Day 17: Beach

Today marks our final full day in Yilan. Today's activities were split into two groups based on a poll held the day of our last weekly discussion, with one group choosing to spend the day participating in farming-adjacent activities while the other group (myself included) electing to make their own plans. 

We started the day off with a trip to the Yilan train station, which we had initially planned to make by way of taxi or public transport, but ended up accepting our host's gracious offer to transport us there via their car and moped. 

Aiyi and I ready to leave for the station

A quick drive later and we arrived at the station. Our next stop was Waiao, and so after a quick breakfast and snack run at the nearby 7-11, we hopped on the next available train. It was a short ride, and the opportunity to observe Taiwan's beautiful coastal landscape from the comfort of an air conditioned train car was definitely a treat. 

Deboarding the train at Waiao station

From the station we walked ten minutes to the beach access, where we first rented an umbrella to share for a cheap price before walking down onto the sand. 

Waiao beach

The beach by the station extended super far in either direction, and we ended up choosing a more secluded spot away from the vast majority of the other beach-goers. The sand was fine and black, a stark contrast to many of the beaches that we had been to in America, often man-made, littered with trash, and covered in various shells and shell-fragments. The water was a beautiful blue, and upon closer inspection, super clear. The waves today were fairly high, and the water was nice and cool, the perfect refuge from the blazing sun and the actually insanely hot sand. We spent a couple hours doing a combination of chilling amongst the waves and chilling under the shelter of our umbrella and re-applying sunscreen/eating our 7-11 snacks. At 1:00 we packed up shop and started in the direction of home, taking the train from Yilan station and making a stop in Jiaoxi to for massages and dinner. 

Post-massage tea

Teppanyaki for dinner

During the massages we talked to the massage therapists about their work, and they in turn asked us some questions about Taiwan and our program. After dinner we walked back to the Jiaoxi train station to catch a train that we thought was leaving at 7:26 p.m., only to watch it pulling away as we approached the station. Rather than waiting half an hour for the next train, we instead elected to call a taxi and ended up squeezing together for the thirty minute drive back home. 

Our time in Yilan has been a (literal) breath of fresh air and a nice change of scenery from Hsinchu's urban sprawl bordering NTHU's campus. As our time here comes to a close, all of us are thankful for the opportunity to explore such an amazing city, and are slowly preparing to re-insert ourselves into the flow of life, including the moving, classes, and assignments that await us back at NTHU.

"I love Elon Musk" - Anonymous student.

-Ryan Woo