Day 19: Bike exhibition

And finally, a pleasant surprise: a bike exhibition we stumbled on, Turning Wheels: Bicycle and Daily Life in Taiwan.

It was at the National Museum of Taiwan, which is deceptively spacious. Because from the outside (pic) it looks spacious. But inside... well, I've been to bigger Wetherspoons.

Still, of the handful of galleries, two were devoted to bikes, so that's a Yes from me.



As well as lots of bikes, many of them even older than my MTB at home, there was this 1930s print (detail, pic) showing everyday life in a Taiwanese street. Apparently doctors and midwives were prominent users of bikes then – the docs on chauffered tricycle rickshaws, the midwives on upright town bikes. Let's hope there weren't too many emergencies. Response times in these crowds might have been slow.

I was intrigued by this pottery figure of the 1930s too (pic), which clearly contravenes the Road Traffic Act 1988 Section 24.1 ("Not more than one person may be carried on a road on a bicycle not propelled by mechanical power unless it is constructed or adapted for the carriage of more than one person").



Many people started small businesses from their bike after World War II. This sort of thing – a micro-shop on wheels – was common, and helped ordinary people survive in a shattered economy where job opportunities were few, and when small-island life could no longer rely on trading links with the continent. So you see, it's not all bad news for Britain post-Brexit.

Bicycles were licensed in Taiwan from 1945, along with other human- and animal-powered vehicles such as rickshaws and ox-carts, and some of the plates were on display (pic).

However, it evidently didn't prove any use in tracing stolen bikes or raising revenue, and licences were abolished in 1973. And you can now cycle on the pavement anywhere you like in Taipei, and nobody minds and it all works out fine. So take that, anti-cycling columnists!

Now, in England, thick shouty people write about stuff like this to local newspapers, but evidently not in Taiwan. Perhaps it's because they use old complicated forms of the Chinese characters, which stops the thickies from corresponding. Perhaps there's a lot to be said for insanely complex ideographic systems.



The exhibition was quite big on special-needs bikes, whose users thrive here thanks to pavement-cycling being OK, and many roads having big wide cycle lanes. Here's a hand cycle (pic).

One of the displays (pic) invited you to ride a bike on rollers (one of three, set to different heights – in Asian scale, short to tall, or in Dutch scale, short to short).

The background was supposed to move faster or do something interesting and interactive, but in fact, however much effort you put in, nothing seemed to change. Maybe it's meant to be a metaphor for cycle campaigning.



A reassuring aspect to the exhibition was that all the bikes that had propelled Taiwanese through the 20th and 21st centuries were proper bikes, with mudguards, racks, lights and chain cases. This is a Lucky Double-Tube Macho Bike, which was built for big loads – as much as 'several hundred kilograms' apparently. Sounds like my sort of bike, especially for a trip to Tesco at marking-down time.

Our time in Taiwan has been super: lovely people, lovely scenery (and some relentlessly dreary towns), epic street food (and some prawns that fought back), a country with a strong sense of identity and ease with its place in the world, and some quite delightful, pleasant cycling. I've just seen Tim on to the airport bus, and I leave for the Philippines tomorrow. And you know what? I think I'll be back one day. To ride the island again. Maybe a bit slower next time. Happy cycling, everyone.

Days 14-18: Tainan to Taipei

We're off the bikes now, since Tainan, but here's a quick round-up of our non-cycling travels back to Taipei.

Tim copped a leg infection in Tainan so – with the help of his fellow Bradt author Steven, who lives here – we got it sorted at the local hospital last Sunday (pic). Very efficient and friendly. What's the drip for? He's taking the photo.

Well, it's always nice to see places that the usual tourists don't. It's just that A&E wasn't what I had in mind.



Outside Taichung we visited the Earthquake Museum, which preserves the school buildings shattered by the seismic event of 21 Sep 1999 (over 2,000 people were killed). The running track (pic) went right over the fault line.



A feature of the museum is an 'earthquake experience', kitted out like a living room, but on rollers, which recreates the rocking of the 7.6 moment magnitude quake that struck that night (pic). I'm quite familiar with the concept of savagely unpredictable, terrifying floor movements, having travelled regularly on Northern Railways' York to Hull service.

We dropped in on Lugang, a pleasant little town – now a local tourist magnet – with the nearest you get to quainte olde streetes in Taiwan (pic). Which, er, isn't very close.

And in Lugang we walked down Taiwan's narrowest alley (pic). Well, halfway down, anyway.

