GLAZES OF TAIWAN
Starts on 30th of December 2017 Ready… Set… Ni Hao!
Sunday 31 December
A floating haze. Got very little sleep on the plane. Landed an hour ahead of schedule to a very barren Taipei airport. We discovered you can’t ride motorbikes or bicycles around the airport so couldn’t mount our bikes. We tried getting on the train but the boxes were just a bit too large so we caught a bus to Yongning instead. The closest stop to our camp site. Here in the cold, drizzly rain, Xavier mounted our bikes and after a few dumplings, we were off to Queentown camping ground. Along the 11ks we stopped to eat dinner. Arsène went straight for the chicken feet. Lisa was hoping for a clear broth dumpling soup but ended up with we don’t know what. Didn’t hit the spot but sleeping was what we were really aiming for. We got to the camping ground at about 3pm had the time to set up and have a nice hot shower. The camping ground was packed with people celebrating New Year. At midnight we were woken up by the big boom of 2018, wished one another happy new year and went straight back to sleep! Somehow 2017 and 2018 have just merged to form an extended year.
Monday 1 January
Today we went into downtown Taipei to get the clothing we’re going to need for the cooler weather. For breakfast we had fantastic vegetarian omelettes sold by the road side. Strangely enough, we feel fairly safe on what seem to be crazy roads. The lanes are unclearly designated with trucks, buses and cars in the centre lanes with motorbikes, vespas and bicycles on the outer lanes, into which people and dogs sometimes walk and rest in! It’s almost as if the vehicles behind have the responsibility to look after those in front, so if you have to veer left into bigger traffic because a vehicle or people are using the outer laneways, you’re protected. Let’s see…
Tuesday 2 January
Lisa needed tea so rode down to the local village and found a store with wall to wall barrels of tea and bought a rather expensive container of fine oolong tea that will see us through the entire trip. Xavier thought the bar of soap offered as part of the transaction was edible … until he put it in his mouth. A story the boys really love. After breakfast, we rode to Yingge ceramics museum. On our way we stopped at the very enchanting old town of Sanxia which had at its centre the Sanxia Temple. We marvelled at the intricate work on the temple and asked for safe passage on this journey. We rode through one of the most chaotic streets of all so far with people screaming the quality of their produce. It was every man for himself in amongst the vespas, cars, bikes, people and dogs. A fabulously bustling perfumed messy moment. Eventually we arrived at Yingge ceramics museum only to discover it was closed … we went on to the ceramic streets where many galleries and shops exhibit/sell ceramics. Xavier was taken by the variety and quality of the glazes and the finesse of some of the the objects to begin with but as we visited other places, we quickly realised that in fact they are purely production pieces. We went back fairly early to camp to prepare for day one of our Taiwan tour.
Wednesday 3 January
So day one of our tour starts. Excitement and apprehension … we rode up and up and up. Nothing like this as a start to remind us of what we’re in for in a small yet very mountainous country. 11kms up between 8% and 10% climbs with our lives on our bikes. Needless to say we were very sore by the end of the 45km ride day. We arrived late mid-afternoon in Pinglin and had time to set up a very basic camp. Being the only ones here, we’re sleeping under a large tin roof on the floor tonight. Did our first load of washing. Probably not a good idea. Might be carrying weighted damp clothes with us tomorrow… We were treated to a beautiful dinner in downtown Pinglin with much needed vegetables. The chicken cooked in infamous oolong tea oil with jujube was absolutely delicious. A most memorable site specific dish.
