Taiwan on Wheels 11/5/08 - 19/5/08

This was my 2nd trip to Taiwan and I am really looking forward to it as it is a biking trip. To add on to the excitment, it was my first biking trip ever since I started my part-time stuides (Not including the BEKOK RIDE which I did last year as it was only a day trip). So, it has been quite a while, and I really miss a biking trip alot.

Destination: Southern part of Taiwan.

Route: To ride across Kaohsiung (which in West part of Taiwan) to the East of Taiwan on the Southern Cross-Island Highway which cut across the highest mountain range in Taiwan. From there, ride along the coast road of the Pacific Ocean going down south to Kenting, and then back north up to Kaohsiung.

Choice of airline: Silk air, as it is the only direct flight from Singapore (But the main reason is I got the flight for free. I only pay for the taxes. HAHA!!)

Means of finding direction: Maps and asking people around. I dont like to use GPS. In fact I had NEVER used a GPS for any of my trips. I find that it is by using maps that brings out the true sense of adventure and it is by losing our ways at times which brings out the fun of the trip.

Day 1: Kaohsiung
I met a fellow Singaporean onboard. He was on his way to see his girlfriend in taiwan. As we chated, we realised that we both shared the same idea of wanting to see the world on 2 wheels. Just that I want to do it on a motorcycle but he wants to do it by bicycle. When the plane touched down in Kaohsiung, he offered me a ride to the city area as his girlfriend was picking him up and it was on the way.

This is the guy I met onboard. The little boy is his son.


In his girlfriend's car.


After we parted, I went to source for a good motorcycle rental. I am only moving out the next day and I just want to confirm a motorcycle so that I can move go early tomorrow. That went very smoothly. Then, I was suppose to meet a taiwanese girl, who was suppose to my host for that day. But due to some miscommunication, we failed to meet. I ended up walking around Kaohsiung city center.The Kaohsiung metro just went into operation days before I was there and it drew a big crowd.













The World Games is coming to Kaohsiung in 2009 and they even have a station named after it.


By evening, I ended up by the Love River.


Ironically, I bumped into a Chinese God birthday event on the streets and minutes after, I walked right into a Global Praying Day Christian event.




Ended up into a backpacker's inn for the night. There were 3 other Singaporean girls there too. It was quite funny. I did not see them but I heard them speaking SINGLISH. So, I turn around and asked them, "Are you girls from Singapore?". "Ya, how do you know?", came the reply. I said, "Cause you are speaking the national language." HAHA. I think the government should not stop us from speaking Singlish. It has already become a identity for us. "You dont agree with me meh?"

Day 2: Kaohsiung - Maolin Recreation Area
Morning View of the Love River


Kaohsiung 202. Where I stayed last night.


Typical Taiwanese Breakfast.




Realised that most taiwanese stores were not very environment friendly. They used disposal untensils and they even wrap all plates in plastic bags so that they do not have to wash the plates. Just throw away the plastic bag, and the plate can be used again. See the plastic bag?


After taking breakfast, I took the metro to pick up my motorcycle. Saw a big crowd with cameras pointing at these man.


Do you know who they are?


In taiwan, the most common motorcycles are scooters. All these are for rental.


Ofcourse I did not pick a scooter. I chose a 150cc bike which could give me what I need for the mountains.

The shop owner and me.


Off I moved. Target for today, The Maolin Recreation Area through the Min Nong Village.

On the way to Min Nong Village.






Min Nong Village.






Road after Min Nong Village. This is the LiuGui Tunnel(not safe to pass through it anymore).












Arrival.


There is a tourist information center at the enterance of Maolin Recreation Area. Went in to gather more information. Took a photo with the staffs there. The guy in the photo was being posted there for his military service. I guess it was kind of a easy job for him to be there as compared to being posted to combat vocations.


After which, I rode for quite some time in the valley before reaching at my guesthouse for the night.




Got a huge surprise when i got into my room. The room was big.


The bathroom was spacious.


and the room was airconditioned.


