On my birthday weekend, Robert and I decided to go to Fulong Beach in Northern Taiwan. It took us around 2 hours of total travel time to get there: 45 minutes to Taipei Main Station on the MRT and an hour and 15 minutes by the TRA (Taiwan Railway Administration). The weather was sunny and sticky, but there was a nice breeze that brought some relief from the baking sun and humidity. We had heard there was a free section of the beach, but now knowing where this elusive entrance was located, we made our way in through the private section where we paid the small fee of 80 NT (around $2.50 U.S.). The beach was beautiful, with golden sand, small blue and white-capped waves, and best of all, no crowds. At first we thought this was due to the fact that it was Mother's Day weekend, but when we left around 5 p.m., hordes of people were starting to cram their way down the bridge walkway towards the beach. (In contrast to American culture, where people will pay money to sit in tanning booths or at the very least enjoy the effects of the sun and a little color that comes along with it, most Taiwanese avoid the sun as much as possible. You will see the same number of umbrellas up on sunny days as you will rainy ones, and most of their lotions and makeup feature skin-whitening. I've had women run up to me in the street while I've been wearing a tank top in 90 degree weather and point at my arms in genuine concern!)