Thursday 4 January
Rode out of Pinglin this morning. Another steep ascent for breakfast. Not as many trucks and motorbikes on the road today which was a welcomed change. Had the pleasure of meeting a few local monkeys in the trees which was a rare sight into nature. Although green we haven’t seen much else. Finally got to the top of the mountain around midday. Great view from the top where we could see the Yilan plane with Turtle Island in the distance and as far down south as Luodong which is where we’re supposed to be tonight. The seaside plane was so very flat all the way into the foot of the mountain on which we stood. Couldn’t help but think about how easy it is for tsunamis to wipe out such villages or in this case, cities … rice field after rice field, fish farm after fish farm. Rectangular grids of shallow fresh water all the way to the sea. Léon almost broke his ankle which slipped into a wide gap while he was pushing his bike to the lookout spot. A stressful moment that thankfully ended with a sprained ankle. Not great for riding but after some treatment and deep breathing, he seemed to come out of it ok. Luckily we couldn’t climb any higher from here and were able to enjoy a beautiful 10km down hill ride. The temperature at the foot of the hill was considerably higher. For the first time we had to put on sunscreen. We went to a hot spring onsen to treat out weary legs before getting back on our bikes and riding another 25ks next to our camping spot. We went to the Luodong night markets for dinner. More snacks than dinner but another Taiwanese experience nonetheless. We got to our camping ground well after dark and once again found ourselves under a tin roof. This time we put up the tents to protect us from the mosquitos. The boys got to meet the local farm animals including Roger the old goat!
Friday 5 January
Drizzly grey day. Interrupted sleep with dogs barking all night and roosters not really understandinheg they are only meant to crow on the cue of dawn. We left and although the road was flat the supplies we stocked up for when we reach the valley weighed us down considerably. It was a very difficult road today. Aside from the constant drizzle the further we got in to the valley the colder it became so pedalling was the only way to stay warm. The road was winding and like a roller coaster. Down hills no longer became a psychological relief but rather heightened our anxiety because of the uphill climb to come. As Xavier summarised: morale breaking terrain. On the upside however the steep mountain scenery was impressive as it was sinister. In between the valley the rubble from landslides included pieces of brick walls from buildings once offering homely comfort. The importance of treading lightly, the feeling that one must bow silently and in reverence to the majestic mountains seems to be broken with the filthy trucks puffing out black smoke and so called slick cars arrogantly ripping through the silence. We arrived at what seemed to be an indigenous inspired campground. We were treated to a much appreciated hot shower before cooking our first camp meal on the trip. The host brought over two massive mushrooms for us that are grown here. Mixed with our canned eel, it was a delight. The boys were treated to some traditional games including testing ones ability to put an empty glass bottle upright using only a ring at the end of string attached to a rod. Sleep brought with it images if dears and dogs with crying eyes in traditional motifs. Deep sleep was interrupted in the middle of the night by the arrival of a large group of campers.
Saturday 6 January
Woke up to rain. Today we will only do 16 kms so we are able to take on the infamous “arse of steal” 8 km climb where we go from about 700 metres to 2000 meters first thing tomorrow morning. Before leaving the boys were treated to getting dressed in Tainan a sort of traditional clothing. “Only” 16 kms … absolutely gruelling. We crossed to the other side of the valley and from that point it just kept going up and up and up. It must have been at least 15% and with all our gear, felt like 25%. There were very few flats to catch your breath and some outright nasty descents. Oreste has already come off his bike twice because of the slippery roads. We were just a few kms from Nanshan when Arsène cracked. The respite of a descent followed by a steeper ascent was just too crushing, for all of us except Oreste who was in fine form. We stopped to decide whether to turn back or go to Nanshan to see whether we could get a bus up to Lishan. We had our first family meeting by the roadside in the company of a wet, cold, hungry, unloved puppy. It was decided that we would get to Nanshan sleep in the b&b there and hopefully be able to catch the bus to Lishan. We were greeted with lots of encouragement from the locals. We were very lucky to fall upon a Phillipino English speaking worker who helped us establish that we could indeed get a bus from Nanshan to Lishan with our bikes. An incredible sense of relief. We settled in, none of us were hungry just simply emotionally and physically exhausted. Bed was all we wanted.
