Fenglin to Xincheng

Time for a chat

It was raining when we woke so we took our time having breakfast and packing.  As we came down to load our bikes, the family group was also getting ready to leave.  Turns out they were from Singapore and travelling with a six and eight year old.  We chatted about travelling by bicycle and shared our plans for the coming days. One of them kindly translated to the host that our absent family member was still in bed and would check out later and hand in the key.  She was relieved to know that the bike hadn’t been abandoned

We headed off down route 193, picking up the quiet, scenic backroad that made for beautiful cycling.  The weather was mild and the rain had stopped, The cloud was low over the mountains but seemed to be gradually lifting. There were lots of rice paddies, all looking very lush and green.  We passed a more natural looking fish farm and the road climbed gradually, offering views over the flood plains that would look dramatically different during the wet season.  We passed little shrines, and interesting artworks before heading down to sea level and picking up the coastal bike path.

We emerged onto the beach near Hualien and detoured into town for a late coffee stop. Unfortunately the coffee roaster we had planned to stop at was closed, and I lamented that we hadn’t stopped at one of the scenic lookouts on the way.  However, we soon found an alternative coffee place that also offered delicious sandwiches making for an ideal lunch spot.

We weren’t far from a Giant bike store and were able to purchase new pedals for Jonno.  We stopped at a nearby supermarket for breakfast provisions and a snack resupply.  As we were packing the panniers we chatted to a Canadian couple who were spending three months cycling in Taiwan.  They had cycled extensively round the world and shared some of their highlights, including cycling from Vancouver to San Francisco, which they rated as the most scenic, and also highly recommended cycling in Morocco and Iran (though acknowledged that it had been many years since their travels there).  They also pointed us in the direction of the cycle path towards Xincheng, our destination, and confirmed that the stairs weren’t a problem.

We took their advice and the path was as nice as they had described, though we did hit a dead end at one point, fortunately managing to eventually find a way through.  The path took us along the beach and then through a forested area before reaching Qixingtan Beach, which was a popular spot with lots of people enjoying the beach views,  We stopped for afternoon tea and Jonno messaged to say he had arrived and checked in to our accommodation, Taroko Xincheng Old Street.

The sun came out and the beach looked really beautiful with the dramatic mountains as a backdrop. We continued along the foreshore for a few more kilometres before turning onto the main road, accompanied by lots of bangs that sounded like fireworks. Given the army vehicles that passed us, we surmised it was coming from an army base, but we weren’t sure of the cause.

We were able to take our bikes into the hotel and the room was comfortable, with softer beds than we have been used to.  After some cold drinks, snacks and showers, we headed out to a nearby restaurant for dinner.  It specialised in cold noodles and seafood soup, so we ordered both, whilst Jonno had braised pork rice.  The dishes were good, but not enough, so Si and G ordered dishes of pork and rice, whilst Jonno ordered cold noodles.  My seafood soup was enough, though the host was keen that I eat the prawns first and made sure I pulled apart the crab, giving me instructions on where to wash my hands.

There were some Australian cyclists sitting next to us, and I tried to strike up a conversation, asking if they had cycled Taroko gorge. They said they were doing so tomorrow, but when I asked if they knew anything about the road closures, they indicated they didn’t and made it clear they weren’t up for a chat.  Another guy overheard us, and shared his experience with the road closure, which was helpful.

We took a walk down the Old Street to buy some ice creams before returning to the hotel where Si sorted out Jonno’s pedals and we worked through the logistics to maximise our time at Taroko Gorge.

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