Taiwan, March 2019

 

During our time in Brunei, word trickled through that Taiwan was something of a hidden gem, so Raquel and I hatched a plan to visit before leaving SE Asia. Somehow we discovered the island was incredibly cycle friendly, so we invested in a couple of foldable Tern bikes for the trip, the rest of our time in Borneo, and afterwards. Tern was aptly headquartered in Taiwan, and ‘the Arctic tern was the inspiration for the company name, due to the fact that it travels the longest distance of all migratory animals and is light and small, qualities the company attributes to its bicycles’, according to Wikipedia.

As there were no direct flights between Brunei and Taipei, our journey there and back was an adventure in itself. We drove across the border to Miri in Malaysia, we took part in the half marathon and 10km races there, then we flew with our foldables to Kota Kinabalu (KK), another city in Malaysia. At KK, we unfolded our bikes and cycled to our accommodation, then out for sushi dinner, feeling very satisfied with our unorthodox styles! The next day we cycled back to KK airport, flew to Taipei, and caught a high speed train to the scenic east coast.

Taiwan’s west coast is densely populated and industrial, while the east coast is more rural and quiet. Mountains run up the spine of the island, so we enjoyed beautiful vistas as we cycled south through rice paddies, with plenty of dramatic peaks and Pacific Ocean views. A dedicated cycle path ran parallel to most main roads, so we could relax and soak up our fantastic surroundings and each other’s company. Navigation was easy - keep the mountains on your right! 

People were friendly, finding reasonably priced accommodation was effortless, and best of all, the food was creative, delicious and often plant based. It was common for restaurants to only serve main meals and not dessert, and there was no obligation to buy drinks, as tap water was immediately brought to the table. If you wanted to satisfy your sweet tooth, you went to a dedicated outlet which specialised in bubble tea or whatever you fancied. Eating out was an affordable, healthy and unique experience. Even the numerous Seven Eleven convenience stores had baked sweet potatoes, corn on the cobs and boiled eggs for sale, much to the delight of the hungry cyclists! 

The last special mention from this memorable trip was Taiwan’s musical garbage trucks. Most evenings two trucks, one for general rubbish and one for recycling, would play cheerful jingles and move slowly through the city streets. Upon hearing this, residents would pile out of their homes and businesses to throw their differentiated trash and composables into the appropriate vehicle. This was an opportunity to chat to your neighbour, connect with the garbage workers, take more responsibility for your waste, and keep the streets clear from rubbish and rodents. This video and article explains the phenomenon more: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-pacific-12242914 

Having visited over 75 countries, I am often asked which was my favourite. I like to re-frame this question as where I would most like to revisit, and if that country was a convenient distance away. Taiwan would definitely be in my top 5, for ease of travel, affordability, cycle friendliness and the icing on the cake - scrumptious food! Making up the rest of the top 5 might be: Iceland for its mind blowing nature such as waterfalls, glaciers and geysers; Sri Lanka for its food, fun train travel and palm tree lined beaches; Mexico for its friendly people, beaches and food; and lastly, Portugal, which I have the fortune to live in, for its safety (not to be taken for granted), wonderful beaches and nature (lots of swimmable rivers and trees), tasty locally grown food, moderate climate, reasonable prices and friendly people. Portugal will be the star feature of my next blog post!