Location: Taipei
Weather: rain 17C
I woke up today to more of the wet stuff and again tried to delay going out while chatting with ShangLin's dad. From Keelung it's a very short ride home so I was in no hurry to leave. At some point i had to put on my wet clothes again and head out the door. Within minutes I was in the same drenched condition as yesterday afternoon, and it's times like when the spray of the front wheel obscures your vision to the point that you're just blindly hanging on to dear life that I really wished my bike had fenders. You thought I would say question why I was still biking but throughout all of my bike tours, while there have been many difficult moments where I was exhausted and dying for a break, never have I lost an ounce of motivation and wanted to quit. The north coast is a bit similar to the east coast in that it is a series of small towns with mostly nature in between. I stopped at Jinshan and walked around the Old Street, a smaller version of Danshui's, sampling all the street foods. Upon hearing that I was from Canada and biking around Taiwan, a girl at a bakery offered me a local snack that was like fried mochi covered in sesame.
Continuing onwards, I saw Fugui Cape lighthouse, the northernmost point of Taiwan, but somehow missed the turnoff and didn't feel like turning back when I had realized, deciding I had lots of chances to do this ride again in the future and that it was better coming on a sunny day. It was hard to pinpoint exactly how I was feeling as I rounded each turn and got closer and closer to my destination, bringing a truly remarkable bike tour to a close. I think there was some nostalgia and lots of gratitude mixed in with a conflict between wanting to finish because of the weather and at the same time not ever wanting the biking to end. I arrived in Danshui and lastly rode along the bank of the Danshui River across the Guandu Bridge to the Bali side, a route that I knew like the back of my hand. There was still some time before I had to return the bike so I went to the Shihsanhang Museum of Archeology, which depicts the remains of an Iron Age archeological site that was discovered by an aircraft in the area. The Shihsanhang people were the only known people who used iron smelting in Taiwan. Just before the deadline of 5pm, I arrived back at Frog Bike factory, this time much easier to find. Another guy was just about to leave and I felt so excited for him for all the incredible experiences that he was going to have.
Just about everywhere I go people think it's amazing that I'm biking alone. Maybe it's an Asian thing but I really didn't think it was that big of a deal. You really can't find an easier place to bike tour than Taiwan. At a time when we are contantly bombarded by information from others, being alone gave me the time to think and understand myself, as well as the opportunity to meet and get to know so many kind and interesting people. From the construction workers who cheered me on, all the other riders and tourers I met, to everyone that opened up their homes to me, thank you for being part of this journey and for showing time after time that Taiwan is beautiful country through and through.
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