Sunday 7 January
It rained heavily all night long. So glad we didn’t have to set up a makeshift camp in this weather. Breakfast consisted of awful buns and a lukewarm, canned hot chocolate. Not a good idea. We got on the bus and Arsène was car sick almost immediately, Oreste and Lisa followed shortly after. Before we did get sick we had a moment to witness the gushing mud from the steep mountain sides the narrow road passed through. Fallen rocks, flashing lights, police stops and the most frightening crack in the road that looked like the road was about to be swept away. I tried to look out to see the incredibly dramatic landscape that Xavier and Léon were happily taking in, but just managed to get glimpses of mountain tops and mist. We made it to Lishan and got a glimpse of the mountain tops before the rain started pounding down again. We tasted the sweetest persimmons that reminded us of the persimmons that Richard and Kiong offered us from their farm. The aim is to catch the 3pm to Taroko National Park. Getting to the east coast from Lishan is about 100ks, 75 of which would be similar to what we travelled up to Nanshan. We thought it would be better to catch the bus instead of ride because the weather is just simply not on our side, access to food along the road is pretty scarce and it would simply be too heavy to stock up with four days of food. Fate had something else in mind however. A 5 hour wait for nothing. When the bus arrived it was too small to take the bikes. So disappointing. We are staying in a local hotel in Lishan tonight to catch the 8:30am that is going to take us all the way back to Luodong – where we started. Can’t believe it. Gutted. Like Dante we were hoping to make our way through the circles of Taiwan but we are clearly missing our Virgil. Lisa hasn’t been feeling well either with an upset stomach for the last few days and stuffy nose. Let’s hope that the food we find tonight will sooth the defeat.
Monday 8 January
Had a light breakfast because we have a three hour bus trip back to Luodong. We got on, the driver pocketed our cash and then we got motion sickness again. This time Léon joined in. Xavier just managed. We stopped at Nanshan and saw familiar faces. Odd coming back to a place you thought you would never. It was also strange revisiting the road we travelled. We must have been led by pure fear to go the distance we did. What seemed to be 15 minutes was clearly a great deal more. We recalled where Oreste fell off his bike, where we slept in the Tainan campsite, and marvelled at the fast progress that had been made on the vegetable patches in the monsoonal plains. The tractors and massive diggers looked tiny in the landscape. There was one digger that had managed to get caught in the middle of two rivers that had risen as a result of all the rain and was having to create himself a bridge to get out. We made it back the the flat. Getting out of the bus holding our plastic bags, we were greeted by two eagles circling overhead. After about an hour of breathing and preparing ourselves, we were back on our bikes and headed for Dong Feng organic farm camp ground. A really lovely place surrounded by mountains. The monkeys made themselves heard at dawn and dusk. We stayed here two days to recharge and to also meet with someone who ultimately became a no show. We were also able to recover Arsène’s diary which he had left behind with Roger the old goat.
Tuesday 9 January
The highlight of the day was going to the national crafts centre. We saw the most exquisite headdress made with intricately designed silver inlay with kingfisher feathers. Astoundingly beautiful. Even the boys were mesmerised. I learnt that the kitch ceramic dog/lion ceramic figurine I liked in Yingge was and is a classic Taiwanese style called Koji. Xavier tells me the plan is to visit the Koji centre on the west coast in two weeks. Another awful rainy day. Hoping tomorrow may be kinder.
Wednesday 10 January
Up before the crack of dawn today so we can get on the train to Xincheng Taroko. Which is essentially the east coast side of Taroko that we were meant to finish up at if our mountain plan would have gone accordingly. The mountains on this side look so incredibly powerful. Almost putting up a tantalising wall of what could have been or still could be. I had to relinquish the epiphanies I know lay hidden in there. The mist covered peaks were a reminder of the impossibility. We found ourselves a cute unmanned campsite for the night where the boys chased rabbits.
Thursday 11 January
We’re up at 6 and on our bikes by 7:30. Rode 50ks on a nice flat road from Zhixue to Rusui. We stopped off at Fengli to do some washing and shopping and ate some lunch. The person in charge of the Rusui campground offered us a local fish caught from the river famous for rafting in Taiwan, delicious oranges and salad. So very generous. She also told us that it has been snowing in Taroko National Park so even if we had continued, we would never have been able to get through. Everything certainly does seem to happen for a reason. The boys played with the puppies the moment we entered the grounds. Let’s just hope they’re not going to bark all night long! Tomorrow we head for the east coast again and plan on sleeping at a campsite offered by the local police.
