DanishWorldVentures

Taiwan on bike (02. may - 24. may 2019)

Taipei, sightseeing og Hui Chi.                                                                                              (Update 30. maj 2019)

Så blev det tid til et nyt eventyr. Denne gang har vi planlagt en tre ugers tur til Taiwan.
Taiwan har stået på vores ønskeliste i et godt stykke tid, så efter vi havde købt vores flybilletter med KLM i januar, kunne det ikke gå hurtigt nok med at komme afsted.
Inden vi rejste, havde vi set utallige af videoer på youtube bl.a omkring hvad vi kunne forvente at spise og hvad der var at se, vi havde også læst om andre der havde cyklet der. Eller skal vi sige Heidi havde læst om en masse. Jeg er mere doven og vil hellere se en video og få informationer derfra.
Vi er så heldige, at vi har en god ven og forhenværende kollega som hedder Hui Chi som er Taiwaneser og bor i Taipei, så det var meget nærliggende at vi skulle mødes med hende.
Vi ankom fredag d. 03. maj 2019 om eftermiddagen efter en flyvetur på 12 timer fra Amsterdam.  Hjemmefra havde vi bestilt en stor taxavan og pickup service, så vi hurtigt kunne komme fra lufthavnen til vores hostel i bydelen - Wanhua og så vi var sikker på der ville være plads til alt vores bagage.Turen med taxa tog ca. 50 minutter og kostede 1.300 TWD som svare til ca. 290,- dkr.
Det tog kun 45 minutter at komme igennem immigrationen og få vores baggage. Så alt gik som det skulle.
Vi var ved vores hostel lidt før klokken 17.
Personalet var så imødekommende og søde. Cykelkasserne kunne stå i receptionen, uden problemer og for at det ikke skulle være løgn, havde Hui Chi været forbi med en velkomst gave til os, som var en lille pose med to Taiwan øl og et velkomst brev. En helt fantastik start på vores tur.
Meander Hostel som stedet hed vi boede på, ligger på ChengDu Road, helt perfekt i forhold til undergrundsbanen og ting der skulle opleves. For ikke at snakke om at cykel ud af Taipei, der havde vi også valgt rigtigt. Det var super let at cykle ud af byen derfra. Et overnatningssted vi ville vende tilbage til hvis vi skulle til Taipei igen.
Vi fik vores værelse og hvilede i en time. Så fik vi samlet cyklerne i løbet af en time og cykelkasserne kunne vi få opbevaret i kælderen på hostellet. Så vi var sikker på at de var der når vi kom tilbage fra cykelturen.
Allerede først aften fik vi smagt på forskellige ting. Allerførst fik vi en bubble milk tea. Det er te med mælk og mørke tapioka perler i. Tapioka laves af stivelsen fra cassava/maniok rod og andvendes i vid udstrækning i Asien. Teen drikkes med et sugerør der er extra tykt, så perlerne kan suges op. Konsistensen minder om vingummi. 
Vi havde smagt bubbletea før, så vi vidste lige hvad vi ville have og skal vi ikke bare være ærlige og sige: Vi ELSKER bubbletea.
Vi prøvede også deep fried chicken nuggets med en form for sød mayonnaise. Det var Heidi ikke den store fan af. Inden vi gik tilbage til vores hostel, smagte vi en taiwanesiske pandekage med æg og bacon.
Efter en god nattesøvn, var vi klar til at mødes med Hui Chi og se nærmere på Taipei.
Vi fik fyldt depoterne op med morgenmad på hostellet. Morgenmaden var den traditionelle risgrød med søde kartofler som dryssede med flosset gris. Vi gik all in og gjorde som de lokale, så ned med en god portion risgrød.
Tre i en kaffe og et par toast med peanutbutter og chokolade creme.
Vi havde aftalt med Hui Chi at vi skulle mødes klokken 10 i receptionen. Hun lignede sig selv og lige fra første gensyn gik snakken. Da vejret var OK, blev vi enige om at tage ud til Taipei 101 tower. 
Taipei 101 er en 106-etager høj bygning. Bygningen har 101 etager over jorden, deraf navnet, og 5 underjordiske etager. Bygningen er 508 m høj og var verdens højeste fra 2004-2009 – hvor den blev overgået af Burj Khalifa i Dubai. Fraregner man begge bygningers antenner er Taipei 101 højest.
Taipei 101 indeholder verdens to hurtigste elevatorer og er på mange måder den mest teknologisk og advancerede skyscraber i verden, der har en tophastighed på 63 km/t og kan bringe folk fra stuen til 89. etage på blot 39 sekunder. Der er ligeledes blevet brugt megen teknisk kunnen for at sikre tårnet mod de mange jordskælv og tyfoner der årligt rammer Taiwan.
Det tog ikke lang tid at komme ud til tårnet. Fra Xiemen undergrundsbane var det en tur på små 20 minutter, med et skift undervejs.
Vi fandt hurtigt ud af at det ikke var den bedste dag at besøge tårnet. Der var et kæmpe arrengement: Taipei 101 Run up 2019. Hvor mere end 5000 deltager fik lov til at løbe op til toppen af bygningen ad 2046 trappetrin eller skal vi sige 91 etager. Den hurtigste kvinde havde gjort det på 13:12 minutter.
Godt nok skulle vi ikke tage trapperne for at komme op og se den utolige udsigt over millionbyen, men derfor var der stadig væk en lang kø og mere end en times ventetid for at komme op med elevatoren.
Når det er sagt, så var det ventetiden værd. Vi havde udsigt ud over byen og til bjergene mod syd, havet mod nord og her oppefra fik vi virkelig indtrykket af hvor stor byen egentlig er med sine 2.7 millioner indbyggere.
Noget helt andet og virkelig specielt vi kunne se, var den kæmpe store vind damper der er monteret i toppen af tårnet. Vind damperen er med til at stabilisere tårnet, så det ikke svinger fra side til side.
Prøv og tryk på linket https://youtu.be/NYSgd1XSZXc og se hvordan den mægtige kugle på 660 tons kan svinge under et jordskælv.
Efter turen op i tårnet, var det tid til en kop kaffe og derefter tog vi undergrundsbanen til Beimen. Her er der et område under jorden der hedder Y. Hui Chi havde fået anbefalet et bestemt sted med Kniv massage. Det var noget vi havde set via youtube hjemmefra og da vi altid er på udkig efter nye spændende ting, havde vi sat Hui Chi på opgaven. Så dette var stedet hun havde fundet frem til.
Vi bestilte 35 minutter half body massage. Nu skulle vi ligge os op på briksen med alt tøjet på og hovdet ned i et hul. Vi blev dækket til med tæpper, helt op over hovedet.
Først fik vi en smule almindelig massage i nakken og over skulderne for at løsne musklerne og derefter gik damerne igang med knivene.
En meget speciel oplevelse. Der bruges to knive som hakker med ens kraft ned over musklerne endda også i hovedbunden. Nogen gange ramte knivene hinanden, måske for at få det hele til at virke lidt farligt. Men alt i alt en dejlig oplevelse og tro mig musklerne var helt løsnet op bagefter.
Pris: 680,- TWD som svare til 150,- dkr
En god afslutning på en hyggelig dag sammen med Hui Chi og Taipei.
Da Hui CHi hentede os næste dag, havde hun to kopper kaffe med til os. Så hun var sikker på vi fik en god kop kaffe fra morgenstunden.
Første stop blev ved et lokalt marked, som lå i nærheden af vores hostel og derefter gik vi hen for at opleve LongShan templet. 
Templet er et af de største og ældste samt mest kendte i Taiwan og her kan man opleve tilbedere udøve Taoisme, Budisme og Mazu. Der var mange mennesker og her var en summen af forskellige bønner og duften af røgen fra de mange røgelsespinde der sendte deres duft ude over pladsen.
Der bliver bedt om mange forskellige ting eks ønsket om en god eksamen og rigdom eller som Hui Chi kunne fortælle os om en kvinde der var meget ihærdig med at bede en bøn: hendes ønske var at blive slank ;-).
Det skal siges hun var slank i forvejen.
Fra Longshan templet tog vi undergrundsbanen til National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. 
Et kæmpe monumet der er bygget til minde om lederen af Republikken Kina fra 1928 - 1975.
Han var en person med stærke antikommunistiske holdninger og han forsøget at lave en moderne Guomindang-stat. Hvilket desværre mislykkedes, da bønderne, efter de blev udplyndret tilsluttede sig komunisterne.
Memorial Hall er en impornerende og flot bygning der ligger højt hævet over en stor plads. Inde i bygningen er der en statue af Chiang Kai-Shek. Statuen bliver bevogtet døgnet rundt og her kan man opleve vagteskifte hver time. Hvilket er en sand oplevelse.
Under bygningen findes et stort museum, hvor hele historeien omkring Kai-Shek tid kan opleves.
Altsammen meget flot og interessant.
Så blev det tid til at sige farvel til Hui Chi. Hun skulle flyve til London næste dag, så vi tog afsked ved 18 tiden. Så hun kunne nå at komme hjem og pakke.
Vi skulle selv have ordnet de sidste ting inden vi næste dag ville cykle ud af Taipei og på opdagelse, hvilket vi virkelig glædede os til.
Vi havde nydt to dejlige dage sammen med Hui Chi og var spændte på hvordan det ville blive at cykle i Taiwan.

