The loop around the south

Taitung to Hengchun

The weather is on the turn for the better by the looks of it. Another day headed south. The road from Taitung was mostly a dual carriageway swooping it's way down the coast. Again, the crazy speed limits were the only negative on what was a fun ride. I've noticed a lot of drivers don't even bother slowing down for the speed cameras. I'm confused?!?

At Daren, I branched off the main road to follow the Twisties down to the southernmost tip of Taiwan (having been to the most Easterly point earlier in the trip). I had my obligatory 7-11 lunch stop at Daren, where there seems to be a higher concentration of bikers; who were today back to ignoring friendly waves?!

The small twisty roads south from here were a joy to ride. No speed cameras (well, one) and very few vehicles. Had a fun couple of hours carving through the bends at a pace of my choosing! Sometimes riding the rollercoaster over the hills and sometimes meandering by the sea. 

The internet was lost for a bit which led Google Maps to believe I was in the middle of the jungle, miles from an actual road. Oh well, keep going. The very real road I was on must go somewhere. Right? 

I didn't stop to long at the actual southernmost point sue to the hordes of Instagram drones. I am so old, but I don't get it??

Hengchun was a little disappointing. Not much to see or do. I passed through a small town called Kenting on the way here which looked much more appealing; it had at least 2 Thai restaurants and probably a great bar. Next time!

Soundtrack: "Dancing" - Tindersticks  

The next morning, I was quite pleased to be leaving Hengchun, despite my hangover. The clouds still looked threatening over the mountains where I was headed and it was hot. The road followed the coast north. Not as nice as the East Coast, things only picking up when I left the sea and the traffic behind. It was then a leisurely ride on almost empty roads edging closer and closer to the hills.

A bit of rain appeared, but it was a half hearted effort and the sun gradually took over.

Hengchun to Yujing

Carefully scanning the sides of the road after the speed camera signs, I came to the conclusion that half the time there was no actual camera. That would explain why the locals largely ignore the speed limits. 

A group of bikers passed me coming the other way. As an experiment, I gave them a thumbs up, they seemed confused by the gesture, but returned my greeting. In fairness, when I stopped for lunch, I avoided one 7-11 as there were loads of bikers there. Maybe it's me who is the miserable, anti social one?? Yes, it's definitely me!🤓

 

Then as I got up into the hills proper, the riding became fabulous! Great smooth, twisty tarmac with the sun beating down. This was just a taster of the roads to come. I had picked a random small town to stay in short of where I'd wanted to be as the accommodation was either booked out or very expensive. Still, it looks like the weather will be even better tomorrow.

Sunshine!

There are A LOT of temples by the road here; from tiny shed like affairs to massive behemoths. Must be a lot of money in religion.

 

The homestay I had booked was nice and the owners also had a Hot Pot restaurant around the corner. Excellent and cheap! Stomach full, I decided against beer for this one day.

Soundtrack: "Boys from the County Hell" - The Pogues

Ever southwards.

Hualien to Taitung

The weather was still looking dodgy inland, so I stuck to the coastal route south. Again, a largely dry day despite the overly pessimistic weather forecast. The clouds did look angry over the mountains though.

It was another great road: looping it's way down the coast. Perfect tarmac, light traffic, fantastic curves.........I weakened! I decided to ride at the locals speed. Slowing down for the well signposted speed cameras and in the villages.The roads were too inviting to crawl along. I reached the dizzying speed of 44 mph at one point......wildman!! 

I plugged in my new Chinese "iPod" for the first time on this trip. Great fun to ride such wonderful roads with good music. 
 

The Tropic of Cancer marker suddenly appeared (I had no idea). A group of "mature" foreigners on scooters were parked up at the monument. They steadfastly ignored me though; obviously didn't want to interact with a youngster like myself. 🤪

My lunch stop was another triumph! (pictured above). Basic, cheap, convenient and surprisingly tasty! More money to spend on beer.

The clouds over the mountains here did look ominous; but I'm sure they'll clear in a couple of days or so when I get up there.

There were 2 or 3 times today when other bikers actually waved or gave a thumbs up. The first time, I was so surprised I nearly fell off in my rush to return the greeting!

The V-Strom continues to impress. It was made for roads like these. It just yearns for the throttle to be twisted a bit more. Wouldn't want to take it off tarmac, but on road it is a gem of a bike.

As I approached Taitung, several fighter jets screamed low across the sky. Hopefully the Taiwanese air force doing some training and not the Chinese air force as a prelude to an invasion.

After the megacities in China, the scale of the Taiwanese cities (Taipei excluded) are tiny. Taitung is a small, relaxed place. Again with a sort of Japanese vibe about it.

Only about 100 miles today, so the early arrival gave me a chance to do some laundry. DIY coin operated. Washed and dried for about £2. Oooh, the glamour of biking! More money to spend on beer.

Fantastic feed at a Chinese dumpling place. Cheap and very tasty. More money to spend on beer (I'm a man of simple tastes; as long as that taste is fermented from yeast).

Soundtrack: "Corners" - iQ

Down the East Coast

I know these blogs are in danger of becoming obsessed with the weather, but........

The forecast today was not good, rain poised to strike at any time. As my time is limited I had to keep moving, so I prepared for the worst. It was dry when I set off and, bizarrely, stayed that way all day. A few spots of rain only and the sun even appeared for a while towards the end of the days ride. The mountains inland were still shrouded in mist, so I decided to stick to the coast and wait for the promised good weather to arrive before hitting the high ground.