Friday 12 January
Slower start this morning. Had to go back to pick up our toiletries bag which we forgot. The ride started with meeting local buffalo in the Ruisui mountains not far from where we stayed. We wound our way up and around the most wild, beautiful and sublime landscape we have experienced so far. Much of what we’ve experienced seems managed and manicured. We rode through mud where there had been landslides not so long ago, stumbled across another road that were only one lane wide because the other half had given way to the valley below. We all had a very strange sense of vertigo at that moment particularly given the severity and colossal scale of the surrounding landscape. Hardly any other road users so we were able to take in the sheer cliffs, the monkeys and the rapids way down below. We got to know some of the mountains more intimately by seeing them from different perspectives as we wound our way through the valley. It was a truly beautiful ride. Oreste decided that he was going to speak to all the animals. Amazing curiosity and energy despite what seemed to be difficult climbs. Later that day we crossed the Tropic of Cancer. We should have started charging out the boys for photo opportunities. We ate the most delicious deep fried salt and pepper squid and picked up some darker type of banana. Very nice. After an hour or so we got back on our bikes, we rode pass incredible caves, they were so impressive that we had to stop and explore. We realised that the sense of power we felt in the valley earlier today was because we had in fact crossed the area where two tectonic plates collide: the Eurasian and Phillipines plates. We climbed up hundreds of stairs to reach the very top of the mountain that housed the caves and had a very amusing interaction with the local monkeys. Léon thought one was going to jump on him, which it probably was, if it weren’t for the eagerness of Oreste that wanted to indeed talk monkey. After a very dynamic 42 km ride We arrived at Changbin police station where we were able to set up camp. We went to a local restaurant, surf monkey, and ordered way too much food but got through almost all of it. The rest is for breakfast tomorrow. Today was most certainly the best day we’ve had so far.
Saturday 13 January
Today we woke up to the promise of some blue sky for Arsène’s 11th birthday. We made a different breakfast – sweet rice pudding. We sang happy birthday in the presence of a local toad, he had a photo with the local police and then we rode a significant 60kms to Doulan police station. On our way we could start to see the end tip of Taiwan. It was great to get a sense of the east coast in nicer weather. Beautiful flower fields with deep ocean colours as the backdrop was a very pretty site. We arrived at the police campground which had a very islander feel. Arsène found coconut to suit the mood. We went to the very short downtown strip of Doulan in search of dinner and aside from seeing the first Caucasians in a while, there was a sense of this town being a type of Byron Bay. We ended up having dinner at what turned out to be an expensive Indian restaurant in the company of other tourists. The food was not as tangy as Indian found in Sydney but just as good. Or so we thought. The other tourists left and we were alone. Within minutes we had a comedy of stomachs. Léon started cramping then crying. He went out in the fresh air outside hoping that would help but then he started being agressed by the dogs and mosquitos. My stomach also started turning. Léon ran off to the toilet. I followed. He started having mild hallucinations and sensations and was pleading to go to the police. Shortly after Arsène came to the toilet, then Oreste. In a matter of 60 seconds Xavier found himself alone at the table not really understanding what had just happened. The restaurant owner didn’t either. We paid the bill and ran out of there. Unfortunately, we didn’t even get to finish what seemed to be a decent dinner!