 

Taipei, Sightseeing and Hui Chi.                                                                         (Update 30. maj 2019)

Now it was time for a new adventure. This time we planned a three weeks trip to Taiwan.
Taiwan has been on our wish list for quite some time, so after we had bought our airline tickets with KLM in January, it was hard for us to wait.
Before we traveled, we had seen countless videos on youtube including what we could expect to eat and what was to see, we had also read about others who had cycled there. Or should we say Heidi had read about a lot of things in Taiwan. I am more lazy and would rather watch a video and get information from there.
We are so lucky that we have a good friend and former colleague named Hui Chi who is Taiwanese and living in Taipei, so it was very obvious that we should meet with her as well.
We arrived Friday the 3rd of May 2019 in the afternoon after a 12-hour flight from Amsterdam. From home we had booked a large taxi and pickup service, so we could quickly get from the airport to our hostel in the district - Wanhua and so we were sure there would be room for all our luggage. 50 minutes ride and at the cost 1,300 TWD which corresponds to approx. 290, - dkr.
It took only 45 minutes to get through the immigration and get our luggage. So everything went as it should.
We were at our hostel just before 5pm.
The staff were so welcomming and sweet. Our big bike boxes could stand at the reception, without any problems and guess what, Hui Chi had already been at the hostel with a welcome gift for us, which was a small bag of two Taiwan beers and a welcome letter. An absolutely fantastic start to our trip.
Meander Hostel was the place we were living is located on ChengDu Road, perfect for the subway and things to experience. In order not to talk about to cycle out of Taipei, we had also chosen the right  place. It was super easy to cycle out of town from there. An accommodation we would return to if we were going to Taipei again.
We got our room and rested for an hour. Then we assembled the bikes within an hour and the bicycle boxes we could get stored in the basement of the hostel. So we were sure they were there when we returned from the bike ride.
Already the first night we got a taste of different things. First of all we got a bubble milk tea. It is tea with milk and dark tapioca pearls in. Tapioca is made from the starch from cassava / manioc root and is widely used in Asia. The tea is drunk with an extra thick straw so that the peals can get though the straw. The texture is reminiscent of wine gum.
We had tasted bubbletea before, so we knew just what we wanted and we should maybe just be honest to say: We LOVE bubbletea.
We also tried deep fried chicken nuggets with a kind of sweet mayonnaise. Heidi wasn't a big fan of it. Before going back to our hostel, we tasted a Taiwanese pancake with eggs and bacon.
After a good night's sleep, we were ready to meet with Hui Chi and take a look at Taipei. We filled up with breakfast at the hostel. Breakfast was the traditional rice porridge with sweet potatoes wich you sprinkled with schredded pork. We went all in and did as the locals, so down with a good portion of rice porridge. Three in one coffee and a couple of toast with peanut butter and chocolate cream. We met with Hui Chi at 10 o'clock in the reception. She looked like herself and right from the first glance the talk went on. As the weather was OK, we decieded to go to Taipei 101 tower.
Taipei 101 is a 106-storey building. The building has 101 floors above the ground, hence the name, and 5 underground floors. The building is 508 m high and was the world's highest from 2004-2009 - where it was surpassed by Burj Khalifa in Dubai. If you ignore both buildings' antennas, Taipei 101 is the highest. Taipei 101 features the world's two fastest lifts and is, in many ways, the most technologically advanced and skyscraper in the world with a top speed of 63 km / h and can bring people from the first floor to the 89th floor in just 39 seconds. Much technical skill has also been used to secure the tower against the many earthquakes and typhoons that hit Taiwan annually.
It didn't take long to get to the tower. From the Xiemen subway station it was a short 20-minute ride, with one change along the way. We soon found out that it was not the best day to visit the tower. There was a big event: Taipei 101 Run Up 2019. Where more than 5000 participants were allowed to run to the top of the building by 2046 stairs or we should say 91 floors. The fastest woman had done so in 13:12 minutes. Well enough, we should not use the stairs to get to the top and see the gigantic view of the million-city, but therefore there was still a long queue and more than an hour's wait to go up with the lift. That said, it was worth the wait. We had an amazing view of the city and the mountains to the south, the sea to the north and from here we really got the impression of how big the city really is with its 2.7 million inhabitants. Something completely different and really special we also could see was the big wind damper mounted at the top of the tower. The wind damper helps stabilize the tower so that it does not swing from side to side. Try and hit the link https://youtu.be/NYSgd1XSZXc and see how the mighty 660-ton ball can swing during an earthquake.
After the trip to the tower, it was time for a cup of coffee and then we took the subway to Beimen. Here is an area below the ground called Y. Hui Chi had been recommended a specific place with knife massage. It was something we had seen through youtube and since we are always looking for new exciting things, we had put Hui Chi on the job. So this was the place she had found. We ordered 35 minutes half body massage.
We had to lie on the couch with all the clothes on and the head down in a hole. We were covered with blankets, all the way up over our heads. First we got a bit of regular massage in the neck and over the shoulders to loosen the muscles and then the ladies went on with the knives. A very special experience. Two knives are used to chop with one's power down the muscles and even on the scalp. Sometimes the knives hit each other, maybe to make it all seem a little dangerous. But all in all, a wonderful experience and believe me the muscles were completely loosened up afterwards.
Price: 680, - TWD equivalent to 150, - dkr. A good end to a nice day with Hui Chi and Taipei.

When Hui Chi picked us up the next day, she brought two cups of coffee to us. So she was sure we had a good cup of coffee from the start of the day.
The first stop was at a local market near our hostel and then we went to see the LongShan Temple.
The temple is one of the largest and oldest and most well-known in Taiwan and here one can experience worshipers practicing Taoism, Budism and Mazu. There were many people and you could hear a lot of different prayers and the smell of the smoke from the many incense sticks that sent their scent out across the square.
Many different things are being asked for, such as the desire for a good exam and wealth or as Hui Chi could tell us about a woman who was very keen on doing a prayer: her desire was to become slim.
It must be said she was slim allready;-)
From the Longshan Temple, we took the subway to the National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall.
A huge monument built in memory of the leader of the Republic of China from 1928 - 1975.
He was a person with strong anti-communist attitudes and he attempted to make a modern Guomindang state. Which unfortunately failed when the farmers, after being robbed, joined the Communists.
Memorial Hall is an imposing and beautiful building that is raised high above a large square. Inside the building there is a statue of Chiang Kai-Shek. The statue is guarded around the clock and here you can experience the gaurds change every hour. Which is a true experience.
Beneath the building there is a large museum where the whole history of Kai-Shek time can be experienced.
All very nice made and interesting.
Then it was time to say goodbye to Hui Chi. She was flying to London the next day, so we said goodbye at 6 o´clock. So she could get home and pack for her journey
We had to arranged the last things ourselves for the next day and get ready to explore Taiwan by bike.
We had enjoyed two wonderful days with Hui Chi and it was really great to meet up with her after all these years.

