Taiwan's east coast and outer islands

Most visitors to Taiwan see the crowded western plain, where the big cities are. The east coast feels very different: mountains drop almost straight into the Pacific, and towns are small and far apart.

Sanxiantai, on the coast of Taitung County, is a small rocky island linked to the shore by a long footbridge whose arches rise and fall like a sea dragon's back. It is a popular spot for sunrise, since nothing lies between it and the open ocean to the east.

The Matsu Islands sit on the other side of Taiwan entirely, close to the coast of mainland China. They are known for their villages of stone houses stacked on steep hillsides above the sea, built from local granite and quite unlike the architecture of Taiwan's main island. Late light on the stone gives them a warm, almost Mediterranean look.

The last frame shows a newer feature of the Taiwanese coast: rows of wind turbines turning against the sunset, part of the island's push towards renewable energy.

---

Photos: purrlicious, 12019, nameks on Pixabay, used under the Pixabay Content License. These are not my photographs.