Taiwan Huandao 2013: Zhubei to Fengyuan

September 10th, 2013

After taking it easy the day before I set out to ride south to Fengyuan, Taichung, nearly 90 km from my starting point in Zhubei. There were several sights I wanted to see on the way there so I wasn’t entirely sure I would make it with daylight to spare. In fact, I was quite sure I would not—I had been up late again, wracked by insomnia, and was not ready to go until the early afternoon.

Cruising beneath an overpass on the way out of Hsinchu City.

I headed out of Zhubei by way of the nearest bridge—the same bridge I got lost under the night before. Crossing over into Hsinchu City was painless and I made good time cutting through to the highway running along the west coast of Taiwan. It was already oppressively hot, conditions that I had not yet acclimated to. I figured I would eventually work up to riding throughout the day—but given my propensity for heatstroke I was not in any rush to find out. Thankfully Taiwan is crazy for convenience stores, and I made frequent use of these air-conditioned rest stops along the way.

Riding through Hsinchu was dull but not entirely uninteresting. No one who rides around Taiwan has good things to say about the west coast but I prefer seeing the rural-industrial sprawl up close. Of course, it helps that I have a growing interest in taking photos of heavy industry, dilapidated buildings, and junkyards! There were quite a few on the highway out of Hsinchu, which made for interesting viewing as I cycled by.

No one seemed to mind when I cruised into this junkyard to snap some photos.

Eventually I made my way to the Hsinchu coastal bike path. I probably could have taken it from further up the coast but I hadn’t thoroughly researched anything in advance. I knew it was around but didn’t really pay much attention to where it began or ended. That’s been my style on this trip: I don’t plan my route, I just go wherever my intuition and the wind takes me. (With a little help from Google Maps on my phone, of course!)

The scenic Baiyun Bridge (白雲橋) on the Hsinchu Coastal Bikeway.

Nearing the end of the 17 kilometer-long path.

I saw no one else riding the coastal bike path in the heat of the late afternoon. It was an empty, serene place, just the sea and I, wind turbines spinning languidly overhead. I enjoyed the ocean breeze and made good progress down the coast, stopping at a phony windmill designated as a cyclist rest stop. Several other cyclists were in fact resting inside, taking shelter from the relentless sun. An enterprising old Taiwanese couple had setup a small table and were selling cold drinks out of a cooler that I was happy to purchase.

There are so many turbines along this windy shore.

My ride outside a rest stop on the edge of Hsinchu City.

Messages scrawled on the inside of the rest stop.

A sandy beach at the end of the bikeway.

After a brief rest I forged on. The path swept through a coastal forest for a short distance and ended on a country road facing a farm of some sorts. I took a photograph of the funny looking birds in the yard and went around the bend in the road to explore. Turns out it was just an access road to a pig farm. The stench was unbearable so I turned around and headed back to the highway.

A pig farm in rural Hsinchu county. The stench was unbearable.

Burning stuff on the side of the highway, a not infrequent occurrence in rural Taiwan.

I soon encountered another hazard of riding in Taiwan: smoke. It is common for people living in rural areas to burn trash and vegetation, sometimes quite close to the road. I am quite sure it is awful to breathe this stuff in so I do my best to pass through as quickly as I can. I have been wondering if I should pick up one of those fashionable face masks that many people wear in Taiwan but I really wouldn’t know what to look for.

Windmills towering over the coastal landscape.

A thriving crop of taro in front of a rural temple somewhere outside of Zhunan.

Heading into Houlong for a late lunch I came across an abandoned building with many different units. I did not want to waste too much time but I couldn’t resist scoping it out. It was a concrete paradise, all dull angles and uncertain history. Local people had taken to dumping garbage in some units whereas others were home to furnishings that might have once adorned these dwellings, if indeed any of these units had been inhabited.

An abandoned building just outside of Houlong. There were more units in this complex than I had time to explore.

A quick glimpse of Houlong proper; this is Ciyun Temple (慈雲宮).

