Ci xxx

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Beigan

there are airports on both Nangan and Beigan, so some people plan arrival and departure from each island

ex. fly to Nangan then leave from Beigan

Beigan is the 2nd biggest island, but the moutains (hills I would say, they are quite small compared with the ones from Taiwan main island)

if you drive up the Bishan lookout, you can see the runway and the east part of the island

and some white sand beaches

if you like planes Beigan is a good place to see planes depart and land

the beaches look nice from afar but the islands are quite close to mainland China,

which means it's not comparable to the ones in Taiwan main island or other outlying islands of Taiwan!

I think the best beach in all of Matsu's five islands is the one in Xiju

but if you would like to have some sun and water it's alright, waves are mild

we saw amazing blue tears here at night and went into the water for a little swim!!

- war and peace memorial park

this is the east part of the island, where the traffic light is to direct uphill/downhill

there are 3 strongholds in this area and they have amazing view

find your spot for blue tears night shots in the day, so you get great pictures at night!

you also come across goats in Beigan, they are just so cute!!!

in spring and summer there are countless butterflies

- Qinbi village

Qinbi is at the north part of the island, it's known for the Northern Fujian style stone houses

with the vegetation and seaview it looks a bit mediterranean 

many people choose to stay in hostels in this area,

it's a nice experience to live in a stone house, the only downside is you need to carry your luggage up the stairs!

Dongyin

Dongyin is the one furthest away from China mainland and closest to Taiwan,

so the color of the sea is much nicer than the other 4 islands

and the Taima ferry was a nice experience for us because we've never been on such a big ship before!

view of Nangan island as the ferry sailed away

Dongyin is more quite, with only 1 7-11 on the island,

and the little town center is pretty much where you can find food on the island

-Dongao beach

"西引東澳海灘" on google map, a small pebble beach to get in the water a bit

the beach is not big, but the water is cool and clean

- the crocodile

as the name suggests, the west part of the island looks like a crocodile !

the crocodile part has some looksouts, and there are only 3 households on the west part so there is almost no light at night,

which makes it the perfect place to see blue tears or stars at night!

we went there in August and there were no blue tears in August 2018 when we went,

but there was a meteor shower, so we took a picnic mat

and just lied on the ground and enjoyed a night of shooting stars with a clear view of the milky way

- Andong tunnel

this is one of the most impressive tunnels in Matsu, the stairs can be tiring for some but you won't be dissapointed.

you get great views from the lookouts, we were lucky to have amazing weather

the sea is definitely prettier than other islands of Matsu, we found many scenic spots on the drive around the island

- Dongyin lighthouse

this is one of my favorite spots in Matsu, it is just SO BEAUTIFUL !!!!!!

the white lighthouse, green plants and deep blue sea make a great picture

we also came here at night to see if there were traces of blue tears,

we didn't find any blue tears but the nightview of stars was amazing here, and the sound of the lighthouse at night was quite special

we chatted with some fellow photography lovers and the lighthouse guard!

he was happy to have someone to talk to at night!

- Dongyin spider lilies

we went at a season with no blue tears but it was the season for Dongyin spider lilies!!

these flowers are in dreamy unicorn colors and only bloom 2-3 weeks in a year from late July to early August

- Northernmost point of Taiwan

at the west side of the island there is a little stone with the texts "northernmost territory of the country"

the "point" is actually the little rock you see in the sea in the picture,

and you can only see that rock when it's low tide

this is also a popular check-in spot in Matsu.

do try Guo Li bean curd in Dongyin, best dessert to have on a hot day!