After our adventures in the mountains, we are making our way down the coast. What a bike-user friendly part of Taiwan it is. A three-meter-wide bike lane pretty much for the whole way, here and there bike rest stops, usually at police stations and relatively flat. And beautiful! The pine trees and deciduous trees have given way to tropical vegetation and the sea is rough, with massive waves. Still, what impresses us constantly are the friendly people. We get hundreds of thumbs up and happy “ni hao” every day.
Hualien has been the surprise city of the trip so far (it is also the only city we have seen beside of Taipei). A vibrant little seaside town, full of weird little shops and cafes. The foreshore is done up really nicely with a perfect bike path for a few kilometres.
A small rest stop for the hot and bothered
The coast is truly spectacular, a little bit like the Great Ocean Road, just with less Chinese tourists
Perfect road, no traffic
We crossed the tropic of cancer and Ellie and me both feel reminded on our time in Panama, so hot, so humid, a bit of rain, palms, the smell of something burning.
Why not put a pig into a sunflower field
Why not bake strange little sweets
And why not massive chickens.
The boy is tired, but we only let him eat, after he had translated all the signs into English.
This man let us taste everything he makes in the shop, all of it delicious and I have a new discovery, red oolong tea. It has a very unique taste.
Beach, coffee, Ellie is happy
Temples are everywhere and always very pretty
Sort of frightening beaches, but Max and Ellie will go surfing tomorrow…. I don’t like surfing, I think I go for a bike-ride.
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Ellie (Monday, 25 November 2019 20:07)
Morning surf in.....26C water, big winds creating quite daunting waves but a lovely, gentle guide - Toby, from England (what's the odds huh?). Max and I both caught a few winners!
Steff (Monday, 25 November 2019 20:16)
Cool, see you in the arvo. I am rolling up the Riff mountains. What a stunning landscape. Just got given som oranges from a lovely old lady
Toby (Wednesday, 27 November 2019 10:55)
I am in Oman this week and I got to for a drive that wasn't from the hotel to the site. I drove up past Nizwa and on up to Jebel Akdar. Super stunning but brutal hills. I even saw cycle tourer (but only the flat bits!)
sharks (Thursday, 28 November 2019 03:02)
Cool Toby, sounds ideal. So it is a deal in March?
Toby (Sunday, 01 December 2019 18:16)
Yes, I totally agree to meeting up in Oman in March. I would also like to volunteer to carry all the panniers.