Tuesday December 7th, 2025.
There was a small, but significant change in our routine today, because instead of meeting at Chiayi HSR, the three northerners could now alight at Tainan HSR and collect the lovely local lad Tim, in a taxi on our way to Yuguang Island in AnPing, close to where we had finished day 32. Additionally, our choice of destination didn’t astound the taxi driver, as we were heading to a popular surf beach instead of some desolate spot, which has never felt the footfall of foreigners before. The sun was high and the wind was low so it was a warm start to the day; a paddle in the sea was tempting but limited time ruled that out. The beach did look very pleasant but unfortunately there was no way of walking south at this point, so we set off over the bridge linking Yuguang Island and Anping and began winding through the outskirts of Tainan.
As ever, our bright-eyed Yorkshireman commanded the God of Google, and Martyn’s magnificent map mastery mainly minimised meandering and mistakes. However, we appeared to hit a snag when a large fence blocked our way to a road, that would take us further south. Fortunately, we spotted a small gap in the fence and squeezed our slim(ish) frames through and onto the large, fairly deserted road. There was a little frisson of excitement now, as we weren’t entirely sure we should be walking along here. It shortly became clear that we were walking through the Port of Tainan when we saw a large, lonely rig towering on our right. A solid, slightly sun-faded, pink-walled fire station now came into view and numerous large ships were moored in the harbour. So, there was no shortage of interesting things to gaze on but the feeling persisted – were we actually allowed in here? The occasional vehicle passed us and we saw small groups of workers, but no one challenged us until we reached the gates of the main entrance.
As we slipped past a gatehouse checkpoint, a voice called out in Chinese, “Come over here.”
We walked on.
“Oi — you lot — which ship have you come off?”
We quickened our pace. The chap in the gatehouse let us be, and we crossed the road with intent, marching into one of Tainan’s original industrial zones. This was one of the places where Taiwan’s economic miracle began and there are still companies here churning out weighing machines and air conditioners, while in other parts of Taiwan, gleaming new factories produce chips and computers. We still had a couple of busy roads to negotiate but there were things of interest to see; the huge new Eslite store, the Sanyi Cast Iron Foundry, that had its walls decorated with old castings, and workers sorting oysters in the mangroves. Martyn even spotted a Little Cormorant (小鸕) mother bird feeding a chick high up in a tree and then shortly thereafter, a blackbird’s egg lying on the pavement. We were almost at the coast now but figuring there would be little shade by the sea, we spotted a small shrine dedicated to Fúdé Zhèngshén (福德正神) amongst the roadside trees and stopped there for a snack break.
Refreshed and re-invigorated, we soon reached a long, straight elevated boardwalk cutting cleanly through the mangroves. We then got onto a concrete path, bringing us closer to the beach and passed a sign informing us we were now at the Little US Military Beach (小美軍沙灘), a stretch of coast once used during the Cold War era, when US military advisers and Taiwanese forces trained in coastal and amphibious zones. Another sign used the clever alliteration “Caution Crabs Crossing”. None appeared on the path, but as soon as we hit the beach we saw several, surreptitiously scuttling speedily sideways across the sun-scorched sand. They are actually ghost crabs (幽靈蟹) and as Martyn discovered, can vanish astonishingly fast when approached. The beach now petered out and we got back onto the paved path besides a white elephant; a large building built to bring tourists to Tainan’s Golden Coast, that had quickly closed down due to lack of business. The shower area was still wrapped up in plastic sheeting and the whole area was deserted.
The boardwalk reappeared, making for a pleasant perambulation with splendid sea views southwards. A sign informed us that we were in the Waterside Park and we passed trees that Martyn correctly identified as screw pines (露兜樹) or Pandanus, which frequently grow in coastal areas in the south of Taiwan. We knew there was a large river ahead and as usual, we approached the bridge with some trepidation as we normally end up having to double back to find a way up but as we rounded a corner, a joyous sight greeted our eyes – a ramp directly up to the bridge. With a spring in our step we strolled swiftly across and, near the far side, were met by another welcome sight: a sign marking the border of Kaohsiung City. Of course, the city centre itself was still a considerable distance away, but it felt good to cross into what is effectively Kaohsiung County, and we celebrated with a brief stop, once we’d got off the bridge, for some munching.
As we set off again, another sign told us that we were now on the Qieding Coast — optimistically branded the “Happiness Coast” — and we certainly felt light-hearted and cheerful. We wanted to replenish our water supplies but, despite being in a residential area, we passed three temples close together but no sign at all of a convenience store. We therefore wove our way through a tangle of narrow lanes and, a short distance inland, finally spotted a 7-Eleven stocking the usual array of cold beverages.
Our route then carried us away from the coast, past yet more temples, before reaching a working aquaculture landscape, where aerators churned the water to increase oxygen levels for fish and shrimp. Nearby, a drained pond lay open to the sky, its cracked mud and stranded pipes marking the pause between production cycles, while in another emptied pond, dozens of Little Egrets (小白鷺) had gathered. An information board explained that we were now walking through the former Qieding salt flats; as the salt industry faded, aquaculture took over, and a ruined salt-works building completed the rather desolate scene. Along the path we saw lantana flowers and leucaena or lead trees, both non-native and highly invasive in Taiwan.
We crossed a large road with rows of eucalyptus trees to Lover’s Wharf, a small marina filled with leisure craft, rather than working fishing boats. It was now late afternoon and the light was slowly beginning to fade. One final effort remained: a long trudge along a stretch of highway, past an odd roadside sculpture depicting a woman with a child, and then over a narrow canal where bougainvillea spilled colourfully down the bank. After that, we could stop.
Our final destination was a 7-Eleven, where we called a taxi to take us into Tainan for a well-deserved celebratory dinner. Much as we love the Xia Lin Restaurant, we felt that eating there three walking nights in a row might be a step too far, and fortunately, after thirty years of living in Tainan, Tim was able to recommend an alternative. Sadly, on arrival it was closed, so it was back to our old favourite, the Xia Lin. The staff greeted us enthusiastically as our troop of tired, thirsty travellers tramped towards the tables — and not just any table: we were seated at exactly the same one we had occupied the week before, though this time we ordered a different selection of delicious dishes. With stomachs thoroughly satisfied, three of the group headed off to the FuWard Hotel, while Tim went home, leaving us to rest up in preparation for Day 34.
End of Day 33. By Richie Rich.
Total Distance Walked Today 24.57 km.
Total Distance Walked in Total 685.1 km.