JaYoe Taiwan

Mandag 6. maj 2019 - Fredag 10. maj 2019              (Update 27. sep 2019)

Taipei - Fuxing 45 km
Fuxing - Ming Chih Resort 49 km
Ming Chih Resort - Nanshan 52 km
Nanshan - Lishan 46 km
Lishan - Shelter ved Wahei Er Xi floden 67 km

Dagen startede stille og rolig med et bad, pakke de sidste ting, spise morgenmad og tjekke vores planlagte rute på maps.me inden vi bagav os afsted ud af Taipei.
Vi havde udset os et punkt ved ved floden som fulgte vej 64, for kom vi ud til det punkt kunne vi følge cykelstien som gik langs med floden til byen Sanxi, hvor vi skulle følge vej 3 for derefter at deje af på Vej 7, som skulle føre os op i bjergene til de små veje, som vi havde læst skulle være uden ret meget trafik og smukke.
Der var ikke meget trafik sådan en mandag morgen og efter godt 12 kilometer havde vi fundet ud til floden og til cykel stien. Her var båden en cykelsti og en sti som kun var lavet til scooter. Langs med stierne var der endda toiletter.
Vi cykelde stille og roligt afsted og stoppede af og til. Efter 20 kilometer nåede vi til Sanxi og var kommet ud på
vej 3. Vi kunne se på maps.me at inden alt for længe skulle vi deje fra så vi kom ind på vej 7, som vi skulle følge op over vores første bjergpas og nok også de næste par dage, men inden vi gjorde det tog vi vores første pause på 7/11.
Her kunne vi købe alt hvad en cykelist har brug for at kalorier og drikke. Vi havde ikke købt noget proviant af betydning, da vi havde hørt at 7/11 lå rigtig mange steder og at vi altid kunne købe et måltid og proviant der.
Vores plan var at finde et sted at slå vores telt op, når vi kom hen sidst på dagen.
Vi vidste ikke hvor langt vi vill cykle og hvor hårdt det ville være at cykel i bjergene, så vi købte lidt af hvert, så vi kunne stoppe når det passede os og når vi fandt et passende sted at slå lejr.
Cyklerne blev betydelig tungere, da vi også skulle havde vand med og for at være sikker på vi havde nok, tog vi hver 5 liter, som jo nok svare til 5 kilo extra på cyklen.
Da vi cyklede afsted fra 7/11 begyndte det at regne, så vi fandt vores regntøj frem. Det var ikke koldt, så kombinationen af regntøj og en svedig krop var ikke det fedest.
Vi har regnbukser og regnjakke og bukserne klister sig fast til benene efter kort tids cykling på gurnd af sveden. Så nogen gange tænker man, er det virkelig bøvlet værd at have bukserne på, da man bliver svedig og klam afligevel.
Efter 5 kilometer på vej 7, fandt vi et lille tempel hvor vi bestemete os for at holde frokost pause.
Der var et bord og nogle stole foran templet og et lille udhæng hvor vi kunne siddde i tørvejr.
En anden ting der var perfekt, var en stikkontakt med strøm, hvor vi kunne lade min telefon op. Den var allerede godt brugt, da vi havde brugt den til at navigere efter.
Så alt i alt en win win situation på de små tawanesiske veje.
Alt langs med vejen var grønt i grønt og frodigt. Bilerne var forsvundet og det var kun af og til at en bil kørte forbi os. 
Vi kunne se bjergene af og til stikke op igennem tågen der dannede sig på grund af varmen og fugtiheden. Virkelig smukt og allerede på denne første cykeldag,havde vi en fornemmelse af at vi nok kom til at syntes rigtig godt om Taiwan.
Vi cyklede stille og roligt mere og mere opad. Vejeret skiftede hele tiden, lidt regn så opholdsvejr og så regn igen.
Da vi nåede op på toppen af dagens højeste punkt tog regnen til og vi stod lidt i læ under nogle udhæng der var ved de frugt boder der lå heroppe. Vi blev fristet af nogle flotte store ferskner og købte tre stykker.
Der var også kommet mere tung trafik i form af en del lastvogne og da det var ved at være sidst på eftermiddagen, begyndte vi at kigge efter et egnet sted at slå lejr.
Det var ikke så let, da jorden var meget våd efter regnen og skråningerne fra bjergen gik helt ned til vejen.
I et svig så vi et sted hvor det så ud til der var noget overnatning og en restaurant, så vi lod cyklerne rulle ned på pladsen foran det der lignede en reception. Men stedet så ud til at være lukket. Der var udsigt ned over en sø og bagerst på pladsen var en stor græsplæne. Men igen var alt plask vådt. Så vi trak cyklerne tilbage til det der lignede receptionen og her foran var der et areal med borde og stole og en lille scene under et tag.
Det kiggede vi nærmere på og vi gik om bagved. Der var ingen mennesker, kun en sølle lille hund som stod bundet. Hvis det skulle være en vagthund gjorde den ikke sit arbejde ret godt, den kiggede bare på os unden så meget som at gø.
Der var også toiletter og bad, men det havde ikke været brugt længe. Men vi kunne bruge det og vi besluyttede os for at atge chancen og sætte teltet op under taget. Hvis ejern kom ville vi bare spørge om det var iorden og kom der ingen var det som det var.
Stedet var perfekt. Vi kunne bruge stolene og bordene til at sidde og spise ved. Der var to tunge bænke, som vi brugte til at stille i hver sin ende at teltet. så kunne de bruges som anker og teltet kunne spændes ud imellem. Vi kunne jo ikke hammre pløkkerne i cement gulvet.
Et andet plus var at vi kunne pakke teltet samme tørt næste dag. 
Selvfølgelig var vi lidt på vagt når en bil kom kørende oppe på vejen, men det var kun indtil det blev mørkt. Så var der ingen der tænkte at dernede under halvtaget er der to der campere.
Vi skal nok lige nævne at, da vi havde lagt os til at sove, var der et eller andet dyr som knurrede lige udenfor vores telt. Det var ikke så sjovt, men vi råbet bare højt: Go away og derefter var der ro.
Men selvfølgelig gør det at man ligger og lytter af og til iløbet af natten. Men det er jo en del af det at tage chancen og camper wildt. ;-)
Da vi stod op næste dag og kiggede ud af teltet, fik vi syn for sagen. Udenfor teltet lå en stor flok hunde og faktisk havde vi overset en anden vagthund i et andet bur kun få meter fra hvor vi havde slået teltet op.
De lyde vi havde hørt i løbet af natten, var når hunden i buret havde gnavet løs på sit kødben og det var nok en af de andre hunde der havde knurret uden for vores telt.
Regnen var holdt, da vi cyklede afsted lidt efter klokken 9. De første 10 kilometer cyklede vi opad. Vejen snoede sig igennem en dal og overalt voskede der mos på siderne af skrænterne og afskærmingerne langs med vejen.
Der var ikke ret meget mere end plads til en bil, bredere var vejen ikke og flere steder var vejen beskidigt af sten der var faldet ned langt oppe fra.
Vi så små og store vandfald og vi kunne kigge langt ned i dalen og på langt oppe påbjergskråningerne så vi små huse og tænkte hvor meget arbejde det har taget at få dem bygget såden et sted.
På et tidspunkt måtte vi holde, da der havde været et stenskred, store sten lå på vejen, så en vejarbejder holdt øje med os og sendte os afsted da han fik grønt lys via sin walkie talkie. Da han vinkede os frem, råbte han Spice Girls!! Det var nok det eneste engelsk lydende han kunne komme på. Men det fik os til at grine højt og efterfølgende blev vi enige om at vi begge måtte være sporty spice.
Vi var godt cyklende og til middag nåede vi til byen Baling. Frokost spiste vi på en lille restaurant, hvor vi bestilte Kylling, ris, grøntsager, svampe og svampesuppe og en pot te. Alt blev spist rub og stub.
Efter Baling skulle vi virkelig finde vores bjergben frem, stød og roligt bevægede vi os op indtil vi nåede dagens højeste punkt - 1170 m. Vi havde udset os noget der hed Datong på maps.me, da vi troede det var en lille by, men det var kun to huse og der var ingen steder at slå vores telt op.
Igen var det begyndt at regne og det regnede meget, så vi blev godt våde.
Vi cyklede yderlig 3 - 4 kilometer til vi nåede til Ming Chih Forrest Resort. På maps.me så det ud til der var et område, som kunne være til pic nic, men det var en stor parkerings plads der hørte til det store hotel der lå heroppe.