Who would have thought that there would be airconditioned rooms in the valley of deep mountains?? Certainly not me. As it was off season, I am the only tourist staying there but I had many other companions. More than tens of them.


My dinner - Bao1 (Bun with fillings), Man2 Tou2(Bun with no fillings), Dou4 Jiang1 (Soya bean drink), and a dish of I dont know what.


After dinner, the owner gladly shown me around the area. I was not expecting this. He brought me to see the nightlife here, and showed me the late night party goers. There were many of them.




























What were you thinking? Nightlife = clubbing scene? HAHAHA!! No way man. Not in this valley. We walked along rivers and he shown me the many kind of differnt night creatures, especially frogs, in these area. There were many different speices of frogs around. We even climbed waterfalls. It was fun until we saw this......


Throughout the walk, he told me stories of himself and all his stories sounds interesting to me, a city boy. He has been living in the mountain since he was a kid. He remembered that his grandfather would scold him for falling down while walking through the forest as this would leave trails and traces for enemies to detect. He would also be scolded if he fall off from trees. Scolded not because of mischief behaviour, but for being stupid and not being about to do such a simple task.

After a long walk, he treated me to some tea.




Day 3: Maolin Recreation Area - Yakou
The kind boss made breakfast for me but I did not know. Despite his kind gesture, I zoomed passed him on my motorcycle without realising it. Felt sorry about it. I went around to explore the Maolin Recreation Area and I did it the local way(No helmet, haha. No police in the valley right?) *chuckles* .


Name of my guesthouse




First attraction, the Dragon Head Mountain.


Why was it given this name? Because it looks like a dragon resting on the river. Head at the front, long body behind. Here are two shots from different angle. Can you see the shape of a dragon?




More photos around this area.






Then I went to the Snake Head Mountain. I think this is easier to imagine. I can see the shape of the snake head.




I also paid a visit to the Dona Village. I passby this along the way.




Dona Village.




This village is very deep in the valley of these mountain range. There is only one access by road here. In fact, there is only one road leading in and out of this valley and this village is right at the end of it. As such, it was not surprising that this vallage was not exposed to the outside world long time ago and so not many outside people came into this village. Thus ages ago, when they felt that they were in danger, they would hunted down the threat and place his head at the enterance of the village as a warning to other people.


The heads would be place here.




More details about it.


This vilage was built with rocks like this from the buildings to the walls. Seems like it was their way of construction.




Watch Tower


After this looking around the town for awhile, I decided to have my breakfast breakfast here.


I think that the colourful overhead cover looks nice.






Guess what's for breakfast? Hot stoned cooked wild boar meat with plenty of onions served on a plate wraped in plastic. (Even people in the mountains are not environment friendly. SIGH...)


Just as I was eating, a mobile market came selling vegetables and such.




After having breakfast, I went to the Dona High Suspension bridge. This is how it looks from far.




Getting closer.


The way up.


Almost there.






There.




It reads, Max loading = 300kg.


Hmmm... this gave me an idea. 300kg... It means I can ride across it!!! haha... But feeling scared, I first cross by walking. As I walked, I can feel that the wind was quite strong, which means I had to ride with more care later. How about stability? Is it shakey to ride across? Still ok. Here are some of the views from the bridge.




So I walked back to my bike and get ready to cross.


It felt quite scary at first. High above ground, wind blowing, quite narrow. But after a few ride tro and fro, I sort of got used to it and I was actually enjoying it. So I made another daring attempt. I tried to take a video. It was kind of difficult as I had to control the clutch and the camera with one hand, while controling the throttle with the other. Nevertheless, I went ahead as I hope to bring some "real time" view of it to all of you. Here is a not very good taken video but hope you will still like it. Even if you dont, please say you do ok? I tried my best already. :P



Okok. I know that was not a good video. Anyway, after a few attempt on the Dona high suspension bridge, I rode to the picturesque MeiYaGu waterfall.


Where is the picturesque waterfall?


What? Only this?


