Completing the circuit.

JiuFen to Taipei

Last day with the bike. Just the short run back to Taipei to return it to the rental company. I took the quieter roads and it was a very pleasant run, the sun still shining and the roads still quiet. A fitting coda to the whole ride.

An uneventful, but very relaxing last couple of hours of riding. The rental company is based at the Eastern edge of town, so no need to fight the city traffic. All in all, I only rode about 1000 miles on this trip. There is some truly world class riding roads in Taiwan and being compact, it doesn't need a huge time commitment. Well worth the effort. 

The guy I rented the bike from was unable to meet me as he had to visit another customer in hospital (he'd managed to fall off!)

I was told to leave the bike in the same place I collected it and leave the key in the top box. 

I duly did this in jumped in an Uber to the hotel.

Then out for my long awaited Din Tai Fung; so so good!

I got a slightly panicked text from the bike rental guy asking if the key was in the top box as he couldn't open it. He seemed confused that I'd locked it. I explained that I was from London, so operate on a "lock it or lose it" policy. It appears that is not an issue in Taiwan. Society is very different (better!) here than in the West. Anyway, he found a spare key and it was all good.

Xiao Long Bao 小笼包

A day spent in Taipei. No bike so at a loose end. Went for a walk, ate some food, saw a movie and sorted out my luggage. It is a pain carrying biking gear when you haven't got a bike!

Onwards to Hong Kong tomorrow for the rugby 7s. No bikes involved, so that concludes this blog. Until next time....再见！

Soundtrack: "People keep coming around" - Tindersticks 

Trapped!

My plan was to head back up Taroko Gorge and then carry on north through the mountains. I had a fear that I would meet the same road closures as yesterday and when I reached the entrance, sure enough..........There was no queue however and Google maps suggested a way around. 

Sure enough..........I was soon in the Gorge, stopping for photos I had failed to take yesterday. Very light traffic (compared to that encountered yesterday), life was good.

The sun was shining, the surface was good, the views were sensational. It was all going so well. The road gods were smiling at me. But like all gods, a streak of sadism flickered at the corner of their smiles......

Then, a barrier across the road halted my progress. Bugger! I asked how long. One and a half hours!! I had a long way to go today and this would put me seriously behind and playing catch-up all day. I made the hard decision to turn around and head up the coast instead. I got about 1 km back down the road to be met with another road block. I was trapped! No way forward, no way back. Bugger.

Trapped!

There are worse places to be stuck. The scenery really is stunning! Eventually, the time came and I was released. I was fortunate to ride the entirety of the Gorge yesterday, so today would have been a bonus. A bit annoyed at missing out on the central road north though. Next time!

Back to the coastal route north. I stopped for my usual 7-11 lunch. Next to a cement factory (ooooooooooohhhhhhhh, the glamour!). They even had a gift shop, get all your cement based souvenirs here!

Route 9 丁

So, back up the coast. This time I avoided the main route 9 in favour of the more interesting 9 丁. A much more sinuous road that hugged the coast. Almost entirely devoid of traffic, it was a delightful consolation prize. 

As the day wore on, it was time to decide where to end the day. I was making good time and didn't want to stop too early. Jiu Fen was the decision. An "ancient town" near Keelung. I think I've been before, somewhere back in the mists of time.

It was a decent ride over the hills, avoiding the main roads: with hordes of children on bikes coming the other way. There were hundreds of them.

I was following closely behind a couple of hell's angels types. I was too scared to overtake them.

Clouds ahead, but no rain 

Then on to even smaller roads, the white line fever taking over a bit. Longest day in the saddle at 8 hours. No idea on how many miles covered.

Tea Plantation.

Jiu Fen 九份

Arriving in Jiu Fen, nothing rang a bell. I manoeuvred through the throngs of tourists on the very narrow street where my B&B (without the breakfast) was located. Out for a walk later on. Pretty place, but tourists everywhere. But after a long day in the saddle, a warm bed was my main priority.

Soundtrack: "Under the Ivy" - Kate Bush

Taroko Gorgeous

Puli to Hualien 

Wow, wow, just fecking WOW!! That was some ride today! The sun was shining and the mountains were calling. I headed out of town towards Hehuanshan and the highest road in Taiwan.

I'm getting good at selfies!

At first, there was a fair bit of traffic, especially a shit-ton of motorbikes (the official collective noun for bikers). Lots of sports bikes out enjoying the fabulous conditions. All screaming past me at light speed. I was happy just pootling along enjoying the increasingly spectacular views.

The traffic gradually reduced as the altitude increased.

The road, single track in places, was an absolute peach; a joy to ride. Tight and twisty in places and smooth sweeping curves in others. The variety certainly kept me interested. Had to be alert to other vehicles coming at you in the middle of the road on blind corners though. The usual story! The Taiwanese drivers are generally not bad though; in mainland China, this would have been a death road!
 

Wuling Pass

The Wuling high pass near Hehuanshan was pleasantly cool and high enough at 3275 metres (about 2 and a half times the height of Ben Nevis) to leave you a little breathless. How the cyclists coped, I have no idea. A bit crowded on the pass, so a quick photo and the descent began. The traffic thinned out even more and the scenery just continued to inspire. A blanket of cloud hung below the mountain peaks in the distance. Words and photos can really do justice to how jaw dropping it all was.

Then to the junction where I turned right towards Taroko Gorge. I first tried to come here back in 1999; but it was just after a massive earthquake which had made this region inaccessible. It was easy to see why. Towering cliffs and precipitous drops had the road hugging the canyon wall. It felt like a loud sneeze could bring the whole lot down on top of you.

Taroko Gorge did not disappoint. Worth the 26 year wait to finally get here. I have been extremely lucky with the weather so far and conditions today were perfect. A riding day to live long in the memory.

The road was hacked through the cliffs in places, but the surface was generally excellent. Many JCBs and heavy equipment were strategically placed along the route. Presumably to keep the road clear in case of landslides. I think they are kept pretty busy.

Not today I hope

I stopped for a break by a footbridge across to a Buddhist temple/shrine. Beautiful, but I admired it from afar; more taken by the JCB in the river moving the gravel to shore up the bank.

As had happened a couple of days ago: the road ahead was closed for an hour. Many cars and bikes were waiting to be released. When finally we were, it was wacky races down the mountain. This section had the more famous views of the cliffs overhanging the road, but I wasn't sure if stopping was allowed here as traffic had been held at either end. Spectacular though.......

Some of the bikes awaiting starters orders.

Then it was the run back to Hualien, where I stayed 6 days ago. If all goes to plan, I get to ride Taroko Gorge again tomorrow in the other direction before heading north back towards Taipei.

Soundtrack: "Jig of Life" - Kate Bush