Highlights?
-Cycling with my favorite (well ok, my only) niece💖Super Emily!
-Reconnecting with Seamas the Silver, the mystical musician and Celestial Celia
-The amazingly kind and helpful Taiwanese.
That's just for starters. Allow me to count more ways why Taiwan is a country with 5 star bike touring amenities.
-Outstanding cycling infrastructure, with bike/scooter lanes in which you can ride 2 abreast. Bike tour signage everywhere, including on the pavement. All police stations provided filtered water, advice and usually food. Occasional bike tool stands. Slow moving traffic 60-80kph usually. Drivers who are bike/scooter aware and use their horns, only if absolutely necessary. Very smooth pavement--just watch out for some of the sharp drop offs with the occasional canal type ditch/shoulder. Potholes are very rare. Signs in Mandarin and English and some indigenous languages. All this and more made up for the 'overurbanization' of some of the not so small towns.
-Taiwanese are always willing to help (many people speak English) and many stop to offer food and often shout encouragement 'Jiayou!' åŠ æ²¹ (literally meaning add gas or oil) loosely meaning: Bravo, andale, allez allez! and a thumbs up, esp when climing up the mtns.
-Many free places to camp. Taoist temples are plentiful and usually have a roof, washrooms and sometimes free food. Buddhist temples always gave us a free room and vegetarian meals.
-Clean, efficient hostels for around $25 each.
-Never ending chain of convenience stores. 7-11, Family Mart and Hi-Life provide far more than junk food: Baked yams, hot tofu, coffee, healthy meals and washrooms.
-Clean public washrooms everywhere! Separate buildings, clean gas stations, temples, police stations, convenience stores.
-Filtered water machines everywhere. Hot or cold.
-Highest mtns in East Asia. With two big climbs to 2600m and 3200m. Quiet mtn roads, with low population density. Most seem too steep for agriculture, and they are well forested with many cypress trees, and thus protect the vast watersheds.
-Fresh fruit and veggies: Chinese date/apples and Chirimoya/sugar apples were in season. Lots Chinese greens-we loved the self-service restraunts.
-Great Wx, only a couple of rain days. Temps ranged from 4C at night at 2400m to 29C on Liuqiu Island. Mostly tailwinds.
-Crystal blue waters and the Tropic of Cancer.
-Dogs were a non issue, as any guard dogs are chained up. Although there sure were a lot of dogs missing limbs.
-Bubble Tea! Emily was on the hunt for at least one per day. She stole my cup holder from my mountain bike before we left, for this purpose. Apparently they were invented in Taiwan.
-Very few insects. Except for the mozzies at night on Liuqiu Island.
-And lastly......Monkeys! The Formosan Rock Macaque, the only native, endemic primate in Taiwan. They were everywhere! We often heard them before we would see them.
February 2026. We biked 1500kms in 23 days with one rest day. Clockwise from the southern city of Kaohsiung (where Seamas and Celia live) rather than the capital of Taipei in the north. We avoided the super populated west coast and headed up through the central mountains and then rode with the winds down the east coast. Taiwanese call cycling a loop of the island 'Huandao', although most people stay on the flatish coast all the way, doing the offical government CR1 1000km loop in about 10 days. We used the recently published guide book 'Taiwan; roads above the clouds' by Mark Tovell. We didn't carry the heavy book with us, but downloaded his GPX track and followed his advice on the mtn/east coast loop. Highly recommended.
No flats or mechanical issues. The two times we had work done, new brake pads and rotors, shorter handlebar stem, the service was very professional and they didn't charge for labour!
Yes, it appears to be a peaceful country. Peace everyone.
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The 2nd night we had booked a Warm Showers host Fa Wu, for a night at the Xuankong Buddhist monastery.
A kind soul understood we were in need of water, drove his scooter to the next town, and gave us a bottle of water along with coffee and other treats! Better Mr. Brown than Mr. Brownstone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27rKrR424cA
Yushan climbers. They don't yet know that climbing in Crocs is the new wave. Wayyyy better than rubber boots! More breathable, no sticky sweat inside and shed water better.
Typical of Taiwanese generosity, these mountaineers, having carefully packing only the essentials to carry up the mountain, reached into their packs and gave us....you guessed it....food. Warm food even!
This young girl gives us a peace sign too.
We exchanged emails to share photos, and the next day, a video arrived in my inbox, courtesy of Matt! He must have checked out they cycling page of my blog.
Tourists taking pictures of the tourists. I see a potential run on Crocs here.
And the reason Emily wanted to come here? Jiufen also became popular in 2001 due to its resemblance to the downtown in the Japanese anime movie Spirited Away by Studio Ghibli.
Above Photos courtesy of Google.
Rubbing the belly of a Laughing Buddha (or Budai) is a traditional, superstitious, and popular Feng Shui practice believed to bring good luck, prosperity, wealth, and joy. His large, rotund belly symbolizes abundance and contentment, and rubbing it is intended to spread this positive energy, help release worries, and invite fortune into your life.
Spent the night at Henan Buddhist Temple. Wowee. More great veggie food. And the views over the ocean weren't too shabby.
Sunrise over the Pacific
The only primate who shouldn't be wearing Crocs.
Tropic of Cancer Monument. Emily literally stretching out those legs after a long ride.
Palms and clouds reflected in rice paddies.
Rebecca and ? Darn I forgot his name. We camped next to each other and they invited us to share a meal. Also saw them the next day and the day after and they were touring around in their van. Such friendly, kind people these Taiwanese! They seem happy enuf without Crocs.
Just another ho-hum day in the land of temples.
Ta da! Still rockin' the Crocs. Some with socks.
A night on the beach by a cop shop in Southern Taiwan. Was 3-4 degrees warmer down there.
Followed by a morning rainbow.
...and an afternoon snorkel with Nemo and his colourful cousins.
2nd of two small hostels. Very comfy. Very chill.
ah...the lillies are to die for. Such an intoxicating aroma.
They do love their dragons.
The look says it all. Not quite ripe.
Emily taking the lane. Bikes are included! Or do they mean on the RHS? We Croc rebels make our own rules.
...strolling the beaches, watching the sea turtles....and never letting your Crocs out of sight.
....soaking up the 29 degree heat and taking in the sunset.
....and the Croc pink like sunrise on the other side of the tip.
We discovered flaked ice at the end of the trip. Indulged in a couple of big feeds. One night we ate 4 between us! Many different flavors including Croc pink of course. Has a bit of milk and flavor. Like very light ice cream.
...and back full circle (note the circle for symbolic effect😆) to Seamas and Celia's place. They were in Canada while we were gone and were back the next day, just in time.
Crazy old uncle Steve survives the boundless energy reserves of Super Emily. Super Emily survives the craziness of her old, gassy uncle. Even the Crocs survived!
All in the family :) for a parting shot. Iphone special effects have erased the weary looks of having just ridden 1500kms with one day rest. And magically, Taiwan seems to have removed the old age wrinkles as well.😉
Well....what can we say.....just.....Taiwanderful! (gimme back my z-lite!)
From one island to another....Luiqiun coral island.
After Ireland and Taiwan, I have a bit of a island theme going. Maybe Iceland next?