Guess I came at the wrong time. I should have come after the raining season to get the best view of it. Seems like it had not been raining and so the water got very much lesser. At least that is what the local told me. Disappointed? Alittle. But I am not the only one. The guy in the next photo seems much more disappointed than me and I think I know why. The road leading to the waterfall is long and steep. While I was riding up, I saw him walking up. Now you know why?


Enough of my exploration within the Maolin Recreation Area. Its time for me to head towards the highest mountain and the famous Southern Cross-Island Highway. Saw a really funny Chinese - English translation Road Sign on the way.


Last few views of the valley.






Lohan Mountain.




Part of the Southern Cross-Island Highway was being built across the mountians. Thus it is important to make sure that there is enough petrol in your tank before you head any further as there are no petrol stations in the mountains. If you run out of petrol, I think the next thing you should do is pray. However, there are signs along the way reminding drivers that this is the last petrol station and to top up before entering mountains. So if you can read chinese, it should not be a problem.


Along the highway, there are many tunnels like this that cuts through mountains.






After travelling a short distance into the mountain, I decided to detour a bit to look for another waterfall. I just cant bring myself to believe that all the waterfalls in the area are running short of water. But once again, I was disappointed.






Ok. Enough of hunting for waterfalls. It was getting late and I had to make my way to MeiShanKou. From MeiShanKou, I have to make a booking for my night stay at Yakou, which is still a very long distance away and very near the highest peak.




One thing that I MISJUDGE for this trip: Although it was about 30degree celcius in Kaohsiung in the lowland area, the temperature in this very high mountain can drop to below 10 degree at night during summer and in winter, it goes below 0 and snows. By late afternoon, fog started to form up and chill wind started to blow. I was not prepared for this. I had no gloves on, and I was only wearing a pair of jeans with tshirt. And the faster I rode, trying to cut short my time in the cold, the stronger the wind blew. I felt helpless. I was totally freezing throughout this part of my ride and it was terrible. By the time I reached my place to stay for the night, my fingers were all numb and could not bend much. As you can see in this photo, my fingertips had all turn purple.


Checked the thermometer at the hostel, it reads 5degree outside, 12degree inside. Geezzz... No wonder I was freezing. The only thing I could look forward to is a nice and warm dinner.


Day 4: Yakou - Taitung

This was where I stayed for the night.


Although I hide under the thick blankets last night, it was still kind of cold. Luckily enough, I was not alone. If not I would be cold and lonely, and that would be very sad. Below is a photo of my room.


This room can hold up to 8 persons and we were all free to decided how we want to lay our matress and sleep. Initially there were only 4 of us. Each came as an individual traveller but soon became friends. Why? Because we all came on 2 wheels. Yes, we were all 2 wheelers. However, I was on a motorcycle while the 3 of them cycled up the mountain on a bicycle. So I guess they deserve far more respect than me. Soon later, another couple joined us. They were on a trekking trip.

Checked the temperature, 16degrees on the inside.


After having my breakfast which was inclusive, I went around the hostel to take some photos of the surroundings.










I guessed I always have the luck of bumping into hongkong celebrities when I am overseas. When I was in Japan in 2001 AND 2007, I bump INTO THEM. When I was in Taiwan in 2005, I saw Andy Lau. Now, 3 years later, I saw Andy Lau again. Same country, same smile he has on his face. I saw him in the toilet.


He was smiling at me while I was peeing.


HAHAHA... Gotcha!! His face is on 90% of all the unrinals all over the country. It has been 3 years and he is still in every toilet, looking at every guy answering to nature's call. :P

OK. Time to set off. Temperature outside, 9degree.


These are the cyclists and my roommates for last night. The guy in white is a doctor from Kaohsiung, the guy in yellow is from TaiNan and the guy in blue is a lover of mountain climbing from TaiNan and Kaohsiung.


They told me that Taiwanese are now crazy for mountain biking and long distance cycling. It is the IN THING now. They were ready to set off.


