Hello all! I’ve returned to my home in Korea after a very lovely two weeks in Taiwan. Thought I’d give a little synopsis of my time on the island and share what I considered the highlights of the trip. Before I get to any of that, however, I want to give a big thank you to everyone who responded to my questions! Your advice and comments absolutely made my journey easier to handle. Thanks!
Taroko Gorge. I was in the saddle by 6am, more because I was so excited to begin my trip than to try to make it to the top. My bike odometer thingy turned over from 999 miles to 0 right as I hit the 7-11 inside the park. A good sign! I cycled up at a pace I was comfortable with, stopping every 32 seconds or so to take a photo. By the time I made it to Ci’en it was about 2pm and my feet and bum were sizzling with pain. I decided to turn around and head back to the hostel. I’ve been telling all my friends I made it “about half-way” up (going by my bike computer, which read about 25 miles from the 7-11). Anyone know how close I am to the truth? Regardless, it was without a doubt an incredibly amazing ride. Just so, so beautiful.
Route 193: really, really nice, especially the bit heading into Ruisui where it’s just rice fields for days. Ruisui itself was pretty ok I guess. I took 193/9 into Chishang and enjoyed that town a bit more, even if there is a cranky grandmother there who won’t sell me beef noodles.
Route 23 to Dulan: A nice climb that eventually dumped me onto route 11. I stayed in a hostel right on the ocean and slept in a converted cement tube.
Taitung, route 9 along the ocean: Ugh. This part sucked. Crews were either building a new lane or tearing up an old one, so it was just one lane in each direction. Lots of construction workers with their vehicles creating lots of dust/fumes. No bike lane so I could feel the agitation of the cars behind me. Not very pleasant at all.
Routes 9/199/26/200, Kenting National Park: Combined with the bit above, this was my longest day on the bike. 10.5 hours, maybe 80 or 90 miles covered. I was quite exhausted when I finally made it to my hostel in the Kenting Night Market area. But the ride through Kenting was beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen water of that color before.
Routes 26/1/17, Kenting to Kaohsiung: Very flat and very easy! Maybe I had gained some leg muscle by this time but I finished this ride in about 4 hours. I spent the remainder of my trip in Kaohsiung, catching up/drinking beer with a friend I hadn’t seen in a couple years. Kaohsiung is a great city. I almost want to move there…
That’s about it! Some personal stats: I covered about 540 miles in total (roughly 860 kms I think?); I had one flat tire just outside of Ruisui; I broke one spoke right as 199 joins 9; I crashed twice while cycling about as fast as walking speed, hitting patches of sand on both occasions (couldn’t unclip my shoes quickly enough); I was honked at in encouraging ways numerous times, with the drivers/passengers giving me the thumbs-up as they passed; I visited 7-11/Family Mart I don’t know how many times (too many probably, and with waaaaay to much of my money spent on Pocari Sweat and those ham and cheese sandwiches).
It was a fantastic trip, one that I can’t wait to do again. Thanks to everyone who responded here to my questions. You have a lovely country in Taiwan! I am quite jealous of its cycling opportunities.
(I’m about to do a bicycle tour of Korea, where I live. Obviously this forum is Taiwan-specific, but would there be any interest here with facts about cycling in Korea, like routes/where to sleep/food, stuff like that? Let me know!)
