Taiwan has a holiday during this weekend so that allowed for the chance to go to Yilan County, which is in the northeast of Taiwan. It is more rural than Taipei and is a popular holidaying spot for the Taipei urbanites. It’s a beautiful place, and I enjoyed being there. There is a slowness to the place that is undeniably charming.

Luodong Township

We took a bus out from Taipei City Hall towards Yilan. The bus takes us through Taiwan’s longest tunnel to the city of Luodong, which was literally so long that you can take a nap in between ends. You end up at the Luodong transfer center, which from there we went to the hotel and checked in. There is a charming little stand that you can check out.

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From there it was to the Luodong Forestry Culture Garden, a legacy of the county’s logging years. You can see forest animals and lots of logs on the ground rotting alongside railways. At the center of it is a large artificial lake that loggers used to transport the logs around. Today it is all a beautiful nature and historical center, a place for reflecting on the history of this once-large city.

From there it was to the large Luodong Sports Center Park, one of the biggest I have ever seen. Once nothing but rice paddies, it has been transformed into a community and culture place for people to visit and have fun. There are massive basketball courts, 16 at a time. At the heart of the park is an artificial lake, stocked with carp and tilapia which you can feed for a buck.

It is a popular place to be. There is not a single spot in this park that is not filled with young people, elders walking around, and friends chatting. I think what intrigues me about this whole city is the sense of slowness during the day. As I walked towards the park before sunset, I realized that most people were sitting around doing nothing.

After that it is to the Luodong Night Market, one of the more well known in the area. What followed can only be described as a vegetarian’s nightmare - all sorts of foods were consumed. If you want to know what they are, I would recommend that you peruse my ongoing album of Foods That I Have Eaten in Taiwan.

Jiaoxi Township

This is an amazing town. What is it about this town? The free public foot baths that anybody can sit down in? The beautiful natural views? The amazing landscaping?

I love this little place. Tourists provide most of the income so there are hotels everywhere but when you get away from those, you find some beautiful places to sit around and experience nature.

Or just sit in one of the footbaths. I think people should put this place on the top places in Taiwan to visit.

Yilan City

Yilan city is the seat of Yilan County, but it turned out to be my least favorite of the three cities that we visited. Maybe I did not give it the full shrift that it deserved but it seemed like a pretty drab city to me.

The highlight of being there was an art installation about a guy and a girl at a bus stop. Great but I think I didn’t really understand it - perhaps I was just too tired near the end of the day.

Okay night market though with this unique fried thousand year egg thing. I would recommend it to anyone who happens to be there.

Conclusion

Jiaoxi is definitely the highlight of this one, with Luodong’s sports park being a close second. I enjoyed this trip and feel energized coming back from it. Taiwan feels more relaxed and beautiful every day I am here.