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 17-20 Tainan (Fuward Hotel) - 71 km day ride Gordon: We are spending three nights in Tainan, the oldest city in Taiwan. It was a Dutch colony for a few decades in the 17th century before falling under Chinese control. Tainan was the capital of Taiwan for more than 200 years, until 1885. It contains the oldest temples and the oldest equivalent of a ...
December 15 - Sun Moon Lake - Doulin (Grand Earl Hotel) - 63 kms December 16 - Doulin - Dongshan (Xiang Yang Tianyuan Ju Homestay) - 72 kms Gordon: As we were cycling along the Number 1 cycle route south of Chiayi we passed a young woman cycling with a backpack. We passed each other repeatedly with the frequent stops at traffic lights, and finally ...
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 11,2023 - Taichung - Puli - 61kms - Puli Town B&B December 12, 2023 - Puli - Renai - Puli - 56 kms - Puli Own B&B Gordon: “You know,” Larry said, “I’m the thoroughbred in the Bike Friday stable. Grandma Friday has fat tires, a heavy frame and some sort of weird geriatric handlebar arrangement. I’m lightly built, with racing handlebars and 28 ...
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 6 - Shimen to Hsinchu - 38 kms - H & M Hotel December 7 - Hsinchu to Hudong - 45 kms - Pomelo Homestay Gordon: A sign on the coastal bike trail told us that we were on The Smile Seaside and we were inclined to agree. After six days of cloud and rain we finally saw the sun this morning. And the ...
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 ...
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) ...