Not long after they set off, I was also on my way to explore this region. I back trekked abit to see the Tian1 Chi2 which I missed out yesterday.

At the enterance of the hostel.


Views along the way.











At Tian1 Chi2


From here, you have to walk up a very long flight of stairs to reach Tian1 Chi2.




and to my disappointment, this is Tian1 Chi2. Bascially it is just a Chi2 (pond) at a very high altitude(so it is very near Tian1[Sky]). Thus they name it Tian1 Chi2. Very nice name, but if only the pond was as beautiful as it sounds.


However, if you climb up here to see the view and for the quietness, it is still ok.






There is also a satellite up here which transmits for this vicinity. This is the first time I get so upclose with one.


Now for my signature shot, That's me flying!!


As I was on my way down from Tian1 Chi2, I met a couple and they asked me if it is worth climbing all the way up. After hearing my opinion, they decided not to as they were abit old for the long climb.


Carried on my ride. Although there are many tunnels along this route, there is one that you must know. It is the Da4 Kuan1 Shan1 Tunnel. This tunnel lies

between 2 different provinces of Taiwan and the weather at the 2 ends of the tunnel varies greatly. If it is sunny on one side, then it will be the other way round on the other side. So, beware!

Photos at the enterance of the tunnel.




Temperature. Still quite cold.


This tunnel lies on the highest point of this Southern Cross-Island Highway.


There were no lights in this tunnel and so if your headlight is spoilt, you cannot see a thing inside. And there was also water dripping down inside the tunnel.

At the other end of the tunnel.


See the difference in the weather? It was bright and sunny on that side but foggy here.








I love this shot.


The weather here is so unpredictable. It is all clear again.


Look at those roads.


Went to visit a park along the way.


Saw my the other couple roommates from last night.


Then it was getting foggy again and see how low the clouds are. Or am I that high?






The weather got better when I got further away.


The Li1 Song1 hotspring is the most beautiful natural hotspring in Taiwan. But to get here is a hell of a walk. It took me a non stop half an hour walk down the slope. The slope was so steep that many parts of it has ropes attached to assist in the climbing. No joke. While I was walking down, I kept thinking of how long would it take for me to climb back up. And what happens if I went off trail?

Just as I was walking and thinking, something suddenly caught my attention. Yes, I saw the river at the end of the route. I knew I made it there. But it was not the river that first caught my attention, it was something else. I saw a lady in her birthday suit. She was drying herself with a towel and together with her was a man who already got dressed up.

Now, with a few more steps down, I will reached the river where they were standing. I did not wish to appear in front of her without her knowing that there was someone else around. It would be a very awkward situation for her. So, I decided to kick some lose stones rolling down the slope, thus making some noise, and pretend that I did not see her and that I am concentrating very hard to get down this steep slope. Hey, this works, the guy immediately saw me and told her to dress up quick.

There they were. Already got dressed up.


When I reached the river, I went up to them and asked them which direction of the river should I follow to get to the hotspring. And through this conversation, they told me that they were from Germany. They had been here for almost 2hours and there was not a single soul. They were about to leave.


Views around this river








As soon as they got packed, they lefted. And I am all alone now... The long and tiring down slope walk made me want to go for a swim like they did. But I had no swimming attire with me. Hmmmmm.... since there were noone else around, hahaha.... Guess what I wore to swim? Did I also went in with my birthday suit? hahahaha...




Oh wait... Am I really alone? Not really. What is this? Ah... Tadpoles.... Hundreds of tadpoles... The river was full of them




Never mind the tadpoles. I followed the river and got to the hotspring.


But wait, if there were so many tadpoles, where are all the frogs???

After a short dip in the water, I started to make my way up the slope. It took me twice as much time to get back up. It was really so steep that at some points, I had to either go on my fours or to pull myself up using the ropes. No joke. Really. By the time I got back up, I am so damn tired.

This is how the way up looks like.


As soon as I got back up, I took a rest at the tea house.