Hotellet så meget dyrt ud, så i første omgang var det ikke en løsning for os. Vi ville gerne finde et sted vi kunne slå teltet op også selvom alt var meget vådt.
Nu forsatte vi 1 kilometer ned til en sø, hvor der lå en park. Det var åbentbart en park man skulle betale for at besøge, for den var hegnet ind og der var en indgang hvor man kunne betale, når der var åbent.
Først undersøgte vi om vi kunne komme ind bag ved hegnet og så slå teltet op under et af halvtagene der var i parken. Det var ikke en løsning, for så skulle vi bryde ind.
Næste forsøg blev et hus som lå overfor parken. Men der var ingen hjemme, så så Heidi at der lå en politistation lidt nede af en sidevej. Så vi ville spørge om der var et sted vi kunne slå vores telt op.
Politibetjenten på stationen, var meget hjælpsom og bød os indenfor. Han kunne ikke tale engelsk, men via hans telefon og google translate kunne han forklare os hvad han sagde.
Først forsøgte han ved huset vi lige havde været ved om vi måske kunne sove der. De havde et sted hvor to biler stod under et tag, hvis de flyttede dem kunne vi slå teltet op der. Men da de havde flyttet den ene bil, kunne vi se der stod vand på gulvet, så det var ikke en løsning.
Nu gik vi tilbage på stationen og betjenten lavede te til os. Vi var blevet noget afkølet, da vi var helt gennemblødte af regnen og der var nok kun omkring 15 grader.
Betjenten ringede rundt og til sidst sagde han at vi skulle komme med ham. Nu gik vi tilbage til det store hotel. Gad vide hvad han havde fundt på til os???
Vi kom ind i receptionen og betjenten fik personalet til at forklare os hvad deres ide´ var. Vi måtte sove på gangen udenfor alle andre værelser enten på denne etage eller den etage over receptionen.
Vi var målløse, at de ville gå med til det, men vi syntes det blev lidt for meget. Vi vil gerne spare penge når vi rejser, men fattige er vi altså ikke og vi syntes også at det ville virke forstyrrende på alle de andre gæster som boede på hotellet.
Så vi spurgte hvad et værelse kostede. Det viste sig at for 600,- kr kunne vi få en træhytte og i prisen var der morgenmad. Det var en god deal for os og så kunne vi blive tørre til næste dag.
Betjenten var megte bekymret for om vi også havde pengene til det. Vi forsikrede ham at det skulle han ikke være bekymret for. 
Han blev ved med at spørge om det var OK. Da han ikke kunne hjælpe os, som han havde ønsket insisterede han på at lave mad til os. Men det afslog vi venligt. Klokken var ved at være mange og vi var kolde og trætte. Vi takkede mange gange for betjentens hjælp og fandt vores hytte.
Faktisk var det så køligt at vi var nødt til at tænde for varmen i hytten.
Aftensmad blev quicknudler og en snickers til dessert. Da vi var færdige med at spise, bankede det på vores dør og udenfor stod to fra receptionen. Det viste sig at betjenten havde fået hotellet til at lave to madpakker til os, så nu fik vi hver 3 boller med marmelade, toast, smør og kiks plus en stor kop varm kaffe. Sikken en gestus og så overraskende.
Vi blev enige om at vi skulle forbi politistationen næste morgen for at sige tak for alt betjenten havde gjort for os.
Der var ingen af os der sprang ud af sengen næste dag. Faktisk var det meget fristende at blive en dag mere i det smukke område, men det gik ikke, hvis vi ville nå at se noget af Taiwan.
Vi kom på benene og gik ned for at spise morgenmad. Det hed sig at der var intercontinental breakfast, men helt så intercontinental var det nu ikke.
Sweet patatos, brød med krydderi, flere forskellige risretter og langtids kogte æg var noget af det der var på morgenmadsmenuen. Altsammen kunne skylles ned med kaffe, the og hvad Taiwaneserne kalder juice.
Cykeltaskerne blev pakket og så var det afsted mod politistationen.
Vi havde en nøglering med en cykel og hvorpå der stod I love Denmark, det var den vi ville give til betjenten, som tak for hjælpen. Men desværre var døren låst indtil stationen, så vi måtte nøjes med at hænge nøgleringen på dørhåndtaget.
De første 5 kilometer gik opad. Herefter gik det ned af 15 kilometer igennem hårnåle sving. Vejen var perfekt og velanlagt. Skyerne hang tyngt ned over bjergene og af og til var der en åbning i skyerne, så vi kunne se langt ned i de dybe kløfter. Et ualmindelig smukt syn.
Vi tilpassede farten igennem svingene, da vejen var fedet og våd af regn. Landskabet vekslede imellem lukket skov, som fremstod helt hobit og eventyrsagtig. Skoven bestod af mosbevoksede træer, store bambus, grønne nåletræer og kæmpe bregner, altsammen i den smukkeste grønne farve.
Da vi nåede ned til bunden af nedkørselen, befinder vi os i 350 meters højde og her skulle vi ud på en tosporet vej, som ikke var så spændende, som den lille smalle vej vi havde fulgt oppe i bjergene.
På hver side af dalen vi cyklede op igennem var der bjerge. I selv dalen er der landbrug og her dyrkes masse af kål. Vi kan med sikkerhed sige at det ikke var økologiske landbrug vi cyklede forbi, da vi kan se der sprøjtes lystigt på alle markerne.
Kålene vi ser er mega store og næsten perfekte i form.
Vores frokost indtog vi på en lille plads vi fandt lige ved siden af vejen. Frokosten kunne vi takke politimanden for. Vi spiste med stor appetit de boller og kiks han havde givet os og så havde vi selv lidt bananer.
Vi fortsatte op igennem dalen og cyklede igennem flere mindre byer. I en af byerne stoppede vi ved en lille butik, her købte vi noget at drikke, alt imens vi sad og holdt pause tonede lyden ud af et Karaoke anlæg fra en bygning lige ved siden af.
Det var ikke skønsang der tonede ud, men det er nok heller ikke det der er meningen med disse anlæg. Senere så vi sangeren en meget fuld men kærlig Taiwaneser, som havde brug for at komme hjem og sove. Han satte sig bagpå en scooter og blev på den måde transporteret hjemad alt imens han vinkede og råbte et eller andet på Taiwanesisk til os.
Efter pausen i landsbyen, skulle vi til at kæmpe os op af det vi kalder killer bakker. Sveden piblede frem og vi kunne ikke cykle mere end 5-7 kilometer i timen. Benene kom på overarbejde og viljen blev testet. Efter en god time på den måde, nåede vi byen Nanshan.
Her blev vi positivt overrasket over hvad byen havde af udvalg. Her var en Familymart og det blev vores første stop. Nu skulle vi have kaffe og smage nogle af de mange lækkerier der var at finde her. 
Familymart har altid et sted med borde og stole, næsten som en lille restaurant og her satte vi os tilrette med vores kaffe og snack. Nu skulle vi finde ud af hvor vi vile sove.
Vi havde tjekket maps.me og havde set at der var aftegnet et camping symbol tæt på skolen i Nanshan og da vi havde læst hjemmefra at mange steder i Taiwan kunne man slå sit telt op ved deres skoler, ville vi prøve lykken ved skolen her.
Det var let at finde skolen, da den lå i en sidegade lige efter familymart. Der var masse af børn, som legede på sportspladsen ved skolen. Vi tog et bestik at pladsen og blev enige om at her kunne vi godt slå vores telt op. Inden vi gjorde det, gik vi ind på det der ligende et læreværelse.
Ingen af de personer der var på kontoret kunne engelsk, men ved hjælp af fakter, forstod de at vi gerne ville sove på sportspladsen i vores telt. Det var ikke noget problem, de skulle bare havde en kopi af vores pas og derefter viste de os hvor toiletterne var.
Inden vi slog teltet op valgte vi at vente indtil de legende børn på pladsen gik hjem. På den måde undgik vi for meget opmærksomhed. Imens vi sad og ventede forsøgte nogle af børnene sig med deres bedste engelsk gloser: Hello, What is your name, I love you blev gentaget igen og igen. For ikke at snakke om forskellige spring og fakter for at få vores opmærksomhed.
