Tuesday, 16th January
The first day of any trip is always a little strange. Lots of expectations, some met, some not. Although i’d had a day and a bit to figure things out in Taipei, Taiwan still felt like quite an alien place to me, and that feeling would only get stronger the further I got from the capital.
I got out of the hostel just after 9. The plan had been 8. But i’d had a rough nights sleep and woke up feeling a mix of nervous excitement and genuine sickness. I packed the last of my things in my panniers and departed, heading toward the Tamsui river where i’d join the a network of riverside paths built for cyclists.
Before then I had to deal with a couple of miles of Taipei traffic. From a pedestrian point of view it looks insane to even attempt to ride in it, but I found that as long as you keep moving – in the same direction as everyone else – then it’s ok.
That said, I was happy to find the entrance to the river trails, the next 20 miles passed by with ease and that nervousness faded as I put the city behind me. The sun was strong and the sky was a haze divided only by distant tower blocks.
The path was similar to those in Korea – passing under bridges painted pastel shades of blue and green, and following the curves of the river.
The route I was taking was a mix of between the tourism boards own (taken from a 70-page PDF on the subject), a couple of GPS files i’d found online from people who’d ridden it recently, and a long and detailed Facebook post i’ve found written in Chinese. Google Maps does not Seem to offer and cycle routing in Taiwan, so my intuition will Also come into play.
After the riverside trails ended there was quiet roads alongside flat farmland for a while, before I crossed into Daxi and took a look at it’s famous Old Street. I went up then back down. Parts of the brickwork looked extremely ancient indeed, the shops selling Pickachu hats didn’t. I bought two pork buns from a place at the very top of the road, and settled on taking the route 4 which would join me with the route 3 which I was aiming for.
The landscape became more tropical looking as I carried on and adjusted to cycling on the road over the course of the afternoon. It was a mix of quite beautiful, wide, empty roads in tropical surroundings, and densely packed narrow roads which ran through the small scruffy towns I passed through several of. Most of the road had a decent shoulder at least. But much like cycling in London, I felt I had to second guess what drivers were doing and thinking.
I passed more farmland, leaves drying on the road side, countless semi-stray cats and dogs. People generally looked surprised to see a cyclist, even though there were many road markings.
A good portion of the early afternoon was spent in ascent until I reached Guanaxi. From there it was a flat and straightforward 15 miles to Hsinchu. As time wore on I became increasingly fatigued and tired. The city grew denser and harder to navigate, it felt like there was something grabbing your attention in every direction – though most of mine had disappeared in the smoggy afternoon haze by this point.
I finally reach what I think was the center of town. It was dirty, very loud, and uninviting. I stopped cycling and the air made me sick. I had to stop. I tried to find the hostel I had my eye on yesterday, but the roads were such a mess – passing under, over and around each other, navigating it a street level was hard.
I found my way to some quiet back streets, and then by some small chance stumbled upon a different hostel just as the couple who operated it were leaving for the night. They were very friendly and spoke great English – I would probably have paid just for that, plus being away from the roads for 5 minutes.
I shared a dorm room with two other guys, was given some food, and got some tips for tomorrow – i’m going to be aiming for a smaller town called Lukang. It’s a decent distance away, but the ride should be along the sea, flat, and possibly with a tailwind.
These thoughts put my mind at ease a little. I showered, went to a pharmacy, and found a surprisingly great burger restaurant. The city seemed a little better at night, but I was still hoping i’d find something more serene the further South I went.
Map