Day 11: Back to Taipei - great effort brings great reward

On Spokes: a solo journey cycling through Taiwan

I slumped out of my hostel bunk and downstairs to the common area, listening to the sound of relentless rain. I was in no hurry for the wet and slippery glide down the mountain to Ruifang station, where I would catch the short train to Taipei. I lounged around, drinking coffee and finishing off the pineapple cake I had picked up at a local food stall. I did some writing, read my book, and dreaded the impending ride in the pouring rain. I kept telling myself, You can handle 25 minutes in the rain. It's only rain, it doesn't hurt you or kill you. And it's only 25 minutes.

After a nice chat with one of my hostel buddies and an exchange of Instagram accounts, I brought my luggage down and took it to the downpour outside, immediately getting soaked as I loaded up my dripping bike. I walked my bike down the cobblestone path of Old Street. Out in the rain again, I took a deep breath, and hopped in the saddle. The rain beat on my face as I swiftly made my way down the winding roads. It had been 10 days and over 700 miles (1127 km) cycled. My brake pads were starting to wear, and I was a little nervous riding down the steep roads in the rain, so I took it a little slower even though I was already anxious to get out of the rain. All I can say is, it SUCKED. By the time I got to the train station, I was absolutely soaked and shivering cold, like literally shivering. People were looking at me with pity as my shaking hands struggled to retrieve money for the train.

Finally, I made it to Taipei, where the rain was just a light shower. I got back on the bike and pedaled my way through town to the hostel, which cost me only $20 US dollars for my final two nights. It was a relief to be able to park my bike inside and out of the rain. Meander hostel has a great big open common area with plenty of room to store luggage and park a bike. In fact, there were two other bicycles parked next to mine. I wasted no time, using the downstairs bathroom to change into dry clothes. I fixed a cup of coffee and warmed up with my book. After a couple of hours I decided to venture out to grab an early dinner - I hadn't had a real meal all day. I grabbed a complimentary umbrella, and went out for a yum dinner of pumpkin soup and fruit rice vinegar. Tomorrow I would pick up a box for my bike from a local bicycle shop, but for now I am going to revel in the memories I have created on this trip. I'm going to relax. I spent the rest of the evening writing, reading, and reflecting.

It's the next morning, and I take my time sipping on hot coffee and reading my book. There's a breakfast stall just steps away from the hostel, so I walk over to grab some dan bing and an extra meal to save for tomorrow, since I'll have to get up before the sun to catch a ride to the airport. When I was still at the hostel in Jioufen, I had been messaging bicycle shops in Taipei to ask about retrieving a box for my bike. Most shops told me they didn't have any boxes. A couple of shops offered to provide me a box for a fee. Finally, I received a message from Nova Bike Works in Taipei saying that they would hold a box for me to pick up when I get into town. The shop opened at 13:30, so I took the local bus to the Da'an district, about a half hour bus ride through town. I was so grateful to this shop - and my advice to other cycle travelers is to keep looking around and check a few days in advance to give yourself time and save yourself stress. Mainly because many shops have limited hours. If your flight is in two days and the shop that is offering you a box for free is closed tomorrow, you won't have the opportunity to grab it. My other piece of advice is not to accept an offer to buy a box unless and until you've run out of options and time. If you keep searching and are patient, you will find a shop that is willing to give you a box for free. And why not? They're going to throw out the boxes anyway. Though it was a little far from where I was staying in the Wanhua district, I do recommend Nova Bike Works. When I walked into the shop (and it's a cool little shop), I saw a stack of boxes. The one they promised me was sitting behind their counter. I graciously retrieved it and carried it the long way back to the bus stop. I actually ended up taking an Uber back to the hostel because I wasn't sure if the bus driver would allow me to take this giant box onto the bus. The last bus I was on was pretty packed, and I have yet to encounter a bus driver who speaks fluent English. Uber has a presence in Taiwan, and it's super cheap, and this way I could book a vehicle that had room to fit the box in their trunk.

When I got back to the hostel, I saw two guys packing up the bicycles that were parked next to mine. One is from the UK and one is from France, and they are at the start of their trip. They are reluctantly beginning their trip around the island in the rain. I shared some of my experiences and recommendations with them, advocating for a visit to Taroko Gorge. My face lit up as I talked with them, I couldn't help but feel excited for them. I wished them well and then got to work taking my own bike apart.... with a heavy but grateful heart. A curious traveler asked me if he could watch as I took my bike apart, fascinated by the journey I just took and that I brought my own bicycle with me. I removed the pedals, the handlebars, and then the front wheel. When I remove the handlebars, I put the screws back in so I don't lose them, and when removing the front wheel I replace the thru axle to give the carbon fork some support and increase the likelihood that the fork won't get bent during travel. After removing the wheel, I deflated both tires and put the frame and the front wheel in the box, followed by my luggage, being careful not to put so much stuff inside that it exceeds the airlines weight limit for checked luggage. Delta's is 50 pounds (23 kilos).

Once my bike was safely packed into its box, I could take a breath. I ventured back out to the market, treating myself to a soy soaked roasted mochi at the Roasted Rice Cake stall, and then finally tried my first bubble milk tea at Xing Fu Tang, one of Taipei's most popular bubble tea shops. They claim to be the founder of brown sugar boba milk, and they hand stir their boba. You can watch through the glass at the shop as they stir and toast the brown sugar boba. There's always a line for the rich and creamy milk tea, but it moves quickly. You're given a number and a boba tea sticker. I tried my first boba tea and wondered to myself why the heck I had been in Taiwan for three weeks and am only now experiencing this wonderful treat. Back at the hostel I started chatting with two guys from New Zealand, a bubbly Californian who is studying language in Taiwan, a young graduate from the Netherlands, and a dynamic red-haired Norwegian woman who has been traveling all over the world. After a while, Dutch, Norway, and I decide to get out of the hostel and grab some dinner. California recommended a local vegetarian stall. I'm not sure if it's because it was my last meal in Taiwan, or because I was sharing it with new friends, but it was probably one of the best meals I had. When we got to the stall, a sweet little old Taiwanese lady with a hunchback brought a menu out to us. An older Taiwanese gentleman who was eating his own meal came over to us and pointed to his favorites on the menu, gesturing to signal that his choices are yummy. We took the man's advice and ordered two bowls of noodles to share, vegetable dumplings, and a scallion omelet. It was so savory and delicious - best noodles I've ever had in my life. Afterwards, we all ventured over to Xing Fu Tang for a brown sugar boba milk tea - I wasn't gonna say 'no' to a second milk tea! After all, it was my last night. I spent the rest of the night with Norway, Dutch, and a couple of other travelers at the hostel. We talked about travel, hobbies, friends, politics, social differences and similarities between cultures. It was a late night, and I couldn't have spent it in any better way.

I can't believe my trip has come to the end. Perhaps I feel a little sad - I also feel strange, not being on the bike. In a way I'm itching to get back in the saddle (but not in this rain). I'm grateful that I had beautiful weather for the better part of my trip and that my body, even with it's sore knee and injured nerves, allow me to be active and move around freely, on and off the bike. I met many kind and interesting people, and was surrounded by so much beauty, every. single. day. It's amazing to me how much enjoyment and happiness a person can experience even while doing some incredibly challenging and, at times, painful things. Maybe there's something empowering about knowing I chose this. During the most difficult moments, like the slow, grueling pedal up relentless winding mountain roads while the sun scorched furiously, my affirmation was the matter-of-fact personal reminder that I chose to do this. And I'm grateful I have that choice. At the top of the mountain, there is always a magnificent view, and a descent - and descents are everything!