4ever Discovering

 

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Taiwan,

I will provide you with one geography lesson for the

day: Taiwan is an island.  With China being the

closest country in proximity to Taiwan, it is

important to know that people here enjoy the fact

that they are isolated, all by their lonesome.  They

forget to mention that water activities are available

on almost every coast, whether it is surfing,

parasailing or snorkelling.  Being surrounded by

water is something that I am very familiar with; I

actually find myself the happiest when I am near the

ocean or any beach.  With that being said, in order to

ensure we took full advantage of the beautiful

weather we have been experiencing here, Emily and

I made a trip to the north coast to test our lungs

underwater.

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Early on a Saturday morning, we made our way to Taipei Main Station and caught a bus to take us about an hour north to Long Dong (we know, the name is hilarious).  At first we thought this was awesome; with only an hour bus ride to the water, we could make this trip every other weekend to catch some rays on the beach.  What they forget to tell you is that an hour bus ride means about a three hour bus ride with traffic.  As you can imagine, with all of the people living in Taiwan, the streets are just as crowded to drive as they are to walk.  But no need to worry, we just plugged in our headphones, took a quick snooze and enjoyed the scenery along the coast.  Sometimes a little down-time is what you need on the weekend.

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Once we arrived at our destination, we made our way to the rental place to grab some gear.  Our Taiwanese friend advised us that the price might be a little steep to rent, so we were pleasantly surprised when renting a snorkel, mask and flippers only cost about $10 Canadian!  Not many people wore flippers so I think the workers were a little surprised when we told them we wanted them.  Hey, if we are going snorkelling, we are doing it right, full outfit and all. 

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The waves were a little rough when we went (probably still the aftermath of the typhoons), so we made sure to be careful when we got in the water.  The place we went had an area roped off with a lifeguard on duty, so that was a little more reassuring in case anyone was having any second thoughts.  You had to start by stepping on the reef and then jumping off to make it deeper into the water.  Now I have to admit, this was a little difficult with the flippers.  Maybe that’s why the workers looked so shocked.

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After plunging into the water, our friends gave us bread to feed to the fish so they would come closer to us.  Thank goodness someone was thinking because I never would have thought to bring any food!  This made the experience that much cooler.  Before I go on, I think it is important to know that I am not the biggest fan of sea creatures.  I am actually quite terrified of fish and anything that touches me in the water.  I like to be able to see the bottom and know what is under me before I start swimming.  So when I first threw some pieces of bread in the water, I wasn’t expecting such a swarm of fish an inch from my face.  It was like everywhere I turned I was surrounded; Emily could hear my screaming under water.  Once I got over the initial fear of them touching me, I got a little more confident with the bread.  I discovered that if you just drop it and swim away, it is the best way to stay safe from anything that may accidently touch you.

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Once I started to enjoy the underwater scenery and the colourful fish, I realized how cool it really was.  We saw so many different kinds of fish and even grabbed a starfish!  My only complaint is that sometimes the drift wood and scraps of garbage would get in your way of swimming, but I think that was all debris from the typhoon as well. 

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We spent a good couple of hours in the water and managed not to drift away with the waves.  It was a great day spent outside; however, this is not a place to go if you are looking for a beach.  This area in the north coast is mainly rock so it is great for outdoor adventures, but not so much lounging around.  The view was incredible by the water; you are completely surrounded by mountains everywhere you turn.  It’s hard to believe that we are living in such a busy area when you can escape so easily to the coast and get lost in the landscape.  I highly recommend taking a trip in this area so you can see the simplicity of life and the natural beauty we live in every day.  It never hurts to remind ourselves to appreciate Earth and everything living on it!      

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