Starting Out

The ground was very hard under the ancient Bunyan tree. The gnarled roots had cemented the soil down to a dry, chalk like layer that ended abruptly only 10 feet away with the well-watered lawn of the university campus. But this is where my metal detector beeped, so we dug.

I bought the metal detector a year ago, before spending the summer working at a camp in Northern Taiwan's Yanmingshan National Park - there are some old gold mining towns up there, although I never got around to going. For some reason the mood struck last weekend and I dragged my girlfriend out on an adventure, first to the remains of a Dutch wall on Nanmen Road, then to the beach. I hadn't found much, but the thrill, the power, of being able to find things that have been hidden under ground for decades, is intoxicating. I was so excited to dig up something valuable that I couldn't relax, and convinced her to go out again in the evening.

I chose NCKU (National Cheng Kung University) because its near my home, and has lots of fields. The trees there must be at least a couple centuries old, and the campus is also just just within the old city walls, which were first constructed in 1735. Ill-equipped as we were, stabbing at the ground with tiny shovels, crouching in the dirt trying to see by the light of the one flashlight I'd purchased (the kind that you wear on your forehead), its amazing that we several coins - enough to satisfy my obsession enough for the night.

I returned a few days later on my own with a big shovel, to dig a spot that I'd dowsed at home. I'm still pretty self-conscious, being a white guy in Taiwan who already attracts a great deal of attention, but I stayed mostly in the shadows and dug 13 coins (between 20 - 60 years old), a rifle cartridge, a broken watch and an old belt buckle. I was staying with the safe, small finds that I knew I could dig quickly, but later decided to dig up one of the big ones - the ones that beep continuously for about 3 feet.

In general, I've found, the object isn't actually this big - its just that its been in the ground for a long time and has built up an electromagnetic field in the soil around it. I had to dig for a long time, and get around a lot of garbage, broken glass and old tinfoil packages, before I unearthed two old metal bowls. I imagine that this was the site of a picnic, back before disposable dishes and when burying your garbage was considered the proper way to clean up after yourself (50 years ago?)

I was a little disappointed, because what I really want is a bag of gold or silver coins. (I love the history aspect of it too, but I can see myself losing interest quickly if I only dig up non-valuables.) The university was only found in 1931 anyway, and so it makes sense that most of my finds would come in the period since. For older things I need to stay nearer the center of Tainan, like the Chikan Towers, the site of one of the original Dutch forts built in the 17th century.

However, the belt buckle I found is interesting. From the corrosion and style I'd guess it's very old. I've only covered a tiny bit of only one of the fields at the University (the coins I found were about 2 feet apart!) Luckily, I've got time to explore. Unlike relic hunters in most countries, I may possibly be the only person on this island with a metal detector!