Day 5 - Riding along the Cliffs of Hualien

Pic - Nick Wong

Pic - Joeel

Pic - CW

Pic - Joeel

Pic - Roland

Pic - CW

Pic - GL

It was to be a late start out of Hualien today after such a long ride yesterday. Today's route was an easy 40km north to Heren Train station. Set off was 9am and that gave everyone plenty of time for a leisurely breakfast.

Pic - CW

The early birds of course had time to catch the amazing sunrise and to welcome the morning catch of Sun fish coming in at the beach. These fish are huge and required a tractor to load it up the trucks!

Pic - Joeel

I managed to sneak up to the rooftop terrace of Bayview Hotel at the eleventh hour and was rewarded with a magnificent view of the beautiful coastline and a bonus of the nearby F16 Airforce base which fascinated me.

Our total luggage exploded in the hotel lobby when we gathered and we took some time to load all our gear on the mothership. It included last night's shopping so that explained the additional stuff although the culprits were in denial as to the sudden increased in luggage.

Pic - CW

We finally saddled off along the beautiful bike path that hugged the coast for 2-3km before turning slightly inland. It was fun cycling together in the highest spirit, stopping to take lots of pics and the experience seemed to be like one of those relax Park Connector ride at least at this stage.

Everyone had fun just goofing around with the usual LSCG poses and there was really no hurry to make tracks. It was truly an easy morning.

Pic - CW

I was very pleased to have Joeel take a pic of me with the famous Sun Fish marker but I had to queue as many were in front of me.

We then rode on the highway northwards towards Taroko National Park and it wasn't so bad as the cycle lane was nice and wide. It was great fun to ride together in a huge convoy and we passed through the outskirts of town.

Pic - CW

Chris stopped for pics as usual, this time at a heart stopping "shady" spot selling Betel Nuts. The sales girls here are well known for their outfits, or lack off.

Pic - CW

Once again, we were grateful to break yet at another 7/11 store, the de facto oasis for cyclists in Taiwan. But we didn't need too much refuelling as it was an easy ride today and because of the big buffet breakfast.

Pic - Esther

Here, Ying Chang kindly lend me front and rear lights for the upcoming tunnels and his thoughtfulness was deeply appreciated. I also enjoyed good chats with Esther and others while riding as we could do two abreast thanks to the wide cycle path. Our next tourist stop is at a Mochi/Taiwanese Sweets outlet and it was fun to taste all those delectable goodies. The service staff were very nice in allowing us to sample without obligation.

Of course, many of us obliged and bought lots. Its amazing how we eat so much during this trip and there is no truth when people say such trips = weight loss. At least not with Love Cycling Spore Group, always true to its motto to eat, ride and photo!

We pedalled on until we came to the entrance of the Taroko National Park and made a right turn crossing the beautiful gorge. At last we were riding on unexplored territory once again and it was special to see the mountains on one side and the sea on the other.

This marked the end of the level coastal ride and the start of more climbs. Although we have been through harder gradients a few days ago, it felt tougher to me somehow, perhaps due to my injured knee. But gaining elevation is always a guarantee for great views and indeed, we drunk the scenery before us deeply.

The road now hugs tightly the steep cliffs and offered a bird's eye view of the sea, surrounding cliffs and the rocky beach below us. All of us were busy snapping pics trying our utmost to capture the amazing beauty before us.

I have seen a lot of coastal scenery in my travels from the Oregon Coast to the Great Ocean Road of Victoria, and what Taiwan offers is right up there in the awesomeness scale. Particularly interesting is how the steep cliffs meet the deep emerald blue sea at such sharp angles, and with the shimmering sunlight basking upon such features, the beauty is beyond words.

Pic - Esther

By now many in the group were more confident in tackling those mountain tunnels but the traffic was much heavier. For safety sake, we went in as a group for better traffic visibility and it helped that all the tunnels here were well lighted. The safety briefing from Ying Chang was really useful too.

Pic - Roland

Still, the echo and amplified sound from trucks an cars made it a bit unnerving and poor Kimi was visibly shaken. An assuring voice saw her come out ok and Chris and I made sure we shepherd the ladies through many of these dark journeys.

We stopped at several scenic sights all special and different in their own ways before finally reaching the end of our ride, the Heren Train Station. Our motherbus was waiting there and so was the truck that had our boxes. Once again, we had to pack our foldies into the boxes but the full size bikes were exempted.

Pic - CW

Only then could all 17 bikes fit into the back of the truck. When the last bike was packed into the truck, I felt a sense of sadness as it marked the official end of our ride and we commemorated that with a group pic.

Pic - TW

There was a sense of quiet among everyone as we boarded the bus for the long ride back to the capital city of Taipei. Many felt asleep until we hit the lunch spot. The best part was behind us, but we were still determined to have fun! Lunch was taken at a famous restaurant along the highway and it was amazing how low prices are. A nice lunch deal with a huge piece of chicken, rice, veggies, soup and even tea costs only US$2.

Pic - CW

One touristy stop that we made was at a cold spring, as opposed to hot springs. There is supposed to be only 2 in this world - one in Taiwan and the other in Italy. It was refreshing to have a dip of cold water when the temperature itself was about 20c but many were just happy to soak their feet.

Pic - Roland

Everyone got excited when the natural face spa was discovered. It promised to magically remove all wrinkles, blemishes, increase brain cells so we all had fun soaking our faces in.

Pic - Esther

When rumours had it that it could even put hair back on former crowning glories, there was a beeline for it. My faithful and brave buddy, Papa Mike and I volunteered to be the Guinea Pigs. We had nothing to lose...

Pic - Nick

As we drove toward Taipei, the weather got wet and gloomy. Entering the capital city felt overwhelming  with all the tall skyscrapers and traffic clogged roads. It seemed forever before we got anywhere and the first stop was to drop off Ying Chang. He was staying with his family so we all bided him a sad but grateful goodbye before he cycled off into the night.

Pic - CW

We finally reached Dansui, our base for 3 nights at the La Flower Sea Resort. The temperature was a freezing 10c and the wet weather made it even colder. This hotel was located just by the river and offers a beautiful seaview. However, to reach the lobby meant climbing a long flight of stairs and this was made even more difficult with our bike boxes. Amazingly, they had like a luggage travel-lator and with everyone chipping in to help, we settled into our rooms with bikes all safe in no time.

The end of our ride has finally arrived and what an experience it has been for all of us. Somehow being through so much joy and suffering together has in the words of Esther, "Made us family!" We enjoyed a lovely hot pot dinner before retiring into our warm and cosy rooms, hoping the cold and wet weather would change. We have 3 whole days in exciting Taipei ahead of us and we intended to make the best of it. One star attraction awaited us - The 2012 Taipei International Bike Show but for now, the bed beckoned and we obeyed.

My ride buddy Chris Wee's account of our Taiwan ride here. Excellent and hilarious read as always!