When we first arrived in Taipei the traffic on the roads seemed terrifying. So many scooters pouring through intersections like a waterfall. I was so relieved that we had a beautiful bike path to cycle out of the city on. At that point I was pretty intimidated about what road cycling would be like in Taiwan. With more than three weeks under our belts I ...
If I posted this on Facebook it would truly be shameless travel bragging, worse than our usual level of rubbing our best moments in everyone’s faces, but we were just snorkelling with sea turtles! Green sea turtles to be exact. Taiwan is home to five of the eight species of sea turtles in the world. Many of these endangered beauties live off the island of Liuqiu. ...
December 20, 2023 - Tainan - Meinong - 62kms - Mei Nong Villa December 21, 2023 - Ride around the countryside near Meinong - 52 kms - Mei Nong Villa Our ride to Meinong was supposed to be easy, so we didn’t rush out after our buffet feed in Tainan. We headed down the coast before curving inland towards the mountains. Meinong is set in ...
December 13, 2023 - Puli - Sun Moon Lake - 25kms - Song He Homestay December 15, 2023 - Sun Moon Lake circle tour - 35kms- Song He Homestay The 30 km cycling route around Sun Moon lake was one of my very favourite bike rides. A third of the route follows a beautiful paved bike path that dives down to the lake shore and ...
December 8, 2023 - Hulong Village - Taichung - 74km - DLINN Hotel When something is labelled “Made in Taiwan ,” it is very likely it was made in or around Taichung, the Taiwanese capital of light industry. The city is also the birthplace of Giant bikes and bubble tea. (Coincidentally, our first stop in the city was a Giant bike store where I bought ...
December 5, 2023 - Taipei to Shimen Reservoir - 50kms - One Plus One Motel As we pulled up to the motel they were proudly advertising their three hour rate . Hummm, could this be a love hotel? This is a luxurious version by contrast to the ones we have seen in Thailand. Unlike the shower curtains to hide your car in Thailand, we ...
Twenty years ago our friend Mel connected us with one of her former Taiwanese students who needed a place to stay in Victoria. Bruce stayed with us for a month, and during that time he was game to join in on whatever we were doing. He even joined us at a protest where we all dressed up in costumes. We parted with the promise that ...
Our hotel is located right in central Taipei near the Taipei Main train station. I’m amazed at how quiet it is here. Like Japan, the cars and scooters are much quieter than their North American cousins. On the small roads and lanes life is relaxed and friendly. We watched with our mouths hanging open as a woman passed taking her large tortoise for a walk. ...
Starting the sketchbook! We leave Victoria on Wednesday and by some time traveling magic we skip Thursday and arrive in Taipei on Friday. That’s not completely true. When we leave Vancouver it will be the wee hours of Thursday morning, but when we arrive it will be Friday. We have seven weeks to explore Taiwan by bike. Grandma Friday and Larry Friday (our folding bikes) ...
Our last two days on the route were hot but stunningly beautiful. Yesterday we passed through Saint-Rémy-de Provence. Even though no Van Gogh paintings remained in Provence, many were painted near Saint-Rémy and Arles. The route is now an Art pilgrimage passing many signs that indicate which paintings were created at a particular location. I still am so moved by Van Gogh’s art snd his ...