Sunday 14 January
Breakfast consisted of rice pudding with the coconut Arsène found yesterday. Unfortunately, I mixed in what I thought was plain almond meal, but it wasn’t and tasted awful. Another day of blue sky riding along buffalo herds and flower fields. We stopped for a swim at a beach that was completely deserted. The water was warm, the weather was great. We couldn’t quite understand why we were the only ones in the water. There was a massive abandoned hotel just to our left. Again, not sure why. We could see some kinks in the walls and could only think it was no longer structurally sound. In any case, we had dreams of an amazing artist in residency program. We stopped in Taitung to do the washing before continuing on our road to Ziben. We had the best omelettes so far by the road side before heading to our camping spot that had natural hot springs. Divine! After setting up camp and dinner we went for a night dip. While the water had a slight odour of egg and a silky touch to the skin, the experience was purely relaxing. We all received massages offered by the pressured water spouts and were able to stay warm on what would have otherwise been a very cool night. We all slept so incredibly well.
Monday 15 January
Started with a visit back to the hot springs. With the rising sun we could start to see the mountains that offer the 51 degree water. A simply beautiful way to start a day. We continued our way along the final stretch on the east coast of Taiwan. The end tip of Taiwan that we saw previously became ever closer today. We had a challenging yet beautiful ride along the east coast. We rode through butterfly pockets which was very pretty. Oreste struggled from the moment we left and just before we reached Dawu he had a melt down. It was the heat, the sun and sheer fatigue that got the best of him. After some down time we were back on the final stretch to Dawu. We got to the train station where we were told we couldn’t get on the train with our bikes. That’s when the adventure began. After communicating in our very bad Chinese and sign language the train master went to fetch his senior who got on the phone to someone else and it was agreed that they would allow us on the 16:48 train to Fengliao. After going through the fuss of getting the bikes up the stairs to the platform, the train showed up and we were escorted into a cargo container area of the train. It was noisy and the moment we got moving we went through a tunnel a sense the fear and panic was mounting in the boys. The train mistress ushered us through several carriages until we got to the passenger carriages where we sat for a 45 minute ride from east to west. On arrival into Fengliao we had an entourage of people waiting for us on the platform and two people on the train to make sure we got off safely. Once off the train we got the superstar exit by being taken to the end of the platform and allowed to cross the train tracks. The person who took us across then unlocked a quaint little white gate which led us straight on to the bustling, warm and friendly streets of Fengliao. A truly cute and welcoming little city. We found a cheap yet clean hostel with a lovely hostess and after putting on our mozzie repellent we walked the streets and the boys spoke to parrots who greeted them with “Nihao!”. Another fabulous experience. Xavier went into a store looking for a gas can and the boys came out with a bag of delicious red fruits called wax. A type of apple that is very juicy. We ate street food and back to the hostel for a good nights sleep.
Tuesday 16 January
A polluted, smog filled, hot, noisy, soul destroying, flat, easy, boring 60 km ride through the industrial heart of Taiwan. It reminded us of Nagoya in Japan. Oreste had another stress induced spell. We happened to find a shady spot in front of someone’s home so when they showed up they were concerned and offered to call a doctor. After some homeopathic treatment and a little rest, Oreste was back on his bike. Unlike Nagoya, we’ll be sleeping in a hotel tonight because there are simply no nature spots around here at all. No beauty.
Wednesday 17 January
On the back of the ugliness of the west coast and what we can see on the map, we’ve decided that we’ll train our way up to Jiji, which is where there is another ceramic focus. Today we left Kaoshing and caught the train to the previous capital of Taiwan, Tainan. We had a great Peking duck in the Park followed by ice cream outside of a lovely temple from the 1600s. It was 26 degrees today but people are wearing scarves, winter gloves, costs, stockings and boots. So very odd. Can’t even begin to imagine how awfully hot it must be in summer if this is how they dress in the winter. We jumped on the train again this time headed for Chiayi, the koji ceramic capital of Taiwan. The boys were allowed to play train commander for a moment. So exciting! There is a layer of smog on the west side that simply doesn’t exist on the east side. We found out that it’s the pollution coming from mainland China! The day finished with a frustrating arrival to the hotel where we’ll stay for two nights. So looking forward to getting back out in nature and in the tent!
