An Adventure Comes To An End

This has been a pretty busy month at TiC. I have had the pleasure and excitement of following some cycling friends come to Taiwan and enjoy this country the best way possible--on two wheels and without a motor. Sadly, the month of March was normally abnormal for its weeks of cold and drizzle, but I guess no adventure comes without hardship. Earlier Inposted on riding with Andrew and Alison on their way to Sun Moon Lake. It was a magnificent day and a rolling conversation. It was one of those great days to be on a bike.

Well, Andrew and Alison have just concluded their spectacular adventure around Taiwan and Andrew has written up a little summary of their Taiwan adventure.

The full article can be found at: Rolling Bicycle Tours

Andrew was kind enough to allow me to post on their experience as I got to bike vicariously through them and enjoy seeing their Taiwan come into focus the same way mine has for me.

For those interested in details, with the intent to whet your appetites, here is a summary of what we did: 

Cycled 1,100km around the entire island: Down the Taiwan Straits on the west coast and back up the Pacific Coast on the east, almost exclusively on specially demarcated cycling lanes and paths  

Cycled up towering mountains and into deep gorges, to magical lakes and waterfalls; through long tunnels and over suspension bridges, through forests and rice paddies 

Marvelled at the many ornate Tao, Buddhist and Confucian temples and shrines, adorned with colourful dragons, mythical birds, gods and goddesses; with offerings and incense and a constant stream of devoteesExplored bustling cities and towns with bright neon lights; indigenous village regions, quiet fishing villages and beach areasStayed in some great hotels, B+Bs, guest houses, a monastery, a love hotel, beach cabins, and a faux castle 

Enjoyed the end of the cherry blossom season and relaxed in many hot springs 
This is a small country, yet the people, culture, landscape and scenery is so different from place to place. There is something for everyone to enjoy - be it temples, Hakka culture, indigenous people, nature, mountains, ocean, architecture, cities, fishing villages. 

 ........

Please visit Andrew's blog and read the full, well written article. It reminds an longtime Taiwan curmudgeon like myself of all the wonderful things to be seen by bike. Moreover, their route and approach to touring may provide an excellent guide for others to follow.

I am looking forward to their future adventures and hope they will reprise their Taiwan tour in the not too distant future. Moreover, I have made some wonderful new friends.

This is what it's all about.... All of it!