The owner, upon hearing that I am not a taiwanese and that I came here alone for a bike trip, treated me to some nice tea from her own tea plantation. She also proudly showed me her tea plantation.








After having a good chat and some nice tea with this lady, its about time for me to make a move. But as soon as I got up from my seat, my legs cramp. Yes, LEGS. Both of them cramp. It was quite embarrassing. I remembered the lady told me, "You youngster nowadays are lacking of exercise." hahaha.. Indeed. After more rest and feeling better, I thank her again for the tea and I went off.

The next part of my ride brought me lower and lower and.....






More tunnel


More river


More bridge


Before I know it, I was out of the mountain.


Time for a refill of petrol. Since this is near the mountain area where there are many tribes around, the petrol station has got tribal designs.


Landscape changes from mountains into flatlands.




Besides refilling for my bike, its also time for me to refill myself. As recommanded by my roommates last night, I made a small detour into Chi2 Shang4 for their famous packet rice.


Many celebrities came here for a bite too. Among them, him. Dont tell me you dont know him.


After a quick bite, I started to make my way to Taitung. Also as recommanded by my roommates last night, I took route 197. Although it was longer, it had better sceneries and twisty roads which was the liking for a biker.




However, after being on route 197 for less than half an hour, I made a wrong turn, ended up on route 29 and then back to route 9. Rode on this route all the way to Taitung. Coming to taitung was a last minute decision and so I do not have the map of this area. Furthermore, navigating in the city made it worse.

Not knowing where all the hotels are, I asked direction from a man sitting inside his parked car on the roadside. Not only he gave me directions, he also gave me free bottles of water. Taiwanese are so friendly. "Welcome to taiwan", he said.

After getting to the hotel area, I still need to look for a cheap hotel. I usually do not spend much on hotels and always for the cheap options. Just as I was walking along the streets, I spoted two westerners with a travel guide book in their hands. I immediately walked up to them, explained my situation and borrowed their guide book for 5 minutes to look up for a cheap place. Phew.. Problem solved.

So what did I do for the night in Taitung? I spend the whole night going around eating famous local food. I ate alot that night.




As it was famous, the shop was fully packed with people and I had to share a table with some other taiwanese. While waiting for our food to be served, we talked. And as usual, they were happy to hear that I am a tourist and were happy to chat with me. They even treated me to dinner. This shows how much friendly they were.

Although I had a long day, I decided to walked around abit to get my food disgested before I go to bed as I ate alot. I went into this shop that sells jeans. Look around abit and a beautiful salesgirl came over to assist me. I wanted to buy a pair of jeans but too bad my size has been sold out. The salesgirl was chating with me while I was looking through the stack of jeans. She asked me where am I from as I dont sound local. I told her I am from Singapore and I am here for vacation. We carried on chatting. Later, she asked me for my email address and gave me her handphone number. A beautiful lady asking me for my email and gave me her phone number? I was shocked. I am sure that will ever happen to me back home.


And after I lefted the shop then I realised that I should had took a photo with her...

Till date, she had not send me an email. hahaha....

Day 5: Taitung - HengChun


It was a wet ride from Taitung to HengChun. No, it did not rain. So how did I get wet? You see, I used route 9 to get to HengChun. Route 9 is a coastal route the runs along the edge of Taiwan island with mountains on one side and the Pacific Ocean on the other. The scenery was great but because this route is along the Pacific Ocean, the waves were so strong and great that you basically get sprinkles of water hitting you when the great waves went splashing against the rocks that lies along the coast. This section of route 9 is also known as the death highway to the locals. Many tour buses and heavy vehicles like trucks that transports sands run at a very high speed here. Despite that, the ride was very enjoyable. Nothing could feel better than riding between the great ocean and the mystical mountains, with the wind brushing against your face. This is the feeling of freedom!!







Look at those waves.


