Scootering from Taichung to Puli

Is there a reasonably direct route from Taichung (Da Keng to be precise) to Nantou/Puli that doesn’t involve freeways? Is it a mammoth trek sans car or something I could do in an hour or two?

Also, how about Da Keng to Taipei and back?

And finally… what’s the situation like for 1-2 day scooter rentals in Taipei? I have a local driving license, ARC and all that jazz.

Puli:
If you have time you can drive 129+136, when passing the enourmous Tai Zhong temple, just follow the signs for Puli on a small but very straight road, dont go out on the 14. The 136 is a mountain road, but not to many turns. From Da keng I think this is the best choice to go, not much traffic.

If you have less time, and like driving amongst many orange trucks choose the small number 3, and on to 14 all the way to Puli. Heavy traffic this way though.

The 136 is nice. Quite steep, lots of tight turns.

An alternative is the 21. Also very scenic, possibly a little quicker. A while back there was an incident of someone putting oil on the road to “discourage” bikers but hopefully that’s stopped happening.

Follow Plasmatron’s directions, with my clarifications in the post below that:
[forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.ph … 449#128449](Motorcycle touring
Don’t turn on to the 133, though, just carry on on the 21 all the way. You’ll come out in Puli, in the east of town.

Awesome, awesome, awesome, guys! Didn’t expect to get anything so detailed.

Doesn’t sound like much of a sweat at all - I do a 100-150km+ daily commute but mention a trip longer than 10km to my Taiwanese pals and it’s brown trousers time.

I’m taking the weekend off for CNY so maybe I’ll give it a trial run then.

PS: on the safer (i.e. dead) stretches am I free to open up or is it 50km/h and Speed Camera City all the way?

[quote=“joesax”]The 136 is nice. Quite steep, lots of tight turns.

An alternative is the 21. Also very scenic, possibly a little quicker. A while back there was an incident of someone putting oil on the road to “discourage” bikers but hopefully that’s stopped happening.

Follow Plasmatron’s directions, with my clarifications in the post below that:
[forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.ph … 449#128449](Motorcycle touring
Don’t turn on to the 133, though, just carry on on the 21 all the way. You’ll come out in Puli, in the east of town.[/quote]

[quote=“llary”]Awesome, awesome, awesome, guys! Didn’t expect to get anything so detailed.

Doesn’t sound like much of a sweat at all - I do a 100-150km+ daily commute but mention a trip longer than 10km to my Taiwanese pals and it’s brown trousers time.

I’m taking the weekend off for CNY so maybe I’ll give it a trial run then.

PS: on the safer (i.e. dead) stretches am I free to open up or is it 50km/h and Speed Camera City all the way?[/quote]

I just did the 21 northwards from Puli till it meets the 8 coming down from the mountains. I didn’t see any speed cameras or anything like that. The whole thing was surpisingly go to drive, not much traffic (at that time of the year when I went) and a nice scenery. Just one part there was a bit confusing as it seemed the original part of the 21 was gone thourgh a land slide and you had to pass that with a tiny road. Overall a really nice winding road through the hills in the back of Taichong.

only about 3 or 4 cameras on that route… all on the 14 and the 14甲 there’s one just after you get out on the 14, then another just before Puli and another about 15 mins after Puli… They’re all pretty obvious and they all have the “前有測速相繼” yellow warning signs about 150m before them, so they’re easy to avoid…

only problem is that over CNY the 14 is likely to be so packed that breaking the speed limit won’t be an option… :unamused:

exactly… just yesterday got back from a 3 day, 1200km lap of the island… people ask where you left from that morning or where you are going and when you tell them they just don’t believe you… even the police tried to claim the route we were looking for was impossible… 90% of locals only know the 5km square radius surrounding their house and anything beyond that is “Here be Dragons” territory :laughing:

Hey the hardest part for me with the 136 was trying to find the Taichung end. If you’re in Taichung you’re going to be leaving VIA Taiping.

Good times.

i’m heading to puli via the 136 on saturday…what’s the route (major roads) that takes you from taichung to taiping to start the trip.

thanks.

the quickest route with the least traffic, but perhaps not most direct route is:

Start at [A] Corner of 北屯路 BeiTun Rd and 太原路 Taiyuan Rd… keep going East out of town on Taiyuan Rd, under the bridge, all the way out until the road thins into a single lane twisty bit past Washington High School over the temporary new bridge at [B]… after [B] the road will re-enter suburbia and you do not turn but keep on straight until you get to a T junction with a light at 中山路 ZhongShan Rd, [C] you turn left… continue, without turning off(the road will twist and wind a bit and you will cross a few minor intersections) through a little more suburbia until you get to the next T junction [D]… turn left and you’re on the 136, no more turns, just keep going over the bridge and through the outskirts of Taiping out in to the mountains…

From any part of Taiyuan Rd it’s basically straight for a looong way until T junction 1, turn left, straight until T junction 2, turn left, straight… easy… don’t turn unless it’s a T junction… expect to take about 20 - 30 mintues from downtown Taichung to the beginning of the 136…

This route avoids the traffic meltdown hell of Taiping City proper…

Yes, not very direct but probably the easiest to navigate and also as you say it avoids the horrible driving in Taiping City. Always a bit of a downer to come back from a lovely ride in the mountains and come into the mayhem and idiotic anarchy of Taiping traffic.

I must meet up with you fellow Taichungians some time - it’s easy to forget that, yes, there really is non-Taiwanese life outside Taipei.

How about next Wednesday?
forumosa.com/taiwan/viewtopic.php?t=46794