Day 8: Ruisi to Hualien

On Spokes: a solo journey cycling Taiwan

Breakfast at the hot springs resort was delish. I was served red beans, yogurt, and a delectable sandwich that was so good even though I’m not really sure what was in it. Definitely soy bean floss, egg, tomato and lettuce. But the fruit I am not sure about. I thought it was pineapple at first but I don’t know. Whatever it was, it was the perfect way to begin the day.

Today presented more beautiful rice fields through the rift valley and sunny skies. I find that whenever I start to feel tired, someone inevitably gives me a thumbs-up or shouts a cheer for me. It’s really encouraging to have so many local people acknowledging the effort and appreciating my appreciation of their country. Today felt much easier also because it was the shortest day of my trip, at only 45 miles (72 km) and a much lower amount of elevation gain than the last few days. It was a nice change of pace and I am so grateful for it.

When I got to Hualien I checked in at the hostel, a super cute place called Sleeping Boot. The staff there are very friendly, especially the afternoon girl. She sent me at least 7 vegetarian restaurants through WhatsApp, as well as some ideas for things to do in the area. I rode my bike around town a bit, there are some lovely bike paths, and stopped at the yellow truck for a fried scallion pancake. There was quite a line, so I knew it would be good. I’m not usually a fan of fried foods, but they do it up right here (again acknowledging that everything tastes better when you’ve been cycling for days). The pancake actually looks more like a round slice of fried flatbread, perfectly golden with a slightly runny egg in the middle. It had a subtle crunch on the outside of the bread and was soft on the inside. It doesn’t feel heavy like most fried foods, it’s actually so light and airy and balances sweet and savory to perfection.

As the sun went down I turned on my lights and biked over to Dongdamen night market. There I tried several delicious goodies, including bamboo rice, taro balls, and a peanut spring roll. The bamboo rice was cooked in, you guessed it, bamboo, and served that way. You break open the bamboo, releasing the steam from the rice, and use your kuaizi to enjoy. I found the rice to be so tasty. It had a bland flavor but I really like it that way. It’s nice to get away from foods that are overly salted. It was also the perfect texture, soft and fluffy.

I ordered the taro balls from a little girl and her mom, and they were so delicious. Taro is a popular root vegetable in Asia. It reminds me of purple potatoes, it’s earthy but also sweet and nutty. They were very similar to the sweet potato balls I had in Kaohsiung, though I did prefer taro slightly. There were many other food stalls, a lot of which were serving up bubble tea, ice creams, and seafood. Though I don’t eat meet, I will sometimes eat seafood in coastal areas (mussels are my fav!) but I can’t bring myself to eat anything that still has its eyes attached, so no shrimp for me.

It was a Wednesday so the market while busy, didn’t feel super crowded. There was a mix of locals and foreign tourists, and very diverse with people of all ages, nationalities, single people, coupled people, friend groups, families with children, and people with dogs. There were lots of dogs, actually, and they were so cute! I’ve realized that the Japanese Shiba Inu is a very popular breed in Taiwan. In addition to dogs, food, and people, there were musicians playing at different corners of the market. It’s actually pretty large market in a big park - I bet it’s bustling on the weekends.

All in all, it was such a pleasant day and the hostel has felt friendly and homey, which is just what I needed to rejuvenate my spirits. I’m going to spend an extra night here and try to do something scenic tomorrow. We’ll see what kind of shenanigans I can get into mingtian.