After riding though the scenic ocean road, I rode into route 199 which is a very small and narrow country road that cuts through the mountain forest. Here, I was being frightened for a couple of times, by snakes that laid along the road or slimming their way across. I almost ran over 2 of them but managed to go around them. Not alot of vehicle uses this road, so it is very quiet here. So quiet that when my bike went zooming pass the snakes just after a bend, the snakes got frightened and "jumped" up to one side. And it is when the snake "jumped" I got afraid as they "jumped" quite high and were just centimeters away from me. It really gave me a fright as I though they were going to land on me. EEEEEEEEeeeEEEeeEEEeEWWWWWWWWWWwwwwww.....

A dam resides within the mountains here.


Not long after I exited from route 199, I arrived at HengChun to meet my good buddy who now lives and work in Taiwan. He brought me to a special place to have lunch - Beef noodles. "Whats so special about beef noodles?", you may asked. Now listen carefully, the name of this shop is called "Ten bowls beef noodles". As the name suggested, there are only ten bowls of beef noodles for sales per day and the shop only opens during lunch time. As soon as the ten bowls of beef noodles were sold out, the shop will be closed for the day. Isn't this special?


After lunch, my friend brought me to another unique place - Chu1 Huo3. It is a place with fire rushing out from the ground. Fire that starts up by itself and never gets extinguished even in rain. It is the work of mother nature. The following photo will explain to you why.






Human beings, though small and weak in the eyes of mother nature, makes use of the power of nature to do work for them.


What were they doing? Making popcorns using the natural fire.


A common and simple pasttime for the locals, both young and old.


They seems to have no problem with kids playing with fire.


My friend also brought me around the area for the scenery.


The best thing of all, he invited me to stay at his place and offered me a room with a comfortable bed. Thats what friends are for!!

His wife and him.


Yet another chiwawa. (He already has got one in Singapore.) OH MY GOD!!! After riding in the sun for days, look at what the sun of Taiwan had done to me?!?!? I am cooked and burned. Dont I look dark to you?


After a good rest, along with a nice shower, we went out for dinner at the Kenting Night Market.


As with all night markets in Taiwan, they are full of delicious and cheap foods, beautiful and cheap clothings and accessories, and interesting stalls. It is definately the place to see the local life. Thus after dinner, we took a walk around and this particular massage stall along the streets caught my attention.


A massage by the blind. Since I had a long and tough walk the day before (remember the 1 hour up slope climb which leds to cramp in both of my legs?), I decided to give it a try and at the same time help the blind to earn a living.


So we took our queue number,


and waited for our turns.


You can choose to massage your head, shoulders, arms, legs or whole body etc. Ofcourse the prices differs. Needless to say, I went for my legs.....


Day 6: HengChun - Kenting - HengChun
The view from my friend's place.


He drove me for breakfast before going to work. Guess what? He has got 2 cars and the total cost of these 2 cars is only about 1/6 of the cost of a brand new 1600cc car in Singapore.


HengChun is an old town and the old city gates and walls still exist.






There is nothing much to see here, so I went straight to Kenting. Kenting is situated on the most southern part of Taiwan. Every year, over 5 million visitors flock here to swim, surf, snorkel, and for the good food as well as enjoy the little night life here. There is also an annual music festival (Spring Scream 春天呐喊) held here every year. Many singers and bands come here to perform. Too bad I came a few weeks late and I missed it.

There are a couple of places to visit in Kenting. First place I went to, MaoBiTou.
















Then I went to the ErLuanBi Park.


The Lighthouse that lies within this park.




If you follow the trail and walk to the end of the park, you will reach the SOUTHERN MOST TIP of Taiwan.






People fishing at the southern most tip of taiwan.




Somewhere along the road that runs alongside to the sea,


you will pass by one of the famous landmark called the Sail Rock (Chuan Fan Rock).


After my little ride around Kenting, I decided to relax myself at the beach - South Bay.


And at this beach, there is something which you will never see in Singapore.






There are many people here at the beach, each engaging in their own activities. Some enjoying their afternoon under the beach umbrella.


Some use their might and strength at playing games such as beach volleyballs etc






Some chose to ride the wave


While others prefer to lay in the sea and let the waves dift them around.