Back in Taipei – before we fly off to our respective next destinations, Tim to Laos, me to the Philippines – we stumbled on a riotous little local procession of traditional age-old rituals Confucius himself would have recognised: costumed deities, firecrackers set off at your feet, and this monkey god on a motorised skateboard (pic).

Our trek up to the top of local highest peak Qixingshan, 1220m up, gave us stunning views – alas only of clouds, fog and mist. And it was freezing cold. I started to cry at one point. Not out of misery, but because I felt homesick.

Still, we warmed up nicely with a dip in the free local public hot springs. That's not an awesome view from the bath – it's only a pic (pic).

Seconds later, this tub was full of a dozen naked men. Sorry to dash the fantasies of some of our readers, but Tim and I were among the youngest.

Day 13: Tainan

All that End to End stuff on high-grade carbon-frame fast touring bikes (now returned) is fine, but we did some real cycle touring here in Tainan today...

...on our hotel's free hire machines (pic).

I always love exploring a city on one of these: a cheap, clanky town bike stuck in its one functioning gear, that handles like a wheelbarrow being steered over the phone.

One with a saddle so low my knees keep bumping against my chin, and makes such loud clanking noises that pedestrians jump out the way for fear of being run over by the tram.

It was great fun, enabling us to visit lots of things otherwise too far to walk, too cumbersome by bus, too expensive to taxi.



We clattered our way to Anping, Taiwan's oldest Old Town: home to several temples, packed shopping streets and alleys, and this tree that's been eating an old warehouse for 60 years (pic). Well, Tainan is famous for its food. I ate some quite exquisite fried pork'n'shrimp dumplings shortly afterwards from a stall. It took me about 60 seconds.

In one of the temples we chanced on this shaman performing a ritual – definitely for locals, not tourists. I didn't know a shaman's traditional costume includes jeans.

It was accompanied by fireworks, a curious choice for bright daylight, but there was certainly plenty of din from the firecrackers.

That couldn't quite drown out the fighter jets practising overhead, but more seriously, nor could they drown out...



...the musicians, who embellished the ceremony with some gongy, waily sounds that put me in mind of a soprano saxophone being waterboarded on a fairground waltzer as someone tipped over a pile of scrap metal. They were playing from inside the back of a van (pic), perhaps for a quick getaway.

All this plus countless gorgeous temples, a monument to turtles, a Shinto shrine at the top of a department store, and a ride in Taiwan's first ever lift, so old it has the floor indicated in Roman numerals, and a mosaic floor. (It's 1932 Japanese-empire-era, not Roman-, though.) It's amazing where even cheapo bikes can take you.

Miles today: 10
Total miles in Taiwan: 557

Day 11: Kaohsiung

An easy day exploring Kaohsiung by bike.



We decided we hadn't spotted enough monkeys on this trip, so we cycled up to Shoushan ('Long life mountain') and walked some of the trails. Lots of monkeys, including this grooming pair (pic). Given the excellent quality of food here in Taiwan, I was surprised that these macaques were so keen on eating scurf.



Unfortunately Tim has gone down with the lurgi, and spent the afternoon in bed back in the hotel. So I trundled off up the nice bike path alongside Love River (pic). It's apparently a canal really, but I suppose 'Love Canal' doesn't sound quite right.



I also did the round of Lotus Lake, which is surrounded by temples (pic) of varying kitsch. These were all busy with locals praying for good luck and getting their fortune told. I was a bit scared to get mine. I shouldn't've been: I saw one family go back three times until they got the right answer to their questions.

Miles today: 17
Total miles in Taiwan: 547

Day 10: Hengchun to Kaohsiung

Up to Kaohsiung by bike and then train today, with several quirky sights en route with something of an animal theme, another fab night market and a surprise festival.

We were intrigued by this as we left Hengchun (pic). Tree-hugging architect, or very swanky treetop house for some rich children?

Then this by the road (pic). What sort of weirdo has a dinosaur outside their house?

And this zebra police officer outside the police station in Chaozhou (pic).

Can we tell its rank by the number of stripes?



From Chaozhou we took a train to Kaohsiung. Only local trains take walk-on bikes, but there's plenty of space, and there's no problem finding the bike carriage (pic).



