I imagine the buildings enveloping the sidewalks is nice during the summer sun.

Fitting for an area with marble quarries, Hualien's beach had top notch rocks.

It had gotten into my head that a bike was the best way to see Taroko Gorge—a car too cumbersome, a scooter too dangerous, and too far to hike. I couldn't find anyone to take me to the top, so I prepared to do it the hard way. I started before dawn in Hualien, took the train to the gorge mouth at Xincheng, and started out. The early morning was cool with a heavy overcast, perfect for bicyling uphill.

A series of (very touristy) landmarks at the Lotus Pond on the outskirts of Kaohsiung. I had little context here, so, to match my experience, I won't provide any.

Sometimes enveloping the high ground, sometimes receeding into the valleys: clouds ebb and flow over the Hehuan Mountain highlands.

Saying goodbye to Taiwan.

Solar forecasts indicated the aurora might be visible as far south as California. I was skeptical. Despite growing up in Alaska, I'd only seen the aurora once, and that was an half-hearted showing: just a patch of dim red sky pulsing slowly.

But it was worth a try, so I arrived on Limantour Beach at sunset and set out to the west. For two hours I walked, the ocean quiet, the crescent moon setting. Maybe the sky to the north was brighter than normal? I wasn't sure. More walking, past the pine silhouettes, almost at the exit. And there it was! Dancing slowly upwards, into the stars. The aurora was too faint for color vision, so this is a faithful depiction of my view.

Snakes can swim! With the same slither as on soil.