No matter what, there is something for everyone. Including this dog that just came back form a swim.


As for me? I chose to lay on the sand and capture the imagines I saw.


Seeing teenagers coming here in groups and enjoying their afternoon reminds me of those days where Magnum always have outings to sentosa. I really missed those days. It has been 6 years since I graduated. Shit!!! I am getting old... and I am still single?!?!?! Oh never mind.... If not how could I have gone on so many riding trips and travel right? :)

Besides having flash back of fond memories, I also saw the life guard in action for a couple of times. People drowning, people ended up having factured arms, scratches all over and bleeding when they got saved out of the water. It is like Bay Watch happening live. Seeing these reminds me of the time when I got push down to the sea bed by the strong waves of Gold Coast Australia in 2003 or 2004 (I can remember the year). I was trying to body surf when that happened. The impact was so great that I could not move my limbs. Good thing was, the waves later washed me up the shore instead of dragging me out into the ocean. If not I will not be here sharing my experiences with you. I haven been doing sea sports after that. Am I scared? Ofcourse I am. It was a near death experience.

But after lying on the beach for a while, i could not resisted the temptation, got myself a board, and went for the water.


Not long after, the sun starts to set. There was a long whistle followed by an announcement saying that the beach will be closing for the day. Sounds weird but its true. It seems like noone are allow to swim at night. Here are some photos of the sun going behind the mountains that lay besides the beach.






I got out of the water, took a last look at the beach and went back to my friend's place.


After he came back from work, we went out for dinner. He took me to this really cheap place for steak. It was really dirt cheap as compared to Singapore. It also comes with free flow of drinks, ice creams, salads etc. To add on to it, the serving was really huge.


Look at that surprise look on my face. (Ignore my tshirt).


After we ate to our full, we went to do some shopping and I notice this machine at the shop. It works something like a toto or 4d machine. When u insert in a coin, the light plastic balls will be blown around by a fan inside. Then some of it will be blown up and out into the long plastic tube besides it. There are numbers on the plastic balls. If the number on those balls that ended up in the tube matches the numbers of the day, you win prizes (vouchers). I gave it a try and we won!! YEAH!! Though not the grand prize but still we won something.. YEAH!!


Day 7: HengChun - Kaohsiung

When there is hi, there is also goodbye. I bid farewell to my friends and began my ride back to Kaohsiung.


Purpose went on a longer route so that I can see the infamous Belnut Beauty of Taiwan. Ever since the government of Taiwan delcared a "ban" on the Belnut Beauty, there aren't many around these days. However, with some intel, I was told of the location of the few surviors and I went ahead to check them out.




One extra thing that you have to take note while riding in countries like Taiwan is that you have to be aware of approaching trains. This is something that we are not familiar with. I was riding and enjoying the sceneries along the way such that I totally ignored the "dong dong dong" sound of the loud speaker which signals the approaching of a train and that motorists must slow down to an halt. Before I realised it, the barrier that blocks the road for the approaching train was already half way down and inches away from my face. I was too near and too fast to pull a stop. I had to bend down my head low, to avoid hitting into it. That was a heart stopping incident.

Did you remember that long distance cycling is now the IN thing in taiwan? So, what do the taiwanese do if they are too tired to cycle? Ask a friendly motorcyclist to tow them along.


After arriving back in Kaohsiung, I went to meet a biker friend whom I got to know from the biking forum. He treated me to lunch and even invited me to join in for a ride with him and the other taiwanese bikers the next day. I was pretty excited about it. But sad to say. the ride was cancelled. Oh well, everything happens for a reason. Right?

I brought along a 3 Nations Charity Ride Tshirt as a gift for him and to my surprise, he also prepared a gift(his biker team sticker) for me. haha... Gift exchange, is it Xmas already?


After lunch, I went to meet my host, Amanda. She was the girl whom I was suspose to meet on my first day in taiwan. We arranged to meet at a metro station near her place. I was surprise when she came riding on a scooter to fetch me. I wasnt expecting that.

