Solo ride around Taiwan by the numbers

Solo ride around Taiwan by the numbers: 16 days, 1,142km, min riding a day: 21km, max riding a day: 112km, can’t help swearing in multiple language: 100+ times, thinking of giving up: 10+ times, violating speed limit accidentally: 5-10 times. Running through a red light accidentally: 200+ times. Total cost: Less than NTD$9,000(USD$300). Weight loss: 0kg(WTF).

Hightlights of solo riding around Taiwan 2011/12/18-2012/1/2

HIGHLIGHTS:

*Ride through the most scenery and dangerous road with countless trucks/ tourist buses-Suhua Highway.

*Stay at most holy church in Taiwan right before Xmas and get lost on the next morning and chased by dogs for few times-Wanjin.

*Stay at strangers’ house for free and learn how to pay it forward-Taidong: Dawu and Luye.

*Ride in the pouring rain-Suhua highway, and east north coast of Taiwan.

*Hitchhike with my bike-Taidong to Dulan.

*Run into aboriginal people’s house, eating, drinking, singing together-Fanshang, Pingdong.

*Free massage from the hot spring hotel owner at Rueshui.

*Get away from traffic and ride on the small country road: No. 185/193/197/199.

*Celebrate the final countdown to 2012 with shitty fireworks: Near Taipei tower 101.

*Visit most hippy coffee shop for live music on Christmas eve, and again drinking and dancing with aboriginal people-Dulan.

*Meet new friend on the road and switch bikes to ride: Taidong, Hualian.

*Visit friends along the way for free meal and stay: Chiayi, Tainan, Kaoshung, Taipei, Shinzu.

*Free lunch at police office-Mudan, Pingdong.

Happy 2012

Happy New Year! It's part of this journey as well! Keep riding till 2012.

無米樂

＂你好，崑濱伯，我騎車來看你。＂
＂今甘溫。＂
＂我可以穿強盜政府的衣服跟你合照嗎？＂
＂Ａ勢阿。＂但表情非常困惑。＂我去找人來幫我們拍。＂然後請鄰居來幫忙拍照。

雖然我沒有買冠軍米，但是崑濱伯真的非常親切，他本人絕對沒有覺得政府強盜，是我強迫他跟我合照的。因為我以為他會對土地徵收法很生氣，不過他倒沒表示甚麼意見。

然後崑濱伯說：後壁最美的時候就是十月。

我說：崑濱伯，我要查一下地圖，你忙沒關係。他說：我不忙阿，你進來坐。

鄉下人真是超棒的啦！

Rice noddles

No wonder sometimes I feel the rice noodles are smoky.

原來米線是曬在大馬路邊的。（筆記）

Swimming pool

A good thing about Taiwan is that you could easily know where your food are from. And to eat local food is actually environmental friendly. I just eat some very nice baked duck tonight.

台灣最棒的就是我們真的清楚的知道我們的食物怎麼來的，而且因為食物就近取得，所消耗的碳其實少，也算是一種環保。我今晚就吃了很棒的烤鴨（誤）。

Sauerkraut village

While you enter this village, you would see the sign: The home of sauerkraut. Along the way, you would see lots of plastic cans. Those ladies told me they are doing this all year long, and the best time to visit would be right before Chinese New Year. And they said I must feel bored to bike around alone. I have to say: I can't agree with them more. It's damn boring.

酸菜之鄉:：大埤

沿路上你會看到大的水泥圓井，她們放進新鮮的蔬菜，加入鹽巴醃製保存，蓋上帆布之後，用大石頭壓制，一個月酸菜就做好了。她們說：過年前來的話，沿路上大家都在醃酸菜。她們說：一個人騎車不無聊嗎？無聊爆了阿。

Awesome parking job

Cabbage farm

今年的高麗菜價正好，農民說：每箱都可以賣到一千塊呢。

Havest of cabbages.

Happy Birthday?

Those baby ducks were born today, and the man was busy to count their q'ty and seperate them in the baskets. They would be delivered to Kaoshung or Pindong.

鴨子農場：主人正忙著把這些今天出生的鴨寶寶們，按照數量分裝到籃子裡。將被送往高雄屏東等地的養殖場。有些鴨子剛出生，毛都還濕的，他甚至敲開了一顆蛋，拎出裡面的鴨子，因為牠們其實已經夠大了。

Rainbow village

Rainbow village. 彩虹眷村-實際上是不需要抗議的，因為台中市政府從善如流已經打算保留七戶眷村，並且需要商議黃爺爺是否要繼續維護彩虹村。但是其他人家都必須交出產權且搬遷。也就是這裡只留下眷村的皮骨（房子跟彩繪），但是眷村人還是都搬走了，對我來說，也就不是眷村了。

There's a retired soldier start to paint his wall couple years ago. He feels like doing it and it became a famous place to visit and for photo shooting. But due to the city reorganized, they would have to destroy this place. Just because so many people concern about it so Taichung government decide to keep this place, well, 7 houses only. But they still have to move. The artist(Mr. Huang) could decide what he wants to do to maintain those. But since those residents move, it would never feel the same.