May 20, 2026 / Yilan, Taiwan
In the morning, I headed to the riverside at Dadaocheng Wharf.
Today, I walked with MeowSnap again, hoping to find a few cats.
Just after leaving the hotel, I spotted a cat in a small alley.
“Maybe today will be a lucky day.”
With that thought in my mind, I walked to the riverside. I walked, ran, and even did a few pull-ups.
After returning to the hotel, it was time to head to Yilan.
From Taipei to Yilan
In the afternoon, I took a bus to Yilan.
The Taipei Bus Station was close to my hotel, so it was an easy choice.
The fare was 145 TWD (about US$4.80).
As the bus got closer to Yilan, the scenery slowly began to change. Some parts reminded me of Japan, and I noticed many large houses along the way.
Before I knew it, we had arrived.
Walking Around the City Looking for Cats
After leaving the station, I started walking around the city.
Yilan felt smaller than Hualien and was easy to explore. I looked for cats with MeowSnap, but I couldn’t find any.
I did find a cat in a pet shop.
That felt like cheating.
So I decided to keep looking on my own.
After a while, I got hungry and stopped at a dumpling restaurant. When I ordered dumplings, the staff recommended hot and sour soup.
I decided to try it, and it was much better than I expected.
If I come back to Yilan, I’ll probably order it again.
Working at a Cafe in Yilan
Even after walking around the city, I still couldn’t find any cats.
I decided to take a short break and went to 26 Coffee.
Google Maps still showed it as Louisa Coffee, but it seems to be a different cafe now.
Unfortunately, it was closing at 4:00 PM.
I worked for a short time, then decided to try another cafe nearby.
Finding Cats at Last
“Maybe there aren’t any cats today.”
“Should I cheat?”
That was what I was thinking as I walked toward another café.
When I got there, I saw many young people inside.
“Hmm… this doesn’t feel right.”
So I decided to keep walking.
A few steps later, I found a cat in a small alley.
I opened MeowSnap and took a few photos. As I followed the alley, I found a small park called Yangming Old Tree Plaza.
At the back of the park, a cat was sleeping peacefully on top of a stone monument. The monument was protected by a glass case, so it looked like the cat had its own little display box.
While I was taking photos, a woman from a nearby shop spoke to me.
“Would you like to hold the cat?”
Of course, I said yes.
The cat was very friendly.
If I had gone into that café, I would never have walked down this street. And I probably would never have met this cat.
Then I remembered what I had thought that morning.
“Maybe today will be a lucky day.”
Maybe it was only a coincidence.
But somehow, it felt like the day had quietly guided me here.
Back to Taipei
With a lighter step, I walked to Dongmen Night Market.
I had a scallion pancake, walked around the city for a little while, and then headed back to the station.
This time, I returned to Taipei by train. The ticket cost 306 TWD (about US$10.20).
I had a window seat, but it wasn’t on the ocean side.
That was a little disappointing.
Today, I started with a morning run, looked for cats in Yilan, worked for a little while in a cafe, and returned to Taipei.
I think my “Low-Energy Travel Strategy” worked again.
Next time, I’ll look back on the five days I spent in Taiwan with MeowSnap.
I think it changed the way I enjoy traveling.
If you’d like to keep a record of the cats you meet while traveling, give MeowSnap a try.