Speaking about scooter, taiwan is a place where you can find scooters everywhere. Almost every household in taiwan has at least 1 - 2 scooters. Which is why they have special lanes and special waiting zone at the traffic light junction just for motorcycles.


As for parking, they can park anywhere. Look at this massive number of motorcycles at a motorcycle park.


What could be a better way to experince the local life and culture than to stay with the local in the neighbourhood? After fetching me to her place, I rested till evening and Amanda pillioned me out to the city for dinner. We went to a night market where only locals and no tourists would go to. Interestingly, we bought some food and sat on some scooters along the streets to have our dinner.


Photo taken while on the bike


After which, we went for a little spin and then we eat agian. haha.. Guess what did I eat?


Does it look disgusting to you? According to Amanda, it is Hui4Yu2. A kind of eel.

Day 8: Kaohsiung

Cycled around the neighbourhood.




Many forgein workers stay in this neighbourhood and thus there are alot of Vietnamese and Thai shops around.




Due to space limitation, the taiwanese came out with a special way of parking of cars.




Afer exploring the neighbourhood, I went into this shop to take away breakfast. Yong3He2, famous in singapore, everywhere in taiwan.


I do not know if it is a taiwanese practise, but back at Amanda's place, they have this habit of wearing a clean pair of slipper at home. This is something that is not common in Singapore.


Anyway, besides having breakfast, I also made some topshell for Amanda and family to try. We chatted till afternoon and then I went out to the city to meet my that Singaporean friend who came to Kaohsiung for the weekend. We went past by a aracade game center and decided to played the basketball game which was very popular with the taiwanese.

斗牛要不要！！！ Live in Action... haha...


They even have this punching game where you can choose to throw punchs at the faces of many famous taiwanese people including their very own PRESIDENT and Ministers!!!!

After a few actions, we went back strolling along the shopping streets and saw something interesting. We saw a bunch people going around with their arms open like this.


And then they go around hugging people.


And then I saw this card.


Free hugs?? Why are they giving free hugs? Curious about that, I went up to ask the girl.


She told me it was some kind of fun event that someone came out with. They really have interesting ideas, dont they? Dont think people in Singapore will do this kind of thing. We are just too shy. Anyway, after speaking for awhile, she gave me a free hug.


Later half of the day, I went along with my Singapore friend to meet another taiwanese host of mine.


She brought us to Si1 Zi3 Wan1. The 3 of us chatted there for quite awhile. Before we know it, we were being awarded with a beautiful sunset.


Night View of Kaohsiung City.


Photos taken around Si1 Zi3 Wan1.






Later on, we went to meet my friend's wife and had dinner at yet another interesting place, a bridal shop.




Day 9: Kaohsiung - Singapore

Was very reluctant to wake up today as it was the last day of my trip. Amanda had already gone to work. Only her dad was at home. Had a little chat with him. He tells me that everyone address him as 郭伯伯. The first thing that came to my mind is 神雕， 杨过 and 姑姑. Anyway, it was very kind of him to gave me a bottle of self made wine which was susppose to be good for health.




When it was about time for me to leave, he send me to the metro station before heading to the park with his dog. That was so kind of him.


While on the way to the airport, I had flashbacks of imagines, voices and faces of people and happenings of the past few days. I suddenly felt very lost. Lost not beacuse I dont know where to go. I suddenly felt very sad. Sad beacuse I do not feel like going back. Like many other trips, I had made many new friends. Be it we only knew each other for a few hours to maybe 1-2 days, it is still a friendship to be treasured. Although not knowing when we will ever meet again, we still had fun. Everything happens for a reason and fate had brought us together. The friendliness and great hospitality of taiwanese made me felt at home. However, 天下无不撒之宴席. I can only wish them all the best in their life, and may fate let us meet again.


For all my other rides, look for the links under "ZeeVinCeZ Past Rides" on the right hand side of this page.

For my travels, look for the links under "ZeeVinCeZ Travel" on the right hand side of this page