Day 10: Luodong to Jioufen

On Spokes: a solo cycling journey through Taiwan

Jioufen is not typically part of the route around the island, but I had heard it was a pretty cool place so I decided to spend a couple nights there before heading back to Taipei. It was an overcast morning and I just hoped the rain would hold off for me. I had 82km (50 miles) to cycle. Doesn't seem like so much considering I had been cycling between 105-120 km (65-75 miles) per day. Not so fast. There is going to be a lot of elevation gain and some gnarly hills to climb. Just you wait.

Almost the entire route runs alongside the coast, up until the last 25km (15 miles), at which point I would veer inland and up the mountains. But first... breakfast.

I went upstairs to claim my free breakfast. It was served buffet-style, and stocked with plenty of vegetarian options. My favorite (excluding coffee, of course) were the steamed buns and the tofu, which I paired with my scrambled eggs.

After filling my belly I packed up my bike, checked out of my room, and started on my route. It was a change of pace from yesterday - I rode in designated bike lanes along the coast, taking in the cloudy skies over crashing waves and rock formations. As I cycled along the harbor I admired the contemporary architecture of buildings that seemed to be randomly placed, standing out amongst the rustic themes of the shoreside town. I took several side paths, past campgrounds and even tiny hidden temples. I made my way through the surf town of Wai'ao, where shops were just opening up at 10am for the groups of ambitious surfers eager to catch the waves that were being forcefully formed by an incoming storm. The headwinds were a challenge at times, and I took several breaks to catch my breath and wipe off the condensation that had accumulated on my face from riding into the drizzle.

Once I began making my way inland, I realized I was in for some intense climbing for the next hour or so. Not only was the endless incline torturous, the increasing rainfall made for misery. The hills were so unforgiving that I actually dismounted my bike on two occasions and pushed it for a few minutes. I don't know why I find such shame in that; I had to coax myself into believing it was okay for me to do that. The winding, mountainside roads were getting darker, and I slowed at every sharp turn to make way for unsuspecting motorists. I pedaled heavily through a little mountain town, adorable and mystical. Once past the town, my maps led me to a dead end, and the sky opened up on me, as if it couldn't hold in its swelling tears another second longer. I quickly pulled my bike under an awning of a concrete building, may have been someone's house, maybe. At this point I was soaked, water dripping from my helmet, and my bike was soaked too. (Side quest: I really like the Swift Industries bike bags - they're cute and they hold a lot of stuff, easy to install and to access. I have one for my handlebars, one for my top tube, and one for my frame, but the thing I despise about them is they're not fully waterproof. Seems like an obvious feature to include in bikepacking bags, hopefully they'll remedy that at some point.) I pulled out my phone to try and take a look at some maps, but the condensation on the phone and my wet fingers made it impossible for me to do anything with it. I was tapping my phone furiously, as if hitting it over and over with my index finger would magically dry it enough to get the screen to recognize touch. My eyes welled with tears in utter frustration. Also, a little context; I live in Phoenix, Arizona. I'm a desert lizard. Sun and sweltering heat I can deal with. Rain and cold, not so much. Rain really stresses me out. And it was pouring relentlessly. I initially demanded myself not to cry, but then I thought; you know what? This sucks. And it's okay to cry a little bit. So let out some tears, then get your ass back on your bike, and pick a path and go. That's what I did. I was only 10km (6 miles) from the hostel I had booked prior, and I would get there through all the suck. I always get there, eventually, one way or another. You're not in danger, it's just rain, it won't kill you, you will get there. I whimpered like a child all the way up the next hill until I spotted a crowd of people waiting on a bus. It gave me a little hope as I knew I must be close. Finally I pulled up to the 7-Eleven (always there for you in Taiwan), and went inside to dry off my phone so I could check my map. Sure enough, I was just steps away from the hostel. There was a little cobblestone walkway that disappeared beside the store, so I started walking my back through an immense crowd of people. I was a little confused. Why are there so many people here?! What is this?

After a little searching, I found the hostel tucked away into a corner off of what I would later learn is Jioufen Old Street, a mountaintop village of lanes, teahouses, and hidden alleyways that inspired the setting for the 2001 Japanese animated film, Spirited Away.

Unfortunately, there was nowhere for me to put my bike in the hostel so I had to leave it outside. I placed it as far under the air unit as I could to shelter it but for the next two days it got rained on. The hostel was a cute little place, and I met some very friendly travelers there. It sits directly behind Jioufen OId Street. I shed my wet clothes and took a hot shower. Despite my exhausting battle with the rain and my own emotions, I decided to check out Old Street and search for something to eat.

The cobblestone path was packed with tourists. It was a lot of maneuvering around and I soon realized I should have grabbed an umbrella. (Fun fact: many cities in Taiwan have umbrella stands outside all over the towns where pedestrians can borrow an umbrella to protect themselves from the rain.) Old Street has a very similar vibe to a night market. There were so many food stalls serving up the traditional staples, like stinky tofu, sweets and cakes, peanut roll ice cream, xia long bao, and all the fried stuff. There were numerous bakeries, snack shops, and souvenir shops as well. I picked some cute souvenirs for my friends and a few goodies, like pineapple cake. The street is a photographer's dream, with mysterious stairways that carry visitors down and around hidden passageways to reward them with more quirky shops and tea stalls. The streets were lined with paper lanterns that gave them a special Asian charm.

While it was lovely walking around Old Street, it was also cold and my feet were, once again, wet. By that point I needed to take the edge off so I had a fancy cocktail at one of the bars. I visited a few teahouses before finally deciding on a place to eat dinner. I had rice cakes for dessert and oh my goodness, I ate the entire plate! It was the perfect blend of sweet and savory, soft and chewy in the middle and just a slight crunch on the outside from the rice batter.

By the time I got back to the hostel I was completely wiped. I will have to mentally prepare myself to deal with impending rain over my final days, but for now I'm going to give myself what I deserve; a good night's rest in a warm, dry bed. Sweet dreams, zhidao mingtian.