Wandering Fel

If you need a dose of the sea and you are travelling to Taiwan, you will be in a treat. Taiwan has a lot of places to view the beautiful ocean. I am quite skeptical at first because well, whenever someone come back from Taiwan, the only thing that he or she is raving about is the night market food. Justified as it is, the beautiful coastal view of Taiwan should not be missed at all. So here are my top 5 best places to see the ocean in Taiwan. 

Qingshui Cliff (清水斷崖) is the only ocean viewing location in Taroko National Park where you can see the beautiful hues of blue of the Pacific ocean. The color of the ocean is so beautiful and it seems to be a sin not to stop for a while at the viewing platform along Taroko Pass to enjoy the beautiful view of this Pacific coastline and the shore of Chongde Beach. 

The beautiful Kenting Beach (墾丁) has become famous world wide because of the award-winning movie, Life of Pi. The paradise is located at the southern Taiwan and it took us two hours driving from Kaohsiung to reach Kenting. Whether you want to just lay on the beach, swim in the warm blue ocean, scuba dive or surf, Kenting offers the best spot to enjoy warm breeze and weather of southern Taiwan. 

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Sanxiatai is situated at the 111-kilometer mark on the coastal highway in Taitung. It consists of a headland facing a small island in the sea. Sanxiatai is the perfect spot to see the beautiful East coast of Taiwan.  You will occasionally see the sea creatures like crayfishes which are drifted across to the rocky shore of Sanxiatai.

Penghu Islands is located in the southwest of the Taiwan strait. It is also known as the pearl of the Taiwan Strait. The islands offer magnificent ocean views. Even though it's located on a different archipelago from the main island of Taiwan, it is relatively easy to reach Penghu. There are regular flights from Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Chiayi and Kaohsiung. You can also reach Penghu islands by boat, with service from Budai Harbor in Chiayi and the main port of Kaohsiung. Don't miss the firework show at night in Penghu!

5. Yehliu 

Yehliu is one of the most popular attractions amongst local and international tourists. This makes the geological park is always filled with tourist buses. It offers a superb view of the northern cape of Taiwan with so many natural wonders and naturally-created rock sculptures. The famous Queen's Head is also located in Yehliu Geological Park. Do bring umbrellas if you are visiting Yehliu on a hot summer day!

Sanxiatai used to be a narrow and elongated cape into the ocean. Sanxiatai offers a beautiful rocky coastal view. Hence, as you can see, the area is full of odd shaped rocks. There is a walking trail that goes around the island. If you are interested to walk around the island, the total journey will take about two hours with leisure pace. 

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When we decided to come closer to the rocks, we were quite amused by what we could find laying on the rocks at the shore. For instance there is a crayfish. 

And there is this cute white mollusk which I don't know the name. Being born in big city, this kind of sight is totally rare (if not never) for me. 

Sanxiatai is also classified as nature reservation in Taiwan and hence, there is minimal human disturbance done at Sanxiatai. 

It is recommended to visit Sanxiatai in the morning when the weather is good to take a beautiful photo of Sanxiatai. The breeze is also nice to enjoy while walking around the island. You can take bus from the main bus station near Taitung Station but the bus timing is kinda irregular. It is possible that you will be stuck at one destination for two hours to wait for the next bus while you only need 10 minutes to view that destination. Alternative to self-drive, you can also hire a cab for one day so that the driver will bring you around according to your own itinerary. 

Pretty flowers sighted at the side of the road. 

The island was once connected to the headland by a neck of land which has been eroded away. It is now connected by a red, scalloped footbridge. There are a total of 8 arches on the footbridge. A really good exercise I must say. 

My friend tried all kind of angles to take picture of the footbridge. This one turned out to be nice! Maybe he does have a talent in photography. =P

There are so many crabs spotted on the rocks surrounding the island. 

The view of the main island from Sanxiatai. Foggy day, that time. 

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