So my usual partners in crime (the Adrians) and I decided to go cycling for three days to the east coast!.
Getting there was probably the hardest part of the whole journey, as we don't have cars, we had to rely on public transport. Getting to Taipei was the hardest part, it involved having to dismantle and re-mantle our into large black bin bags several times (why didn't we think of cycling bags, I don't know!) and then carry them around Taipei in the middle of the night.
Anyway, we got a hotel, and then at the crack of dawn we got up and made our way to the train station. Luckily,
the first train to Hualian had a special bicycle compartment, we bought the tick es and made our was to the ticket gate, where the gate man told he didn't think we would be allowed to bring road bikes on the train (the one with the bike compartment!), only folding bicycles were allowed. Anyway, after proving that when dismantled, our bikes were small, did he let us go through, only to find a whole group of guys with road bikes waiting at the platform!!On the train, only two of our tickets had seats, so the Andrews took them and I sat in the bike compartment which was actually a lot of fun as I got to hang out with the other cyclists.
Arriving at Hualian, we discovered that Adrian's bike had a problem, so before we could start our adventure, we had to get that fixed. Once fixed, off we went.
The first road we went on was neither the coastal road (11) nor the East rift valley road (9). Instead, we had heard that there was a smaller, less used road between them, the 193.
This was a great choice, hardly any traffic, a few challenging hills and lots of farm and country scenery. At then end of the first day, we stayed at Fongbin, at the only hotel (is that too good a word to use?!) in town.
Day 1 - The middle road
Adrian and Andrea with their bikes!
Countryside along the 193 (which had some rest stops specifically for cyclists)
First Andrea...and the Adrian
The bath of the hotel in Fongbin (note the red bowl used to splash water on myself!)
Day 2 - The East coast Highway
After cycling along the mountains, we decided we wanted to see some sea, so we took the coastal road, and what a good choice it was, clear blue skies, a cool breeze and amazing ocean/mountain views!
As the previous night we stayed in a hotel, this night we wanted to go camping.
Along the coastal highway, there are quite a few camping stops, unfortunately, the majority are not marked on maps. We cycled a long way that day and asked quite a few people (most were not sure), but after talking to a policeman, we discovered that some police stations had campsites behind them.
Looking very happy to be by the sea
Group shot!
My can of 'P', and Adrian drinking my 'P'. He really did love my 'P'
A very big beetle (Taiwan is home to many species of beetles), this one is called a 天牛 (tian niu), but have no idea what that is in English.
One thing you think you would be sure to pack on a trip is underwear. I forgot! So, I had to buy some of 7/11's very handy/horrific/snug/tight/70's porno/thin/ pants. I was grateful that I had a chance to change into some clean underwear, but still, wearing these did disturb me somewhat!
We didn't find a campsite till well in the dark!
Day 3 - The road to Taidong
After waking up, and putting away our tents, it was time to check our bikes and make them ready for the road again. On the way to Taidong, we made a little detour to a beach.
As we neared Taidong, the excitement of reaching our goal was fading, and the reality that we would be back in Tainan the next day began to sink in.
Still, we made the most of our last night in Taidong, ate sushi, went fruit shopping and even watched the new Star Trek film (which was surprisingly fun). A very relaxed way to spend our last night.
No comments:
Post a Comment