Bike Ride: Hualian to Taidong (from Taipei)

(pics below)

I cycled part of the East Coast this past week. Left Taipei late Monday night on juguang train with my Giant Halfway RS (folding bicycle).

I started cycling at around 4:30am and from the Hualian train station and it was actually pretty simple getting to the coastal road (#11). From there it was ocean, a couple of hills and tunnels, and a beautiful sunrise until a long climb after about 20-something kms.

On the other side of the climb I came to the town and beach of Jici (jee-chee). I almost spent the night here it was so stunning (and I was nearly asleep from not sleeping much on the train), but I didn’t have enough cash on me, the Jici Beach Resort didn’t have a credit card machine and there wasn’t an ATM nearby.

I spent the first night at Shitiping (shr-tee-ping), 60+km, a small fishing village. I stayed at the guest house above the big seafood restaurant recommended by Ferrein, huge clean room and bathroom, Tv with cable, fridge, wardrobe, etc. Well worth 1000 per night.

The plan was to cycle to Dulan (just north of Taidong) and spend 2 nights there, but there was a typhoon on the way and they weren’t sure whether or not it would hit the south of the island (it didn’t). So I decided to go straight on to Taidong and catch the train back.

20-30km from Taidong I got a rear puncture. While I was busy folding my bike up to put in it’s bag and try to hike, some dude on his scooter stopped to help. We couldn’t fit the bike on the front so I was going sit on the back and hold it.

We were just leaving when some lady pulled up in a car. Her husband is also a cyclist and she thought it would be good Karma to help out. She took me all the way to Taidong after stopping to show me some of the sights (Jinzu beach looks amazing!).

After taking me to get the flat fixed, I had lunch with her and her husband (I tried to pay but they wouldn’t let me) and then they took me to catch the 1:20pm train back to Taipei.

I sent my bike back to Taipei from a Giant shop in Taidong (NT400$) and it arrived safely here on Friday. I would recommend this as it’s a mission taking a bike on a train and you’re actually not supposed to do it on any of them except the local trains. Apparently you can also hire a bike in Hualian, cycle to Taidong and then leave it there (or vice-versa).

Although the sights, beaches and relaxed atmosphere were a nice change from Taipei, the highlight for me was the people that I met along the way. It was my first time on the East Coast and I’ll most definitely be back.

More pics…
http://s152.photobucket.com/albums/s198/JardiniBoy/2008%2008%2018%20East%20Coast%20Bike%20Trip/

That’s very cool. Thanks for sharing the story and pics.
I like the idea of travelling around on a bike. It’s both enjoyable and a challenge. And I don’t mean just physically. I’ve met some cyclists on those roads down South and with all that crazy traffic it’s not easy.
Love how the Karma lady helped you. And how she’s open about her reasons. lol

Very cool. Great pics. I’d love to do some riding over on that side of the island someday - it looks beautiful.

Thanks for the comments guys.

She is actually also a teacher and was on her way to school to prepare for the next semester. So she actually gave up her whole day to help me and had to go back another time to prepare. No matter all the bad things some people have to say about this place, there are a lot of really friendly and helpful people here.

Lovely stuff. Did you know there is a cool campground at Shitiping though, right on the beach.

In any case, did you get any info on where you can rent a bike in Hualien? That would be great to not to have to bother taking one down and back.

This is a trip that I’ve always longed to take. Thanks for sharing.
I understand there’s also an inland road (#9 I believe), which takes you through some idyllic countryside. Did you do any research comparing the #11 and #9 before you set out? Is it possible to traverse from one to the other and get the best of both worlds?

[quote=“Incubus”]This is a trip that I’ve always longed to take. Thanks for sharing.
I understand there’s also an inland road (#9 I believe), which takes you through some idyllic countryside. Did you do any research comparing the #11 and #9 before you set out? Is it possible to traverse from one to the other and get the best of both worlds?[/quote]
Its possible, but you’d have to be in pretty good shape to do it on a bike as it crosses the coastal range. Its a very narrow steep road. Very spectacular, though.

No, it’s not … it’s a wide almost freeway kind of road in places … but not that idyllic … and, it runs through a valley …

Huh? The hell are you talking about? It’s a tiny road – only room for a single car to pass in some points. You’re getting confused in your old age.

Huh? The hell are you talking about? It’s a tiny road – only room for a single car to pass in some points. You’re getting confused in your old age.[/quote]

No, it’s not … I’ve done it last year … #9 down to Taidong … #11 up to Hualian … both excellent roads … ok, it’s the other way around, #9 is going through the valley but #11 is a nice idyllic road, newly surfaced and wide in some places … it has a few climbs going away from the coast a couple of times …

[quote=“Mucha Man”]Lovely stuff. Did you know there is a cool campground at Shitiping though, right on the beach.

In any case, did you get any info on where you can rent a bike in Hualian? That would be great to not to have to bother taking one down and back.[/quote]

I didn’t notice the campground and might check it out next time, but it’s also nice to chill in an air conditioned room after cycling in the sun all morning.

I heard about the bike rental from the Giant shop in Taidong. I’m not sure if it’s through Giant that you hire the bikes or another company, but their number is 08 934 7416.