In Kaohsiung we strolled out to the most prominent Night Market, Liouhe (pic). This was one place we didn't have an animal connection: Tim was delighted to find a specialist vegetarian stall, recognisable by the swastika symbol on it. I was delighted to find a fresh sugar cane juice stall afterwards, recognisable by grinning thirsty English cycle tourists in front of it.

And finally we walked through the canalside Lantern Festival, full of more food stalls, all sorts of illuminated displays (pic), and the entire population of the town taking selfies.

Miles today: 42
Total miles in Taiwan: 505

Day 9: Hengchun to Eluanbi (to Hengchun)

We finished our Taiwan End to End at 11am today, greeted by crowds of paparazzi – or perhaps holidaymakers taking selfies – and heavy rain. But there was a real feeling of achievement. And that was just getting to the end of the walkway to the southernmost point through the holiday crowds.

The final leg of the End to End was the 15-mile hop from the hostel in Hengchun Old Town, most of it through high winds and pelting rain. We stopped off to see this unusual natural phenomenon at Chuhuo. Natural gas seeps out of the ground and bursts into flame spontaneously – and, most astonishingly, the flames die down briefly every time you take a photo (pic). It's not a reassuring place for those of us who worry we've left the gas on.

This is what the End of Taiwan looks like from the approach road (pic). Now I've done a few E2Es, I can confirm that it fits the general international pattern of radar station, lighthouse, pummelled coastline, and gales. (It was very, very windy, and my light carbon-fibre frame bike was being blown all over the place. The only place I've experienced worse wind was, as you'd expect, Harrogate.)

The general scenery put Tim in mind of Cornwall in a particularly wet summer. Perhaps the scarcity of decent beer is making him homesick.

The excitement mounted.

And at last we arrived at the monument that marks the southernmost point, Eluanbi (pic). The population of Taiwan is 24 million, most of whom were there too. Well, it is still New Year holiday season. I apologise to everyone whose selfies we photobombed.

This map is notable for being the only one in Taiwan that has 'You are here' in the right place (pic). At a place where it's a bit obvious anyway.

Given how well-signed and crowded the south point is, it's curious that the north point is so obscure: we were the only people at the lighthouse and radar station there. However, one aspect of our experience was the same. Grey muddy stripes up our back caused by rain and lack of mudguards.

So, mission accomplished. We returned to Hengchun in the drizzle and were intrigued by this sign. Crabs crossing the road can be a menace: their splintering shells can puncture bike tyres. Luckily they're all fair weather crabs round here. We didn't see any.

This rock just up the coast is supposed to resemble the profile of former US President Richard M Nixon. Really.

No, us neither.

"This 660m-long sandy beach is one of the park's nicest, though the view is marred somewhat by the nuclear power station" (Crook, S., Bradt Guide to Taiwan 2nd ed, Bradt Travel Guides, 2014 p277)

We have a couple more days of hire left on the bikes, so there'll be more posts... but meanwhile we can look forward to celebrating with a pint or two of good beer. Er, so that'll be back in Cambridge, then...

Miles today: 27
Miles from Fuguei to Eluanbi: 370
Days taken: 9
Punctures: 0 (but Blowouts: 1)
Panniers failed: 4
Emergency taxis: 1
Taiwanese real ales: 5

Total miles in Taiwan: 463

Day 8: Dawu Harbour to Hengchun

The most pleasant day of cycling so far, ending with a long downhill into the old town of Hengchun, just a few miles from the southernmost point.

Our usual morning routine is breakfast at a 7-Eleven. There are branches everywhere in Taiwan, so you don't even have to deviate from the cycle route (pic).

This one was right next door to our hotel, making it the first day Tim's pannier hadn't fallen off before breakfast.



After days on main roads, we were on quiet single-track back roads at last, cutting across from the east to west coast near the bottom of the island. There were lovely views down to the south coast too (pic). Progress was a bit slow, because at every stop to admire the scenery we got talking to a Taiwanese family who would give us tea and snacks.

It was downhill and wind-assisted for the last couple of hours, and we rolled into the historic town of Hengchun with its ancient walls (pic). They date right back to the Qing Dynasty.

Actually, that's not so impressive. The Qing Dynasty went on until 1911, and the walls were built in 1873. And even so, most of them have fallen down and had to be rebuilt.

Fun to walk round, though. Especially given the lack of guardrails and very high winds today.

We dined on noodles and I washed mine down with a dragonfruit milk shake (pic). Strictly, the fruit is a pitaya. But the vendors call it 'dragonfruit' thinking the western tourists are so dim they'll believe anything said with a smile and confidence. Which I did. I must practise the smile + confidence + lying thing.