Keelung to Hualien

The road south was a cracker! Closely hugging the sea as it wound it's way through fishing villages for much of the way. Quieter traffic today, the only complaint was the speed limit. Usually only 50 or 60 kph (31 to 37 mph! on a main road between towns!!). The road surfaces are generally excellent, which makes the low speed limits even more inexplicable. I dutifully stuck to the limit and again it seemed the only person in Taiwan doing so. In danger of being overtaken by pedestrians!!! Still, it was only about 200 km to my destination and I was in no rush. I was enjoying the ride. Nowhere to be and all day to get there. 

Older tunnel

Later on, the tunnels appeared, mile after mile after mile of them. Fun at first, but towards the end of one tunnel which must have been 10+ miles long, I was hungering for some twisty mountain roads again. Still, the limit here was 70 kph (a dizzying 43.5 mph. Ooooh the speed!!!!!!)

I ventured away from this cavalcade of speed and tried the even smaller roads when I could. More tunnels, but older and more decrepit than the shiny examples I had been through earlier.

As Taroko Gorge appeared, the weather inland looked to be quite clear. A hopeful sign for the days to come. 

The V-Strom continues to impress. It's pretty nimble despite it's weight (not unlike myself 😁). It did make a horrible rattling noise at one point; like a bolt or something had fallen into the skid plate, rattled around for a bit and then fallen to the road. As nothing obvious was missing and the noise didn't come back (as yet!) I decided to ignore it.

Late lunch stop

Stopped for lunch late again. 7-11 was the Michelin starred restaurant of choice today. £2, what could go wrong?

Looking towards Taroko Gorge 

Soundtrack: "Eject" - Senser

On the road again.

The rain had gone by the morning, leaving a gray muggy day.

The Suzuki 650 V-Strom I had booked was waiting for me in a quiet Eastern suburb of Taipei. I jumped in an Uber after rushing to get my gear sorted and packed having overslept and not having had time for breakfast.......DOH!). The usual inexplicable trepidation before these trips taking hold as I tried to sleep the night before. Which always and I mean ALWAYS evaporates the moment I sit on the bike. Idiot!

Did the necessary paperwork and paid the balance. This included a hefty £600 refundable deposit paid on card against traffic violation fines (should any be incurred?!). I was warned to obey the speed limits at all times; which I did, only to have the locals tearing past me as if I was stood still!! 

I set off north into the hills on a very small local road; just getting a feel for the V-Strom, my first Suzuki! A heavy beast and the seat is a bit low for someone of my height but it was sure footed enough, taking the corners with aplomb. I rejected the supplied side cases in favour of my trusty waterproof roll bag on the back seat. This proved to be a wise move later on as I filtered past the holiday traffic on the narrower stretches of coastal road.

There were a lot of cyclists out and a few bikers (ie. those NOT on a scooter!). Unlike virtually everywhere I've ridden in the world, the bikers do not acknowledge each other; no nod, no thumbs up, no cheery wave!?? Very odd, as they are, as a rule, very friendly otherwise.

I think is was a volcano I skirted as I approached the North coast. There were what appeared to be geothermal vents in places. It was turning into a very enjoyable ride. As the road descended, a huge temple type thing appeared. Looked like it was surrounded by many tombs and it was very busy today being the last day of Qing Ming (I think?!?). A quick photo stop before my stomach demanded reparations for the lack of breakfast. I spotted a Family Mart and got a microwave beef and rice bowl. Another gourmet biker meal on the move. Hit the spot!

Ever onward around the coast, the traffic getting heavier as the tourists made the most of the last day of the holidays. No problem on my skinny, side case free Suzuki. My destination was Keelung after only about 100 Kms of riding. An acclimatisation day, getting used to the bike and the Taiwanese driving style. 

Quiet night in Keelung. A couple of cruise ships are in the harbour and the hawker food street was predictably packed out. Not a bad town though.

Taiwan, to me at least, has quite a Japanese feel about it in many ways. I know there is some historical connection, but it persists in the small details. I like it. 

The weather forecast is mixed for the next couple of days, but it "may" be getting much better after that. Fingers, toes and everything else crossed.

Soundtrack: "Brainstorm" - Hawkwind

On the move.

My stopover in Bangkok en route to Taipei (EVA Air: great airline!) was hot, damn hot! Just a short stop to make a few route plans for Taiwan over a cold beer or five.

The weather is looking mercifully cooler in Taiwan, but wet; at least for the first few days after my arrival. So my route plan is going to be largely dictated by the weather. I am using THIS website for route recommendations. But the order in which I ride these roads will be predicated on avoiding the rain as far as possible. Still, I've got new waterproofs after my Vietnam shenanigans, so all good.

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My flight to Taipei was delayed so I arrived too late to eat at Din Tai Fung. The rain was falling as I ventured out for food, so I ducked into the nearest bar: "On Tap". I found it last time I was in Taipei and after extensive research, it is probably the best place for a drink in the city. As luck would have it, it was just around the corner from the hotel. I say "luck", but there was a degree of planning involved. Pleasant evening chatting to some friendly locals. But I had to be up early and not too hungover to collect the bike. An early-ish night for me!

Soundtrack: "Fugazi" - Marillion