Ved 17 tiden blev der ro og vi kunne sætte teltet op. Istedetfor at sætte det op på det fugtuge græs, valgte vi at sætte det op under det farvestrålende telt der var sat op, på den måde kunne vi måske være heldige at pakke teltet tørt sammen næste morgen.
Da mørket kom, kom tågen også. Det var mørkt og samtidig total whiteout. Aftensmaden blev den lette løsning: quicknudler med oksekød.
Vi faldt tideligt i søvn, hvilket ikke gjore noget, da vi skulle op kl. 06:00, for vi skulle senest forlade skolen klokken 7:30, hvor skoledagen startede.
Vi vågnede til lyden af regn næste morgen. Vi kunne konstatere, vores ly under teltdugen havde været et godt valg. Det var faktisk det eneste sted der var tørt på hele pladsen.
Vores pakning var meget målrettet og herefter satte vi kursen mod Familymart, hvor vi ville kæbe og spise morgenmad.
Med depoterne godt fyldte, rullede vi afsted lidt før 8. Det skulle vise sig at de første 15 kilometer blev opad. Det var en skam at disen og tågen lå tungt med over bjergene, da det skjulte den smukke natur. Som blot efterlod hård arbejde til damerne.
Vi nåede toppen efter 15 kilometer og godt 2 timers kørsel. Så var dagen ligesom skudt igang. På toppen lå et lille temple, hvor vi holdt en velfortjent pause.
Pausen blev fulgt af 8-10 kilometers nedkørsel og kilometerne tikkede hurtigt ind på cykelkontoen.
Her er kæmpe landbrugsområder og vi kommer helt tæt på jorden der dyrkes. Vi kan se at jorden mest består af sten. Virkeligt vildt at der dyrkes afgrøder her.
Naturen er så betagende og vores hoveder drejer fra side til side for at få alt med. Nogle gange er der en dyb afgrund ned til en flod og skråningerne er stejle og fyldt med træer.
De små byer vi cykler igennem er knap så smukke, flere af dem har massevis af vagt hunde, som står bundet i store lænker foran husene. De ser ikke ud til at leve et behageligt liv. Faktisk et meget trist syn. Men gø og vise tænder kan de og det er helt sikkert ikken en god ide at gå hen og snakke med dem.
De lokale har lavet de vildeste løsninger, for at lette høsten og idet hele taget arbejde på de stejle skråninger.
Et sted så vi hvordan en hjemmelavet gondol blev firret over en dyb kløft ved hjælp af en lille motor. I gondolen sad to personer og vel ankommet på den side vi stod på, fyldte de gondolen med sække hvori der var såsæd og så blev gondolen sendt tilbage til den anden bjergskråning.
Et andet sted var der anlagt et skinne system, som både kunne trasportere personer ned og op af bjergskriningerne i en lille kasse monteret på skinnerne. På den måde er det lettere pg mere skånsomt for menneskene der arbejder disse steder.
Her var både frugtplantager, themarker og andre afgrøder.
Vores mål for dagen var byen Lishan, som lå i 1930 meters højde. Indtil 3 kilometer før byen, var alt gået ret så godt. Nu begyndte det at regne og vi skulle dreje fra vej 7 som vi havde fulgt de sidste dage. Vi havde faktisk to valgmuligheder for at komme til Lishan, den vi valgte som var 3 kilometer eller en der ville være omkrin 7 kilometer. Nå men vi valgte den korte, som så gik hen og blev den hårdeste også. Vejen var så stejl at vi umuligt kunne cykle, så vi måtte stå af og skubbe.
Når vi skubbede blev det på tværs af vejen, altså zig zag da ligeud var umulig.
Vi tog og delte vejen op i bidder, hvor vi parkederde en cykel og hjalp hinanden med at skubben en cykel af gangen. Det betød så at de sidste kilometer tog 1 time og da vi endelig stod udenfor 7/11 i Lishan, var vi fuldstændige gennemblødte af regnen.
Vi satter cyklerne fra os og gik ind i 7/11, hvor en god varm kop kaffe kunne varme os op igen.
Imens vi sad og drak kaffen kiggede vi på maps.me for at se om der skulle være et sted i byen vi kunne slå vores telt op. Vi måtte indse at vi ikke kunne finde noget og udover det var vi totalt gennemblødte, så vi fandt et bed and breakfast lige ved siden af 7/11. Hvilket passede os fint, for så kunne vi spise aftensmad på 7/11 om aftenen.
Vores kroppe var trætte da vi vågnede til femte cykeldag. Vi var ret spændte på denne dag, for hvis alt gik efter planen, skulle vi nå til toppen af Toroko Gorge og det var jo en af de ting vi havde set frem til på denne tur. At nå Toroko Gorge og få lov til at suse ned igennem denne fasinerende dal og opleve vejen som så mange har snakket om, med smukke bjerge, udsigter og massevis af tunnler, var noget af det vi havde glædet os til siden vi havde bestemt os for at rejse til Taiwan.
Fra toppen af Toroko, som ligger i 2600 meters højde, er der godt og vel 90 km ned til havets overflade og byen Xincheng. 
Fra Lishan skulle vi cykle langs bjergsiden rundt i en dal, så først kunne si kigge over på den modsatte side, til det stykke vej vi senere skulle cykle på, når vi havde nået hele buen rundt og fra den anden side kunne vi så kigge over på det vi lige havde cyklet.
Vi var spændte på hvor meget vi skulle klatre idag, da vi virkelig var trætte i benene. Heldigvis var det ikke slemt og idag havde vi vejret på vores side. 25 grader og sol. Vi tog os god tid og cyklede meget stop and go, fordi der var så meget at se på og så meget vi ville tage billeder af.
På et tidspunkt så vi et ægtepar komme tøffende ned oppe fra bjergskråningen i en af de små motordrævne vogen. Helt som i en rutchebane, bare i slowmotion. Det så faktisk lidt skægt ud, men for dem var det en ganske almindelig hverdags ting.
Vi spiste frokost en kilometer før vi nåede til Dayuling tunnelen. Det betød vi var nået til det højeste punkt på denne tur - 2.564 meters højde.
Tunnelen var ca 250 m lang og da vi kom ud af mørket på den anden side, kunne vi se ned på skyerne, som lå spredt ud over dalen nedenunder os. Over os skinnede solen fra en klar blå himmel, et magisk syn.
Nu kunne vi se frem til en masse kilometer på frihjul ned igennem Toroko, men selvom vi ikke skulle arbejde ret meget resten af dagen og næste dag. Så krævede det fuld koncentration pga. vejen var stejl, vi skulle igennem massevis af sving og et utal af store og små tunnler. Altsammen i selskab med noget af verdens smukkeste natur.
Vi satte os på cyklerne og begyndte turen ned. Efter kort tid kom vi forbi en lille bitte tankstation, jow jow der skal også være mulighed for at få benzin heroppe i højderne.
Vi besluttede os for at se om de solgte kaffe, det gjorde de og dermed købte vi en kop hvorefter vi skålede for at have nået det højeste punkt på denne tur.
Inden vi fortsatte, tog vi regntøj på. Vi kunne regne ud at når skyerne hang under os, så skulle vi igennem det skydække på et tidspunkt og skyer betyder frugt og tåge.
Vejen snoede sig igennem landskabet, som en slange. Nogen gange var alt bart andre gange var vejen overdækket af træer grønt mos. Så flot og impornerende.
Inden vi dykkede ned i skyerne, så vi det hele oppefra. Ufatteligt at stå på vejen og kigge ned på skyerne og når man kiggede ud over dem, stak der bjergtoppe op igennem. Betagende udsigt og samtidig ufattligt.
Herfra blev alt hyllet ind i tyk tåge og nogen gange kunne vi kun se 10 meter frem. Så fuld koncentration, men når det er sagt, så var det stadig en fed og unik tur ned igennem det hele.
Undervejs kom vi til at holde 50 minutter, pga. vejsikring. Undervejs kunne vi se, at det jordskælv Taiwan havde haft en lille måned tidliger, havde ødelagt vejen flere steder og alt det var ved at blive udbedret.
Vi ville gerne finde det perfekte campingsted, men det var ikke let i tågen og med bjergskråningerne lige ved vores side. Det endte med vi fandt en overdækket platfrom, som lå lige ved siden af vejen.
Her havde vi 3,5 x 3,5 meter, som var tørt og omgivet af en bænk, så vi havde noget at sidde på. Det valgte vi.
Vi havde stadig 40 kilometer ned til havet og nu var det ved at blive mørkt. Da vi lagde os til at sove, kryssede vi fingre for at solen ville skinne fra en skyfri himmel næste dag, så vi kunne se resten af Toroko Gorge i klart vejr.
 