This lurid purple seems the in colour. After three days cycling in blazing sunshine, any patches of skin the sun cream missed is turning a similar shade.

Miles today: 42
Miles since Fuguei: 355

Day 7: Taitung to Dawu Harbour

Today's blog is a CUSTARD APPLE special.

It's CUSTARD APPLE season right now in Taiwan, which is why I'm smiling, and they grow them big here (pic).

It's one of my top three favourite fruits, along with honey mangoes and persimmons.

Nobody in Hull has ever seen a CUSTARD APPLE, even if it is the City of Culture 2017.

And they were selling them in stalls all along today's ride (pic). So I wasn't looking much at the coastal scenery.

The CUSTARD APPLE sold here is the real thing, not like the 'custard apples' in Britain (outside Hull). They're cherimoyas.

The CUSTARD APPLES came from plantations right by the stalls, so environmentally conscious types will be pleased to know they don't have many food inches (pic).

The Taiwanese also cultivate a CUSTARD APPLE–cherimoya hybrid called an Atemoya. It's said to taste of pineapple.

They also evidently have developed a CUSTARD APPLE that grows its own packaging on the tree (pic).

We bought one the size of a grapefruit and scoffed it for lunch.

It was delicious, rather tastier and richer than UK supermarket cherimoyas, with thicker flesh, and nice hints of ripe pear.

Then we cycled the short, wind-assisted ride to our hotel room in a small fishing village down the road. I was so happy I was singing to myself:

Poland and Spain, and the Proms, and test cricket
Stops on long bike rides to wee in a thicket
Real ale, art deco, and baths in hot springs
These are a few of my favourite things

South Indian thalis and soft CUSTARD APPLES
Well-surfaced railtrails on which sunlight dapples
Tailwinds and downhills and all cycling brings
These are a few of my favourite things

When the tyre bursts, when the shops close, when it's dark and cold
I simply remember my favourite things, and then I don't feel so old.

Luckily Tim was so busy worrying about his panniers, which are continuing to fall off at regular intervals, he didn't hear me.

Miles today: 43
Miles since Fuguei: 313

Day 6: Zhuwu to Taitung

Yet more bike problems for Tim, on an otherwise straightforward day of sun, cycling, more coast views, buns and night market grub.



It's New Year's Day today, and this display of figures in a little village evidently celebrates the new Year of the Helicopter (pic). The holiday was being celebrated domestically in just about every house in every town and village: families were sitting out on the porch on plastic furniture, eating and drinking. And jovially hailing passing cyclists. I can now say 'We are from England! We are cycling around the island! Happy New Year!' in passable Mandarin. This is novel. Usually the first phrase I learn in a touring destination language is 'Two beers please'.



This is the Dragon Bridge at Sansiantai (pic), an eight-arch pedestrian affair across to the islands of the Three Immortals. I bet the annuity rates they were offered on their pension were even worse than mine.

Brunch was a delicious Taiwanese speciality: bao, slightly sticky bread buns with various savoury or sweet fillings.

This shop was obviously popular with locals (pic) so we joined the queue and had a couple each. (One bao cost 25 Taiwanese dollars, about 65p.)

And here's me eating one. I don't normally like putting photos of myself up, so please try to look at the bun instead.

Tim was quick off the mark taking the picture. About five seconds later there was no bun to be photographed.

But Tim was having yet more problems with his bike. In addition to broken panniers, dodgy chain, a loose rack and rear slow puncture – here temporarily reinflated thanks to another police station's bike toolkit (pic) – his back tyre was now disintegrating too.

As the day went on, and the tyre got more and more deformed and wobbly, it looked like he was riding a clown's bike.

Fortunately, once we arrived in our destination of Taitung – a city large enough to have a branch of Giant that was actually open on a holiday, if several km out of the centre – Tim managed to get his bike issues sorted.



So we went out to eat with a feeling of achievement. Our evening meals out have usually been in the Night Market, an Asian speciality: a section of street or streets is lined with stalls selling all kinds of cheap and tasty food, with tables for communal use. Taitung's (pic) is pretty typical: lively, packed, good-humoured, with maybe two or three dozen food stalls.

And, untypically, there was a stall selling beer. I can now say 'Two beers please' in Mandarin. Good job we weren't cycling back though. We've done enough wobbling today...

Miles today: 48
Miles since Fuguei: 270