Day 5 in Taipei 2013 (V) - Shuinadong (水湳洞)

After departing Houtong (㺅硐), we headed straight for Shuinadong (水湳洞). While driving on the North Coastal Highway (北部濱海公路) before turning into Jinshui Highway (金水公路), we saw the Yinyan Sea (陰陽海). But we didn't stop to take photos as there was plenty of traffic. Yinyan Sea gets its name due to the intense contrast between the yellowish-brown water in the bay and the azure blue water toward the open sea.

We saw the Shuinandong Smelter or also known as the Thirteen-tiered Relics (水湳洞十三層選煉場) on the way to the Golden Waterfall. Shuinandong Smelter was built during Japanese Colonial Era and was also called Mine Selection Plant which was a place for mine selection. Due to its construction appearance, people mostly call it “Remains of the thirteen levels” (十三層遺址). The smelter has been abandoned, but it was once used for all kinds of stages in the process of gold extraction.

Shuinandong Smelter - since I was young, it somehow reminds me of a Mayan pyramid

The rocks and stream bed are stained to a golden-yellow colour by the iron in the water

After the smelter, just a little distance up the road is the Golden Waterfall (黃金瀑布). Golden Waterfall, appears a golden-yellow in color due to the large quantities of iron in the stream water.

After Shuinadong, we drove on to Jinguashi (金瓜石) which will be detailed in the next post.