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ENGLISH

Monday, May 6, 2019 - Friday May 10, 2019                             (Update 27. Sep 2019)

Taipei - Fuxing 45 km
Fuxing - Ming Chih Resort 49 km
Ming Chih Resort - Nanshan 52 km
Nanshan - Lishan 46 km
Lishan - Shelter at Wahei Is Xi River 67 km

The day started quietly with a bath, packing the last things, eating breakfast and checking out our planned route on maps.me before leaving Taipei.
We had chosen a point by the river that followed road 64, because if we came to that point we could follow the cycle path that went along the river to the city of Sanxi, where we had to follow road 3 and then dive on Road 7, which should lead us up the mountains to the small roads we had read should be without much traffic and very beautiful.
There was not much traffic such a Monday morning and after just 12 kilometers we had found our way to the river and to the bike path. Here was both a bike path and a path that was only made for scooters. There were even toilets along the paths.
We rode quietly and stopped occasionally. After 20 kilometers we reached Sanxi and also found
road 3. We were able to look at maps.me and saw before long we had to turn off so we entered road 7, which we had to follow up our first mountain pass and probably also the next few days, but before we did we took our first 7/11 break of many to come.
Here we could buy everything a cyclist needs of calories and drinks. We had not bought any supplies of importance, since we had heard that 7/11 was located in many places and that we could always buy a meal and other stuff there.
Our plan was to find a place to pitch our tent later in the day.
We did not know how far we wanted to ride and how hard it would be to bike in the mountains, so we bought a little of everything so we could stop when it suited us and when we found a suitable place to camp.
The bikes became considerably heavier as we also had to carry water and to be sure we had enough, we took 5 liters each, which probably equals 5 kilos extra on the bike.
When we rode off from 7/11 it started to rain so we took out our rainwear. It was not cold, so the combination of rainwear and a sweaty body was not that nice.
We have rain pants and rain jacket and the pants stick to the legs after a short while cycling because of the sweat. So sometimes you think, it is really worth the trouble to wear your pants as you get sweaty and condens inside the pants anyways.
After 5 kilometers on road 7, we found a small temple where we decided to take our lunch break.
There was a table and some chairs in front of the temple and a small overhang where we could sit in dry weather.
Another thing that was perfect was a power outlet where we could charge my phone. It was already well used as we had used it to navigate.
So all in all, a win win situation on the tawan roads.
Everything along the road was green in green and lush. The cars had disappeared and it was only occasionally that a car drove past us.
We could see the mountains occasionally sticking up through the fog that formed due to the heat and humidity. Really beautiful and already on this first bike day, we had a feeling that we probably would get to likeTaiwan a lot.
We cycled quietly more and more upwards. The weather changed all the time, a little rain then it stopped and then rain again.
When we reached the top of this days highest point, it really started raining and we took shelter under some overhangs that were at the fruit stalls that were up here. We were tempted by some big juicy peaches and bought three pieces.
There was also more heavy traffic in the form of some trucks and as it was about to be late in the afternoon, we began to look for a suitable place to camp.
It was not so easy as the ground was very wet after the rain and the slopes from the mountain went down to the road.
In a bend we saw a place where it looked like there was some accommodation and a restaurant, so we let the bikes roll down on the square in front of what looked like a reception. But the place seemed to be closed. There was a view down to a lake and at the back of the square was a large lawn. But again everything was splash wet. So we pulled the bikes back to what looked like the reception and in front of it there was an area with tables and chairs and a small stage under a roof.
We looked closer and we went to the back of the building. There were no people, only a meager little dog who was tight up in a cage. If it were to be a watchdog, it did not do its job quite well, it just looked at us and did not even bark.
There were also toilets and baths, but it hadn't been used for long. But we could use it and we decided to take the chance and put the tent up under the roof. If the owner came we would just ask if it was okay and if nobody came we did not mind.
The place was perfect. We could use the chairs and tables to sit and eat at. There were two heavy benches that we used to set at each end of the tent. Then they could be used as anchor and the tent could be tensioned between them. It was not possible to hammer the pegs into the cement floor.
Another plus was that we could pack the tent totally dry the next day.
Of course we were a little on guard when a car drove by on the road a little above us, but it was only until it got dark. Then no one thought that down there under the roof are two campers.
We should just mention that when we had gone to sleep, there was some animal that murmured just outside our tent. It wasn't that funny, but we just shouted out loud: Go away and the animal was gone.
But of course, it makes you lie and listen occasionally during the night, but isn´t that part of the wild camping??? ;-)
When we got up the next day and looked out of the tent, we got a look for the matter. Outside the tent lay a large bunch of dogs and in fact we had overlooked another guard dog in another cage just a few meters from where we had pitched the tent.
The sounds we had heard during the night were when the dog in the cage had chewed on his meat bone and it was probably one of the other dogs that had growled outside our tent.
The rain stopped as we rode off just after 9 o'clock. The first 10 kilometers we rode uphill. The road wandered through a valley and everywhere moss grew on the sides of the slopes and the shutters along the road.
There was not much more space than for one car and in many places the road was broken with stones that had fallen down from far up the hills.
We saw small and large waterfalls and we could look far down the valley and on the far uphill slopes we saw small houses and thought how much work it has taken to get them built.
At one point we had to stop, as there had been a big rock fall on the raod, large stones were on the road, so a road worker watched us and sent us off when he got green light through his walkie talkie. When he waved us onwards, he shouted - Spice Girls !! It was probably the only English word he could come up with. But it made us laugh out loud and afterwards we said to eachother that we both had to be sporty spice.
We cycled very well and for dinner we reached the town of Baling. For lunch we ate at a small restaurant where we ordered chicken, rice, vegetables, mushrooms and mushroom soup and a pot of tea. Everything was eaten as we were very hungry.
After Baling we were really going to find our mountain legs as the road got mere steep, so quietly we moved up until we reached the highest point of the day - 1170 m. There was only two houses at this point and there was nowhere to pitch our tent.
Again it was starting to rain and it rained a lot, so we got very wet.
We cycled further 3 - 4 kilometer until we reached Ming Chih Forrest Resort. On maps.me it looked like there was an area that could be for pic nic, but it was a large parking lot belonging to the large hotel that was up here.
The hotel looked very expensive so at first it was not a solution for us. We wanted to find a place we could pitch the tent even though everything was very wet.
Now we continued 1 kilometer down to a lake where there was a park. It was obviously a park you had to pay to visit because it was fenced in and there was an entrance where you could pay when it was open.
First, we investigated whether we could get in behind the fence and then pitch the tent under one of the shelter roofs in the park. It was not a solution, because then we had to break in and that is against the law.
The next attempt was a house facing the park. But there was no one at home, then Heidi saw that there was a police station just down a side road. So we would ask if there was a place we could put up our tent.
The police officer at the station was very helpful and invited us inside. He couldn't speak English, but through his phone and google translate he could explain to us what he was saying.
At first he tried at the house we had just gone to. Could we sleep there? They had a place where two cars were under a roof, if they moved them we could put the tent there. But when they had moved one car, we could see there was water on the floor, so it was not an option.
Now we went back to the station and the officer made tea for us. We had been somewhat chilled when we were completely soaked by the rain and there was probably only about 15 degrees.
The officer called around and eventually he said we should come with him. Now we went back to the big hotel. Wondered what he had found for us ???
We got into the reception and the officer got the staff to explain to us what their idea was. We had to sleep in the hallway outside all other rooms either on this floor or on the floor above the reception.
We were speechless that they would let us do that, but we thought it was a little too much. We want to save money when we travel, but we are not poor, and we also thought it would be disruptive to all the other guests who stayed at the hotel.
So we asked what a room cost. It turned out that for 600, - we could get a wooden cabin and it included breakfast. It was a good deal for us and then we could get dry for the next day.
The officer was concerned about whether we also had the money for it. We assured him that he should not be concerned about that.
He kept asking if it was OK. Since he couldn't help us as he had wanted, he insisted on cooking for us. But we kindly refused. It was getting late and we were cold and tired. We thanked many times for the help of the officer and found our cabin.
In fact, it was so cool that we had to turn on the heat in the cabin.
Dinner was quick noodles and a snickers for dessert. When we finished eating, it knocked on our door and outside stood two from the reception. It turned out that the officer had got the hotel to cook two lunches for us, so now we each got 3 buns with jam, toast, butter and biscuits plus a large cup of hot coffee. What a gesture and so surprising.
We agreed that we should pass the police station the next morning to say thank you for everything the officer had done for us.
None of us jumped out of bed the next day. In fact, it was very tempting to stay one more day in the beautiful area, but it didn't work out if we wanted to see some of Taiwan.
We got on our feet and went down to have breakfast. It was said that there was intercontinental breakfast, but it was not so intercontinental.
Sweet patatos, spice bread, several different rice dishes and boiled eggs that had boiled for many hours, were some of the items on the breakfast menu. All of this could be washed down with coffee, tea and what the Taiwanese call juice???
The bike bags were packed and then it was off to the police station.
We had a key ring with a bicycle and the writing: I love Denmark, it was our small gift for the officer, as thanks for the help. But unfortunately, the door was locked at the station, so we had to hang the key ring on the door handle and hoped he understood our gesture.