[quote=“Incubus”]This is a trip that I’ve always longed to take. Thanks for sharing.
I understand there’s also an inland road (#9 I believe), which takes you through some idyllic countryside. Did you do any research comparing the #11 and #9 before you set out? Is it possible to traverse from one to the other and get the best of both worlds?[/quote]

Well, the original plan was actually to go through the mountains from Taipei to Hualian and then along the coast as I did. I didn’t do this due to time constraints and also because whilst folding bikes handle short climbs fine, longer ones can be exhausting.

Huh? The hell are you talking about? It’s a tiny road – only room for a single car to pass in some points. You’re getting confused in your old age.[/quote]

What are you talking about? The 9 is a wide road. Are you confusing it with the 195 which runs parallel? But even this is relatively flat and is used by most cyclists now as there is little traffic. The narrow steep roads are the ones connecting the 9 and 11 such as the 23 or 64. Or the 197 which runs from taidong to Fuli. But that is still dirt in places so few riders take it.

The smaller roads MM mentions are the way to go in the Rift Valley. And you get to see some lovely unspoiled corners of rural Taiwan. Actually the 197 is quite popular because of the unpaved section (gravel, not dirt) between Guanshan and Luye. BTW, it rains a LOT in Shitiping (note for campers) and bike camping can be a drag because of all the extra weight.

Interesting. That is a great ride. Glad you enjoyed it.

I just did this ride last week, but in the opposite direction–actually, I started from Yang Mei and ended in Hualian–but for me the highlights have always been route 200/26/199 from Kenting to Hsu Hai and up to the # 9, and route 11 from Taitung to Hualian. I’ll post some pics later on in the week when I have time.

The 193/195/197 route is amazingly spectacular, but better during the cooler months of the year. In the summer I like to stick to the coast where it tends to be a bit cooler.

I’ve never actually ridden through without getting rained on, very welcome in the warmer months of the year, though.

Actually, I was just thinking this past week to plan a trip either from Taitung to Hualian or from Fang Liao (Pingtung County) to Taitung over the Double Ten holiday weekend, which will be three days–Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I’ve done both rides countless times, and though there will be holiday traffic, it shouldn’t be that bad.
The ride from Fang Liao to Taitung will be more difficult, but riding the specatacular # 200/26 will more than make up for it.
The Taitung to Hualian ride could include a detour up the Tai Yuan valley. I’ve ridden by the Tai Yuan Valley a number of times going from Taitung to Hualian, but have never gone up because I was always strapped for time. I’ve heard from the locals that there are scores of Formosan Macaques up that valley along with some interesting topography.

Both could be two-day rides, Fang Liao to Hsu Hai via Kenting on a Saturday and Hsu Hai to Taitung the following Sunday, or, Taitung to the Tai Yuan Valley to Chang Bing on a Saturday and Chang Bing to Hualian on the following Sunday. However, stretching it out over three days would make it that more accessible for folks who are not so accustomed to long rides. And, of course, we could always do each ride in the opposite direction.

BTW, Fang Liao, Hualian and Taitung are ideal starting points for the mere fact that those are places where you can ship your bicycles to and from by train. Also, shipping a bike by train is relatively simple and cheap–300 $NT from Yang Mei to Hualian and about 430 $NT from Yang Mei to Fan Liao.

Let me know by PM if you’re interested.
Syd

Wookie, do you know you can ride directly east of Fangliao along the Jin Shui Yin Historic Trail? First half is on the road but the last half is a trail and then riverbed, 99.5% rideable downhill according to Barking Deer:
barking-deer.com/jingswei.htm

Huh? The hell are you talking about? It’s a tiny road – only room for a single car to pass in some points. You’re getting confused in your old age.[/quote]

What are you talking about? The 9 is a wide road. Are you confusing it with the 195 which runs parallel? But even this is relatively flat and is used by most cyclists now as there is little traffic. The narrow steep roads are the ones connecting the 9 and 11 such as the 23 or 64. Or the 197 which runs from taidong to Fuli. But that is still dirt in places so few riders take it.[/quote]
OP asked if there were any roads connecting the 11 and the 9, so that’s what I was talking about. There’s at least one that I’ve used, but there are probably more.

Ah, indeed your response was to the possibility of connecting from one to the other. Deepest bu hao yisi’s to ya. :blush:

[quote=“Mucha Man”]Wookie, do you know you can ride directly east of Fangliao along the Jin Shui Yin Historic Trail? First half is on the road but the last half is a trail and then riverbed, 99.5% rideable downhill according to Barking Deer:
barking-deer.com/jingswei.htm[/quote]
That would be a good trail to…hike.
I am not a good enough technical rider, though it does look tempting.

[quote=“sandman”][quote=“Muzha Man”]
What are you talking about? The 9 is a wide road. Are you confusing it with the 195 which runs parallel? But even this is relatively flat and is used by most cyclists now as there is little traffic. The narrow steep roads are the ones connecting the 9 and 11 such as the 23 or 64. Or the 197 which runs from Taidong to Fuli. But that is still dirt in places so few riders take it.[/quote]
OP asked if there were any roads connecting the 11 and the 9, so that’s what I was talking about. There’s at least one that I’ve used, but there are probably more.[/quote]
The “OP” here. Didn’t realize a simple question would cause such confusion. But thanks for all the replies. It’s all clear to me now.

MM, that JSY historic trail looks sweet. :lick: I should make that my next goal after the Tonghou ride I did last year.