Thursday 18 January
A non active day today. We all even had time for a soak in the bath. We started the day with a trip to the cultural museum to learn more about Koji ceramics which is typically Taiwanese – well actually its roots are in modern day Vietnam. We visited the studio of Long Feng Hsiang a well known koji ceramic artist commissioned to adorn many of the temples. Tomorrow we head off early and find our pre west coast rhythm.
Friday 19 January
We were on the train at 8am headed for Ershui. We were pedalling from 10am and found ourselves surrounded by nature again which was a much welcomed relief. The harsh, noisy, dirty city streets, have little to offer in the form of inspiration. Again, we rode through clusters of butterflies, banana fields and farmland. On our way to sun moon lake we stopped at Shuili snake kiln – an approximately 30 metre long kiln. We arrived in Jiji without too much fuss but from that point on the unrelenting climb began. The good thing was that it was overcast and cool, making all the difference. The boys really enjoyed being “in the clouds again”. It is indeed a special place to be particularly when you feel the cool mist land on your hot face and can see it drifting just a few metres ahead of you. We climbed a good 8kms at 8%-10% and were dripping with sweat by the time we reached one of the better campsites. Quiet and calm. Listening to the sound of chirping birds instead of cars, trucks and motorbikes. We set up camp and started getting dinner ready – risotto à la puttanesca – and then the mist came over again. Sleeping in the clouds tonight. Wonderfully quiet.
Saturday 20 January
Today we head off for sun moon lake which is apparently the most loved nature place in Taiwan aside from Taroko and the east coast. We continued climbing and within 1/2 an hour we were at the entrance of the trail which takes you all the way around the lake. First impressions: a tourist trap. The buses, the selfie sticks, the groups, the harassing shop owners wanting you to buy anything from their shop … painful. We continued after some lunch and found a camping spot for the night by the lake. Arsène hurt his shin yesterday and his pedal slammed into the same spot this afternoon meaning he was in a great deal of pain. Set up the makeshift recovery bed and all seemed to be better. The first aid kit has had good use this trip and lucky I bought a second batch of arnica.
Sunday 21 January
Was woken up at 2am by the aggression of motorbikes and cars racing in the winding mountain roads. The only thing I could think of was caliban’s line in Shakespeare’s Prospero’s books: “May the fleas of a thousand camels infest your…” We were contemplating staying an extra night before going to bed but that has completely sealed our fate for tonight. We are not staying here! A constant flow of cars buses and motorbikes. Enough. We packed up, rode around the remainder of the lake and then flew downhill. 1/2 hour climb for a 3 minute rush. Wings aren’t cheap! We ended up back at the campground where we were on Friday night and that’s just perfect. It will be a quiet tonight. We had a relaxing set up, the boys had time to practice their fishing skills. Oreste and Arsène managed to catch something which we certainly weren’t going to eat given the water it came out of.
Monday 22 January
Just before leaving this morning the boys made friends with a little Taiwanese boy who was very pleased trying on their new Tainan caps, much to the amusement of the grandparents who were in stitches. We left the campground and had a beautiful ride downhill. It was great to see the backdrop of what we rode up last week. We arrived in the cute township of Jiji after riding with some crazy drivers through Shuili. Really hard to understand the logic of some drivers here. In any case, we found accomodation for the night and then went visiting the local kilns and ceramic stores. Not much can be said for the ceramic production here. There does not seem to be a genuine research into any aspect of the medium but rather just a focus on making functional ‘things’. The focus on practicality without commitment or methodology makes for banality. The real discovery has been Koji and Xavier has been taken by some of the glazes. On our way back to the apartment we stumbled across an very large temple that had clearly given way to an earthquake. What an incredibly impressive site to see the malleability of such rigid material at that scale. We also came across a local Thylacine – a shaved German Shepard. We had a lovely dinner tonight, may be because we couldn’t understand the menu and left it to one of the cooks to decide. One of the highlights was a delicious omelette with beef, chives and possibly Hanoi sauce.
