Last Friday, my sister Kemiko and I went on a trip to a beach called Wu Shi Gang(烏石港) in Yilan(宜蘭), a county located in the northeast of Taiwan, with a group of technicians who work for Eva Airline. 16 people in four cars hit the road around 7 a.m. in the morning and arrived sometime before 11 as we drove in circle for nearly an hour looking for the spot for surfing. The reason why a sandy beach has to be discovered is thanks to geographically, the shoreline is mostly profiled as a rugged coast in the East of Taiwan, whereas the West is characterized by plains or shoals.

My first time surfing: posing the moves, it's way more difficult doing it when you get down to the water though.

I got off the car with no second thought holding me behind and feverishly rushed off toward the ocean, but before I could taste the salt blended in the air, a shadow appeared in sight as I marched forward caught me. It was an image I don’t constantly encounter in the area I live in where people shelter themselves from sunbeams with umbrellas and long sleeves winter clothes, here were men and women in a beautiful skin tone that shines with golden blaze. I was hypnotized by their beauty that I uncontrollably pressed the shutter. For a moment, a rather absurd thought invaded my mind and I silently bade myself: “This is where I belong.” with a sense of identification, in our appearance.

"My People": A cute guy who works in one of those rental shops.

There are rental shops for surfing board all over the place. You pay NTD500 for a surfing board for all day plus a free charge of clean shower afterwards. I surfed, played volleyball, rested and surfed again. Although the price you pay comes with a cursory couch on surfing 101, I found it rewarding as long as I got to float in the dynamic ocean longer than 3 hits of waves. It’s a lot easier to swim in a still water like a fish strolls in a pond, but to work with the dramatic and constant changing ocean, it’s only the matter of time for her to turn her back on you and curl you up with a deadly surge. When I realized that my kicks may not roll myself up to the shore, I decided not to mess with her and play safe.

Me and some of the people we travelled with. I got more tanned(but not burned) after a day of wild run under UV rays.