Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TAO, DAWU OR YAMI?
The Tao - a word which means 'people' in the tribe's native tongue - were called
the Yami, or northern islanders, during the Japanese occupation, thanks to the
Japanese anthropologist Torii Ryuzo (1870-1953). Today, the aboriginal group is
still officially known as the Yami, but in fact, since the 1990s, newer generations of
the Tao, feeling an intense longing to rediscover their roots and reclaim their iden-
tity, have started to reject that term in favour of Tao or Dawu (Tao in Chinese piny-
in). Though Yami isn't derogatory, most Tao people on Lanyu now rarely identify
themselves as such and it won't go wrong to respect what they want to be called.
Sleeping
Most villages offer homestays varying from rooms with a basic bed to fancy digs.
Though the families running these places have limited to zero English, they're generally
pleased to have Western guests. Accommodation tends to be overpriced in Hungtou, the
most developed village on the island. All homestays listed here offer free pick-ups, and
can arrange snorkelling, nighttime owl and sea-life tours.
Enhui Mingsu Zijia
HOMESTAY $
MAP
(Ēnhuì Mínsù Zhījiā; 732 979; Yeyin Village, d & dm per person NT$400)
Li Ge and Li Sao, a
husband-and-wife team, provide four spotless doubles and a large dorm on the upper
floor in their home, which is located on a hill in Yeyin on the east side of the island. Li
Ge, an excellent guide, also offers visits to his parents' underground house in the morn-
ings.
Lumai Home
HOMESTAY $
MAP
(Lǔmài Mínsù; 732 508;
www.facebook.com/lumaihomelanyu
; 142 Hungtou Village, 142; per per-
son NT$500; )
With two cosy dorms, Lumai Home is an excellent budget choice in
Hungtou. If you come from the airport, the homestay is on the slope before you reach the
police station in the village. Their two canine members will greet you at the entrance
with a surfboard beside it.
Fa'ai Homestay
HOMESTAY $
MAP
