Taiwan cycle, Day 9

Jilong to Hsinchu
Not much can be said about this day expect it was wet, windy and cold, definitely a bad combination!
The northern part of Taiwan looked bleak and miserable under a grey sky. All we wanted to do was hit the most northern point of Taiwan and then as quick as possible make our way south.
Unlike its southern counterpart that everybody knew, the most northern point of Taiwan was a mystery to most people, everybody seemed to have a different opinion as to where it was or no idea at all. After riding for a long time, unsure of which place it was, we decided that this spot with an old stone bridge seemed as good a place as any to declare as the northern point.

With the obligatory picture taken we quickly rode our way to the western side of Taiwan, we were desperately looking forward to having the wind with us. We cycled through the busy port of Danshui and over its big bridges, cycled along the north western coast, passed a huge nuclear power station and through many nondescript towns.
And yet even though the wind's direction did begin to change, the cold and the rain persisted, the only place that offered respite were the 7/11s.








So by the time we reached Hsinchu (well, a small town near there) we were fed up. We found a love hotel as there was no other place to stay. (On a small side note, the love hotel was amazing, great service, private garage, breakfast, a comfy bed and reasonable priced!)
After discussing it a great deal, we decided to call it a day and get a train home to Tainan. Yes, we didn't complete the loop, but that didn't really matter. I had a fantastic time cycling around (part of) Taiwan with Adrian and Andrea, saw some amazing sights and made a lot of great memories.

However, this was not the end of the trip, even though we didn't complete the loop in one go, a few weeks later we came back to Hsinchu (when it wasn't raining, or cold or windy) and did the final leg, which will be the last post of the trip.

Taiwan Cycle, Day 7

Nan'Ao to Fulong

I think the weather in this trip can be classed into days. The first three days were pretty hot and sunny. The next three days were cloudy and windy but generally dry. And then from day seven onwards the weather turned ugly. Along with the ever present wind, it was now rainy, cold and damp. And as you can see by the few photos I took, none of us really felt like stopping to take pictures.

Still, there were some interesting things in this leg of the trip.

After eating a measly breakfast consisting of a banana wrapped in toast, we left Nan'ao in the dark. We stopped off in Su'Ao to get a bigger breakfast. We didn't hang around as the town was ugly. The only thing that is memorable about this place was a dog that kept falling asleep standing up.
Cycling further north we passed a huge nuclear reactor that had a small town near it which probably served the people who worked in the plant. We stopped off here to get some lunch, big mistake! The food was mediocre and the restaurant was empty save us and three other people; a drunk girl, a guy making cat noises and a very old lady who looked like she wanted to die because she was stuck with those two. I am sure that living near a huge reactor is bad for the health.

As we were reaching the north eastern point, we stopped off to ask for directions to Fulong. A lady told us that there was an old railway tunnel somewhere behind us. So we could either cycle 5km around the cape, or take the 1km tunnel that cuts through the mountains straight to Fulong. The tunnel closed at 5pm and we only had 10min to find it. The tunnel couldn't be seen from the roadside, so we frantically rushed up and down small roads to find it. Thankfully we did.

By the time we reached Fulong it was getting late. yet we were still able to find a hotel. Two things about this hotel stick out, firstly, the shower door was frosted glass, so if you stepped too close to the door while showering, shapes could be made out!! And secondly, the room was so damp that water droplets were forming on the ceiling. Still, it was relatively cheap and the lady who ran it was very nice.

After eating dinner, Adrian and Andrea went back to the hotel room and I took a walk around the town to take some pictures. There was a small lantern exhibit in the middle of the park which was really amazing. Yet even the lanterns couldn't keep me out for long, the rain and wind soon drove me back into the hotel.

Taiwan Cycle, Day 6

Hualian county to Nan 'Ao

This was the first official day of the Chinese New Year holiday. The night before seemed to be one huge party on the streets, with firecrackers going off throughout the night.
With the start of Chinese New Year, this meant that everybody would be leaving their homes to go to their family home, so the roads were going to be busy. Luckily, because we were going north, the traffic was quite light as most Taiwanese work up north but their homes are in the south, so at least the traffic would be going in the opposite direction.

A very early start in Hualian, and yes, I am holding toothpaste and a toothbrush in the photo. I forgot to pack them away.









This turned out to be one of the best mornings, the skies were clear and the sun was out. It was pity it stay like that the whole day!

























