[Taipeisky]

Taiwan is a mountainous island with only 20% of the land habitable, which is highly concentrated on the plain corridor along the western coast.
The high speed rail started operation early this year has made the major cities on western coast to a huge urban as a whole.
And There are 3 major expressway from north to south along the western coast (no.1, 3, 61), and 12 from west to east linking the coast to the inner part of the plain (no. 62~88).
As you may guess, the high density of the expressways are due to the high density of people and urbans, but the 3 major lines along the western corridor still cannot satisfiy the traffic demand during the rush hour and vacations for taipei citizens going back to their hometowns in southern part of taiwan.

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/express_ew.jpg

On the contrary, the eastern coast is populated by only 1 million people, and the cliffs and mountains dominate the eastern coast, which makes building expressway even more difficult.
And that's why the eastern coast preserves such an abundant range of wildlife and natural environment without any pollution.

Yesterday, I drove down to the eastern coast at midnight to wait for the sunrise from pacific ocean at Su-ao, and it took only 1 hour and a half from taipei.
Sunrise from the sea level is very rare for taiwanese people for the reason that most taiwanese live in the weastern coast, where you can only observe the sunrise form mountains.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0128.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0125.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0133.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0158.jpg

Highway no.9, which is not upgraded to expressway yet.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0143.jpg

Coast along highway no.9

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0292-2.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0190.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0739-2.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0193.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0039.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0825.jpg

fishing boats
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0744.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_1000-1.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0019.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0066.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0295-1.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0195.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0785.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0794.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0821.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0798.jpg

Valley in Nan-ao.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0932.jpg

http://s204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/?action=view&current=DSC_0240-2.jpg

Highway no.9 in the village of eastern taiwan.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0946.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0939-1.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0746.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0707.jpg

Looking down to the harbor from the highway.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0704.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0322.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0262.jpg

Expressway no.5, on the way back to taipei.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0347.jpg

Countryside od eastern taiwan through the highway fences.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0351.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0353.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0355.jpg

Heading for north, the direction to taipei.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0358.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0359.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0358.jpg

Xueshan tunnel of 12.9km, the longest highway tunnel in asia.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0360.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0363.jpg

Lanes of opposite direction are down under.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0364.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0366.jpg

Expressway no.5 through the mountain.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0370.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0371.jpg

Another shorter tunnel.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0372.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0374.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0376.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0379.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0381.jpg

Interchange to a small town.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0384.jpg

Road sign board with the layout of the xpressway system in taipei.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0386.jpg

Conjunction to expressway no.3
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0388.jpg

Expressway no.3
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0389.jpg

Almost there.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0392.jpg

Conjunction to expressway no.3A
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0398.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0399.jpg

On the 3A, driving down to the taipei basin.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0401.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0402.jpg

The skyscraper as an indicator of our approaching to the city.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0403.jpg

To the end.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0406.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0404.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0407.jpg

Here we are, back to Taipei.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0411.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0422.jpg

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0426.jpg

Back to home!!
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0431.jpg


Route map for this journey.
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/02-300dpi.jpg

[giallo]

I absolutely adore the east coast of Taiwan. Esily one of my favourite places on the planet. It's my and my girlfriend's plan to buy a nice little vacation house close to the ocean in Taidong.

[duabi]

Buying a little land to build a dream house there is also my dream. Two years ago I took a train to Taidong from Taipei. I think Hua-Dong Valley area is very nice and it can be reached by the trains.

I think maybe Taiwan's east coast is one of the least polluted areas in East Asia. From some sattilte photos of the sandstorm from Mongolia, they reach as far as Taiwan and Japan, but in Taiwan, most of the sandstorm is blocked by Taiwan's Central Range. The Central Range also blocks the pollution from Taiwan's West Coast. Also, there is no industry that produces polution in the East Coast

[pierre-laurent]

great east coast pics, i love it!

[sungFFman]

http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0262.jpg

I like that shirt, may I ask where can I find one in the states ;)

[Br@vehe@rt]

Great pics and Great scene!
And I like this pic best.
酒後不開車，安全有保證
hehe:D
http://i204.photobucket.com/albums/bb157/ea1114/DSC_0381.jpg