The first 5 kilometers went uphill. Then it went down by 15 kilometers through some wild bends. The road was perfect and well laid out. The clouds hang low over the mountains and sometimes there was an opening in the clouds so we could see far down into deep gorges. An exceptionally beautiful sight.
We adjusted the speed through the turns as the road was greasy and wet with rain. The landscape alternated between woods, which remided us of some kind of hobbit landscap. The forest consisted of mossy trees, big bamboo, pine trees and giant ferns, all in the most beautiful green color.
When we reached the end of the descent, we were at 350 meters hight and we were going out onto a twolane road that was not as exciting as the little road we had followed in the mountains.
On each side of the valley we cycled through there were mountains. Along in the valley people was farming and here mass of cabbage was growing. We can say with certainty that it was not organic farming that we cycled past, as we could see how stuff was sprayed merrily on all the fields.
The cabbages we saw was huge and almost perfect in shape.
We had our lunch at a small place right next to the road. The lunch we could thank the policeman for. We ate with great appetite the buns and biscuits that he had given us with some bananas wich we brought ourselfs.
We continue on through the valley and cycle through several smaller towns. In one of the towns we stopped at a small shop, here we bought something to drink, while we had our break we were whitness to some loud Karaoke fun from a place next door to were we sat.
It was not the most clear song and sound that came out from the joint, but we do not think that it should be the case when we talk Karaokee. Later, we saw the singer and very drunk but loving Taiwanese man who needed to go home and sleep. He jumped onto the back of a scooter and was transported home that way while he waved and shouted something in Taiwanese at us.
After the break in the village, we had to fight off what we call killer hills. Now the sweat busted out and we couldn't cycle more than 5-7 kilometers per hour. The legs had to work overtime and the will power was tested. After a good hour like that, we reached the town Nanshan.
We were positively surprised what the town had to offer. Here was a Familymart and it became our first stop. Now we should have coffee and taste some of the many delights the store had.
Familymart always has a place with tables and chairs, almost like a small restaurant and here we sat with our coffee and snack. Now we had to find out where we wanted to sleep.
We checked maps.me and it looked like we could camp close to the school. We had read from home that many places in Taiwan you could pitch your tent at their schools, we would try our luck at the school here in Nanshan.
It was easy to find the school as it was in a side street just after the familymart. There were lots of kids playing on the sports field at the school. We took a look at the sportsfield and thourght we could easily pitch our tent there. Before we did, we went into the teachers room.
None of the persons in the office knew English but by using facts, they understood that we would like to sleep on the sports field in our tent. It was no problem, they just wanted to have a copy of our passport and then showed us where the restrooms were.
Before we pitched the tent, we chose to wait until the playful children in the square went home. That way we avoided too much attention. While we were waiting, some of the children tried their best English words: Hello, What is your name, I love you were repeated over and over again. Not to mention different jumps and facts to get our attention. At 5PM it was quiet and we could set up the tent. Instead of putting it on the damp grass, we chose to put it under the brightly colored tent that was in the schoolyard, so we might be lucky to pack the tent dry the next morning. When darkness came, the fog came too. It was dark and at the same time total whiteout. Dinner became the easy solution: quick noodles with beef. We fell asleep early, which didn't matter when we had to get up at 6AM, because we should leave school at 7:30 at the latest, when the school day started.
We woke to the sound of rain the next morning. We could see that our shelter under the canvas had been a good choice. In fact, it was the only place that was dry on the whole square.
Our packing was perfect and precis and then we headed to Familymart where we eat breakfast.
With the body well filled, we rolled off a little before 8AM. It should turn out that the first 15 kilometers were uphill. It was a shame that the haze and mist were hanging heavy over the mountains as it hid the beautiful scenery. Which just left hard work for the ladies.
We reached the top after 15 kilometers and a good 2 hours drive. Then the day was like well started. At the top was a small temple where we had a well deserved break.
The break was followed by 8-10 kilometers of descent and the miles quickly ticked into our bicycle account.
There were huge agricultural areas and we came close to the soil being cultivated. We could see that the soil is mostly made of stone. Really crazy that crops are grown here.
Nature was so breathtaking and our heads turn from side to side to catch everything. Sometimes there was a deep abyss down to a river and the slopes are steep and filled with trees.
The small towns we cycle through were not as beautiful, several of them have lots of guard dogs, which were tied in large chains in front of the houses. They do not seem to live a comfortable life. In fact, a very sad sight. But barking and showing teeth they can and it's definitely not a good idea to go and talk to them.
The locals have made the wildest solutions, to facilitate the harvest and to ease the work on the steep slopes.
Somewhere we saw how a homemade gondola was wired over a deep ravine using a small engine. In the gondola sat two people, well arrived on the side we were standing on, they filled the gondola with sacks containing seed and then the gondola was sent back to the other hillside.
Another place was a rail system that could carry people down and up the hillsides in a small box mounted on the rails. This makes it easier and more gentle for the people who work in these places.
Here were both orchards, the fields and other crops.
Our goal for the day was the town of Lishan, which was at a height of 1930 meters.Until 3 kilometers before the town, everything had gone pretty well. Now it started to rain and we had to turn off from road 7 wich we had been following the last few days. We actually had two choices to get to Lishan, the one we chose which was 3 kilometers or one that would be about 7 kilometers. Well we chose the short one, which then went on to become the toughest one, too. The road was so steep that we could not cycle, so we had to get off and push.
When we pushed we had to zig zag up the road when straight up was impossible.
We pulshed  and pushed and split the road into chunks, we parkedone bike and helped each other push one bike at a time. It then meant that the last kilometers took 1 hour and when we finally stood outside 7/11 in Lishan, we were completely soaked by the rain and pretty worn out.
We put the bikes away and went into 7/11 where a good hot cup of coffee could warm us up again.
While we were sipping coffee we looked at maps.me to see if there was a place in town we could pitch our tent. We had to realize that we couldn't find anything and besides that, we were totally soaked, so we found a bed and breakfast right next to 7/11. Which suited us fine, because then we could have dinner at 7/11 in the evening.
Our bodies were tired when we woke up to the fifth day of cycling. We were pretty excited about this day, because if everything went according to plan, we should reach the top of Toroko Gorge and that was one of the things we had been looking forward to on this trip. Reaching the Toroko Gorge and being allowed to cycle through this fascinating valley and experience the road that so many have been talking about, with beautiful mountains, views and lots of tunnels, was something we had been looking forward to since we decided to travel to Taiwan.
From the top of Toroko, which is at an altitude of 2600 meters, it is well over 90 km down to the sea level and the city of Xincheng.
From Lishan we had to cycle along the mountain side in a valley, so first we could look over at the opposite side, to the part of the road we would later cycle on and from the other side we could then look over on what we had just cycled.
We were excited about how much to climb today, as our legs where really tiered. Fortunately, it was not bad and today we had the weather on our side. 25 degrees and sun. We took our time and cycled a lot like stop and go because there was so much to look at and so much we wanted to take pictures of.
At one point we saw a married couple descend from the hillside in one of the small motorized carts. Just like in a roller coaster, only in slow motion. Looked a bit funny but for the people, this was everyday life.
We had lunch a mile before reaching the Dayuling Tunnel. That meant we had reached the highest point on this trip - 2,564 meters altitude.
The tunnel was about 250 m long and as we came out of the darkness on the other side, we could look down at the clouds, which spread out over the valley below us. Above us, the sun shone from a clear blue sky, a magical sight.
Now we could look forward to a lot of miles on freewheels down through Toroko, but even if we didn't have to work pretty much the rest of the day and the next day, it still required full concentration because the road was steep, we had to go through lots of turns and a myriad of large and small tunnels. All in the company of some of the world's most beautiful nature.
We got on the bikes and started the ride down. After a short time we passed a tiny gas station, yes, yes, there must also be an opportunity to get gasoline up there.
We decided to see if they sold coffee, they did and so we bought a cup and then we toasted to have reached the highest point of this trip.
Before we went on, we put on rainwear. We could figure that when the clouds hung below us, we would have to go through the clouds at one point and clouds mean moist and fog.
The road meandered through the landscape, like a snake. Sometimes everything was bare at other times the road was covered with trees and green moss. So nice and imposing.
Before diving into the clouds, we saw it all from above. Unbelievable to stand on the road and look down at the clouds and when you looked out over them, mountain peaks rose through them. Breathtaking views and at the same time unbelievable.
From here everything was shrouded in thick fog and sometimes we could only see 10 meters ahead. Full concentration, but that said, it was still a bold and unique ride down through it all.
On the way, we got a 50 minutes stop, due to road safety. Along the way, we could see that the Taiwan earthquake that had  been a month earlier, had destroyed the road in several places and all that was being rebuild.
We wanted to find the perfect campsite, but it was not easy in the fog and with the hillsides right by our side. We found a covered platfrom which was right next to the road.
Here we had 3.5 x 3.5 meters, which was dry and surrounded by a bench, so we had something to sit on. We chose that.
We still had 40 kilometers down to sealevel and now it was getting dark. As we lay down to sleep, with the sound of water running in a river next to us, we crossed our fingers and hoped that the sun would shine from a clear sky the next day so we could see the rest of Toroko Gorge in clear weather.

