monuments, and the slow rhythm of life lived near the sea.

Our more observant readers may recall that at the end of day 27 we teased the fact that Tainan’s magnificent Mando-rapping maestro was soon to release his latest video. We’re happy to report that Tim’s latest masterpiece, and it really does deserve that description, is now up on YouTube and is well on the way to overtaking Gangnam Style in views. Click here for the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajuVKjcU9To

End of Day 28. By Elaine.

Total Distance Walked Today 25.2km.

Distance Walked in Total 564.8km.