Tuesday 23 January
Left Jiji early this morning to make sure we can get the train to Yingee. Another very nice 20km ride in just over an hour, passing predominately dragon fruit and banana plantations. It was our final ride in rural Taiwan so we all said our good byes as we rode through the butterfly clusters. On arrival to Ershui, one of the train station employees tried to seperate us with one person in the front carriage and the other four in the back. One thing that has really annoyed Lisa during this trip is how everybody just seems to make up their own rules. On the basis that we’ve been travelling together in one carriage up until now with no issues, she flatly refused. The station staff just walked away. We had a long 3 hour train ride to Yingge. We saw one of the most frighteningly futuristic sites on this trip. A young girl, all done up, connected to a straw leading to some mushy breakfast replacement drink and ear phones connected to her phone into which she was blankly starring. She was completely motionless and could have been dead. If the boys were to come back in 50 years she will still be here, perhaps with a few more wrinkles. Reminded me of the sloth scene from the movie Seven. If this is progress – you can keep it! On arrival into Yingge we were back on the familiar road to Queentown campground but the experience was just frightening. There was a strong wind blowing from the west and with all our baggage it made us quite unstable on roads being shared with buses, trucks, cars, vespas, motorbikes, people, dogs, poles, pot holes … you name it. Good thing we don’t have eyes at the back of our heads because we may never have continued. All these moving missiles within 50cm was insanely frightening, especially over a bridge with low railings so if you fall off your bike in the wrong direction, you’re over the edge. The only way to survive on these roads is by being as stupid and aggressive as the other road users. So I took some distance from the boys to protect them by anticipating the obstacles ahead of them. It was nice to finally reach the quieter streets of Queenstown forest. Tonight we are the only ones here.
Wednesday 24 January
Started off the day with again having to deal with the crappy drivers to get a load of washing done and the absolutely abysmal street design/planning. As a rider you are expected to ride in the bike path on the right hand side which is fine but someone didn’t realise that 30cm diameter poles every 200 metres in a bike path is not really very practical nor are makeshift bitumen ramps to help vespas get on and off vespa infested footpaths. Someone also forgot to make room for pedestrians on the footpaths which accomodate multiple boxes of all different shapes and sizes. In any case, total chaos that defies any sense of human focused comfort and logic. All for the machines. There is clearly something that we haven’t quite understood and will simply never understand. We headed for the cultural institutions in Taipei and started with the 228 museum on Leon’s recommendation. Before and after our visit we walked over the Stone foot path which was excruciatingly painful. We all eventually made it to the end and back! We then moved on to the National Design Research Centre, the Fine Arts Museum. We visited a local food market which was bustling. We bought some very nice local produce including handmade noodles and egg dumplings.
Thursday 25 January
We went back to Yingge ceramics museum just before lunch. Fairly thin approach to the history of ceramics in this country whose west coast seems to have become the industrial centre it is today because of ceramics. There was a good display about the high tech contemporary application of ceramics, beyond the production of toilet bowls, plates, tiles and cups. We went back to camp earlier for an early dinner, to scrub our bikes so we don’t have any issues with Australian quarantine and to prepare heading for Taipei in the morning. We relocated our tent to under shelter later in the evening when we realised the rain was on the way. If we’re going to get out of here in time tomorrow the tents need to be dry.
Friday 26 January
It rained all night. Good thing we did get under shelter. We rode about 10kms to a train station we knew we could get our bikes on a train to Taipei. We got to Taipei and rode through what seemed the older part of the city. It had a great old school, run down vibe. We stopped for some omelettes and sweetness before going to a Sichuan restaurant. Turned out to be expensive and mediocre. We then went on to meet our host whose apartment we will be staying in as we prepare to head back home. We went to the local night market for dinner and ended up in a restaurant because the nibbles just weren’t doing it. Xavier came across the strangest looking food item in the entire market being sold by a very bored looking, silent, old man. We weren’t going to get a word out of him so did our own research when we got back to the apartment. Water caltrops! Sold with salt. Otherwise known as the Devil Pod, Bat Nut, Goat Head, Bull Nut, and Buffalo Nut. Scary looking but nice to eat … provided they are prepared well, otherwise they could become as nasty as they look!