Down in Houlong proper I stopped to refuel with some dumplings before hitting the road again, heading south through Miaoli. Again I found myself racing the setting sun. I was less than halfway as the sun began its journey below the horizon. Another ride in gathering darkness.

Crossing the Houlong River (後龍溪) with the rosy afterglow of sunset on the horizon.

Leaving the coastal plains of Hsinchu for the hills of Miaoli was a refreshing change. I headed south and east, hanging a right onto “Lung Gang” lane (obviously an antiquated romanization), ascending the high ridge above Miaoli City. I had expected there to be little in the way of settlement along this winding mountain road but it seemed to have been developed into an upscale community with excellent views of the city. Big homes towered over most of my ascent and luxury cars passed me as I struggled to gain altitude.

Based on my experience riding down from the high plains of Taoyuan to Xinpu two nights previously I figured that I would make excellent time coming down from the hills of Miaoli. This is partly why I cut through the hills instead of going around through the city—I really enjoyed the descent that night. And I was right—after rejoining a major road leading down into Tongluo I swiftly found myself riding through a mountain valley on the way to Sanyi.

Gateway to a temple somewhere in Miaoli County.

Somewhere between settlements I stopped at the side of the road to appreciate the night view and snack on a black sesame mochi I had picked up earlier. Looking around I saw nothing more than rice paddies and distant lights. The crescent moon hovered in the sky, the pinprick of stars pierced the night, and the jagged outline of mountains ringed the horizon. There was no sound apart from the gurgle of irrigation water pumps and the faint click-clack of the traffic light mechanism cycling through its program. I slugged back some water and contemplated my surroundings, letting my mind empty out.

A woman walked out of the darkness, startling me. She greeted me warmly and I soon learned, through broken English and descriptive gesticulations, that she was a firefighter out patrolling this part of the countryside. She gestured at a scooter nearby—presumably electric, since I did not hear her approach—and indicated she had stopped to see if I required any assistance. We chatted a little and it turned out she had also done a round-the-island bike trip! She pulled out her smartphone and flipped through photos, showing me some of the places she had been with a cycling partner. Interestingly, she had also chosen the same point of departure: Liberty Square. I told her of my plans to head on to Taichung but she warned me against going so far. “Stay in Sanyi”, she told me. Soon we bid each other adieu, two strangers once more.

Riding into Sanyi, a woodcarving town, I stopped at a small roadside stall for a hearty bowl of beef noodle soup. Feeling too energized not to press on, I began a long, steady descent to the county line. The road outside of Sanyi opened up into a six lane asphalt wonderland. Very little traffic passed me as I loosened my grip on the brakes and let gravity take hold. It was an incredible, exhilarating ride down the well to the massive bridge crossing into Taichung proper.

Arriving late at night at Fengyuan Railway Station (豐原車站).

Passing through Houli was uneventful and I soon found myself on the outskirts of Fengyuan. I headed for the railway station in search of a cheap hotel, a bit of a travel hack I picked up from reading other huandao reports. It worked like a charm—I easily found a room within my budget and was able to lug my loaded bike up the stairs to my room for safekeeping and peace of mind. Alright, so this place was pretty battered and rundown, but I didn’t really mind after such a long ride. I was just happy to have a place to shower and lay down—even if the bed was as hard as a rock.

Map

Themes

Bicycle Touring in Taiwan (台灣自行車旅遊)

Regions

Hsinchu (新竹)
Miaoli (苗栗)
Taichung (台中)

Series: Taiwan Huandao 2013

An incomplete series of posts about my first bicycle tour around Taiwan in September and October 2013. The complete trip around the main island is known in Chinese as huándǎo (環島), literally “around the island”, and is typically conducted as a rite of passage for young people in Taiwan. It took me a full lunar month to complete, but I was not in any particular rush, and it can be done in under a week if you’re in a hurry.

Note: this series is far from complete and the quality of each entry varies as it was originally drafted in 2014. Since 2024 I have been revising each entry with and redoing all the photos.