After this picture, the mountains on one side of the valley began to grow smaller the closer we got to Hualian city; the East Rift valley road was coming to an end.
By the time we reached Hualian city, it was getting time for lunch. We found a bakery and got some cakes. The sugar rush was greatly appreciated.
Once we left Hualian, the only road we could take to go further north was the coastal road. I had heard a lot about this part of the coastal road; the Hualian to Su 'Ao section is a narrow two lane road that skirts along high cliffs, up and down hills, and through numerous tunnels. It was going to be an exciting leg!









One of the tourism information signs along the road went into the history of this road, I won't go on too much about it, but it did say that many people had died in the process of constructing the road. It's incredible that they were able to build a road along here, the rock is hard and the cliffs are steep.

At certain points along the road, we had to cycle through tunnels. At first, this caused us some confusion as at the entrance of the tunnels, it said no bikes allowed. Well, firstly, if no bikes are allowed, how could we go on with no other road available, and secondly, I don't think any of us were prepared to turn around. So we decided to ignore the signs and cycle through.
The tunnels were really exciting,




















The line you see in the photo below is the road we had to cycle up, and it didn't just stop at the end of the photo. When the road turned the corner, it just kept going up and up. However, before cycling up, there was a tiny town at the base of the road which was full of people all grateful that there was a place were one could eat, rest, go to toilet, etc. We took advantage of a small shop to buy some drinks and sweets for the road ahead.




















The clouds above me are a sign of the rain that was to come.












And with the start of the rain the plastic raincoats come out.

Taiwan Cycle, Day 4

Now this will be a very short post.

When we began cycling, two things were immediately apparent. Firstly, the sun was gone, hidden behind cloud. This was a kind of blessing as it made the day a lot cooler. However, it also meant that sometime later in the week, the rain would come.
And secondly, we were riding into the wind, and we would be riding into it all the way north. We knew before we began the trip that the wind on the east coast would be against us, but I don't think none of us realised how hard it would be.

So, with the wind pushing against us and tired muscles that hadn't fully recovered from the previous day's cycle, we were only able to cycle a measly 30km. We reached Taidong city and gave up for the day.
We stayed in a hotel that we had stayed in the previous year. We all got showered and changed, found a curry restaurant, did some fruit shopping, and then headed back to the hotel to rest up.

These two pictures are photos of the destruction caused by Typhoon Morakot. The river had burst its banks and destroyed or swept away homes and part of a bridge. It is easy to forget that although the typhoon is over, the clean up operation takes months to complete.








This fruit is a mystery to me, the translation of it is 'Buddha head', but it kind of resembles chirimoya/custard apple. Whatever it is, it's delicious, and they are a local speciality in Taidong County.








Taidong city
















Taidong is famous for producing the best fruit in Taiwan. A walk down 'Fruit street' is something to be seen, countless varieties of tropical fruits on sale.

Taiwan cycle, Day 3

Kenting to Dawu, or 'from the southern point to the eastern coast'.
This was one long day, so long that I'll keep the writing part short.

We left the hotel before sunrise to make the most of cool air as it quickly got hot after sunrise.
First stop of the day was the southern most point of Taiwan which strangely enough was full of mosquitoes. Thankfully, I have learnt to NEVER leave the house without my repellent.










Cycling on, we passed by some cliffs that gave an amazing view of the surrounding area.








My favourite part of the day, second breakfast. After eating 'first breakfast' in our hotel room (fruit, yoghurt, cereal), by the time 8/9am rolled by I needed something a little more substantial, so a stop at breakfast shop for a tuna sandwiches with egg and a tea was essential!









Cycling through the hills we passed some great sights, plus we also came across this great looking lizard that you can see more of in the video.








The midday heat was just too much to take, so at first we hid in this little pagoda and chewed on some snacks. However, hunger was urging us on, so we cycled on through the heat to stumble upon an amazing little restaurant in the middle of nowhere that catered for cyclists!!

The manager told us that from her restaurant onwards, it was going to be a long uphill journey to reach the cross-island highway. She wasn't wrong.

We popped into the shop next to the restaurant to buy some snacks for the uphill journey where I was surprised to see an Axolotl kept as a pet.








The journey uphill was tough and hot and humid. However, the views were worth the toil.

















Finally, after hours of going uphill, we reached the end of the 199 which connects to the cross-island highway. The rest area that was offered didn't really look particularly inviting nor open.








The moths were about the size of my hand, insects here are just bigger! Then one last photo from the top of the mountain before the journey down to the east coast.








And after a long day's ride there is nothing better than a filling and delicious meal.









I think I kept this write up quite brief! Quite the opposite of the video!