Saturday 27 January
Went to the museum of contemporary art this morning which was somewhat forgettable followed by another expensive below average lunch, followed by a visit to Taipei 101 which is something the boys have wanted to do ever since we arrived and they could see it from Yingge. We rode past the Huashan 1914 Creative Park, which was an experience in keeping with the international marketing trends to turn culture into a fun park predominately for parents and children who will momentarily agree to have electronic devices taken away from them – but only if they feel they are living it. We were desperately looking for real artists so went on to Taipei Artist Village. We entered looking for studios but came across a large group of conference goers. We did eventually find a semi empty studio where there were only two artists. I was taken by the practice and book collection of one of the artists. Riding in Taipei is outrageous. Makes Sydney seem a breeze. The locals must think we’re completely insane taking children on the roads here. We saw two accidents with vespas in less than 500 metres, despite the traffic lights and signs giving priority to the more vulnerable, two of the boys were cut off by a big bus that pulled into the curb from behind them, defying any logic, cars that just keep coming straight for you and vespas that come way too close and/or simply insist on cutting into your path of travel. There seems to be a blanket of social indifference that borders on social disfunction. Awful riding in Taipei.
Sunday 28 January
We rode to the National Palace Museum this morning which we reached via the back door. We had a final ride through the mountainous area around the palace which was much nicer than the local roads despite the steep climbs. When we reached the museum the counter told us there were already over 2300 people in the museum. It was packed. The programming and communication of permanent rooms made it a very tailored experience. We went in to see what we wanted and by sidestepped Egypt’s mummies. We did take in the temporary exhibition of treasures from the Qing dynasty which was worth it. Again the handmade work with kingfisher feathers was astounding. These feathers look as brilliant today as they must have back in the 15th century. Craftsmanship using kingfisher feathers has definitely been one of the few highlights on this trip. The ceramic exhibits, while monotonous in style over the many years, with the exception of a few funky pieces dating back to 4000 BC, the glazes were slightly more interesting, particularly in the late 1800s to early 1900s where there seems to be more experimentation going on. On our way back to the apartment we stopped in at a local bakery and went a little nuts. The rest of the evening was low key and finished off with a local beef noodle soup and dumplings and an ice cream, despite the cold.
Monday 29 January
It continues to rain. This is how Taiwan started for us and seems like how it’s going to end. Today we went to Beitou in search of our final hot spring experience in Taiwan which we found. Beitou was designed as a Japanese hot spring area by the Japanese. The aesthetics make this part of history obvious. The ph of the water was so high that patrons were told not to scrub before entering the water nor to wash their faces with the water. After a few moments in the cooler hot spring at 43 degrees, you could feel the change in texture of your skin. Almost as if any oils were stripped away. This was followed by another very disappointing and expensive restaurant experience. We’ve had more luck with street food and onigiri than any restaurant in Taiwan. We headed back to the apartment and went to pick up the bike boxes on our way. We’re all very much looking forward to going home tomorrow. Finished the day with a final trip to the laundromat and a much more satisfying home made dinner.
Tuesday 30 January
Heading home today. Finished packing our bags and walked our bikes, bags and boxes to Taipei main station bus terminal. Here we demounted our bikes, put them in boxes, had lunch, found sometime for a last shop and some five hours later got on the bus for the airport. We had another two hour wait at the airport and again another two hours after customs … felt like the very long way home … flew out just a little before midnight.
Wednesday 31 January
The boys were so tired they couldn’t manage to sleep. We all managed a measly 1-2 hours worth. Landed in Melbourne where we had to pick up our boxes, clear quarantine and get on a domestic flight to Sydney. A stressful undertaking with only an hour and a half between flights and next to no sleep. We arrived in Sydney and the sun was starting to go down which accentuated the 36 hours we’d been awake. We decided not to mount and ride our bikes home but in the end it took us just as long. Won’t be doing that again. Good to be home.