Taiwan we want more

Lørdag d. 11. maj 2019 - Onsdag d. 15. maj 2019                                 (Update 30. sep 2019)

Shelter ved floden - Xiulin 43 km
Xiulin Sightseeing 14 km
Xiulin - Talafong 74 km
Talafong - Yiwan 72 km
Yiwan - Fugang Habour 75 km

Vi havde sovet helt OK i vores lille shelter, blot havde der været et par gange hvor vi var vågnet, da det til tider lød somom at en lastbil drønede lige igennem vores telt, når de kørte forbi.
Da vi stak hovedet ud af teltet, kunne vi konstatere at himlen var skyfri og solen allerede stod højt på himlen.
Herligt at vi nu kunne få lov til at opleve slugten i dette perfekte vejr.
Vi tog os god tid til omklædning, pakning og morgenmad, vi skulle jo kun cykle nedaf idag, så ingen stress.
Inden vi selv satte afsted på cyklerne, så vi flere håbefulde cykelryttere, der var på vej opad mod toppen af Toroko Gorge. En tur på godt 90 kilometer fra hav niveau og Toroko Gorge indgangsportal til næsten 3000 mters højde. Vel at bemærke, det går opad hele vejen og ruten er beskrevet som en af de hårdeste i verden. Hvert år afholdes det berømte KOM race, for at forstå hvor hårdt det er, har jeg lagt dette link ind til en lille video omkring løbet: 
The hardest climb in the world
Selv var vi glade for at vi skulle den anden vej, ned igennem det flotte landskab.
Afsted det gik, igennem det ene svig efter det andet. Nogen gange kunne vi se længere nede hvordan vejen forsvandt ind i en tunnel og det velvidende at derned kom vi om få øjeblikke. Det er svært at forestille sig hvordan vejen i det hele taget er blevet anlagt. Det har kostet hårdt arbejde virkelig blod, sved og tårer.
Vi vil sige at det er en af de mest seværdige veje vi har cyklet. Helt reelt kunne vi bare lade cyklerne flyve med høj hastighed ned ned ned, men vi ville også nyde dette øjeblik, så vi forsøgte at tage den med ro og stoppede mange gange for at nyde udsigten og tage billeder.
Da vi nåede til Luoshao benyttede vi os af toilettet der lå lige ved vejen, for derefter at gå op til Luoshao Chihui Templet og se nærmere på det. Ved templet stod en stor statue som lignede jomfru maria og et andet sted var det bygget en stor drage. Vi ved ikke hvad sammehænget mellem de to ting er, men en ting er sikkert der er altid en helt speciel stemning ved sådan et tempel.
Ved siden af templet var der en skov af store bambus, som tonede op mod himlen. Det er virkelig utroligt hvor store bambus kan blive.
Efter besøget i templet fortsatte ved nedaf, ndtil nu havde vi nydt godt af at vi næsten var de eneste på disse kanter, men nu så vi pludselig en anden cyklist med bagage på vej opad vejen, ham måtte vi da snakke med. 
Det var en tysk mand og længere nede af vejen kom hans kone cyklende. Manden var meget optemistisk og fortalte at de var på vej mod toppen af Toroko Gorge. De havde lejet cyklerne og havde forsøgt sig med stigningen et par dage før, men var vendt om da det var begyndt at regne.
Men idag skulle det være, mente han. Vi ved ikke helt om konen var så glad for beslutningen, for hun cyklede lige forbi os uden af hilse. Hun så ikke så glad ud.
Inden vi tog afsted på turen hjemmefra, havde vi snakket om at cykle nedfra og op til toppen, men havde ombestemt os, hvilket vi idag kan sige vi var glade for.
En ting er at cykle ruten på en racer cykel, men med fuld oppakning og varmen er det vist dødsdømt på forhånd. 
Vi har sidenhen tit talt om det tyske par og tænkt om de mon nåede til toppen????

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English

Under construction

Saturday, May 11, 2019 - Wednesday, May 15, 2019 (Update Sep 30, 2019)

Shelter of the river - Xiulin 43 km
Xiulin Sightseeing 14 km
Xiulin - Talafong 74 km
Talafong - Yiwan 72 km
Yiwan - Fugang Habour 75 km

We had slept perfectly OK in our little shelter, only had we been awake a few times when it sometimes sounded like a truck was dropping right through our tent as they drove by.
When we put our heads out of the tent, we could see that the sky was cloudless and the sun was already high in the sky.
Wonderful that we could now be allowed to experience the gorge in this perfect weather.
We took plenty of time to change clothes, packing and breakfast, we only had to cycle downhill today, so no stress.
Before we set off on our bikes, we saw several hopeful cyclists heading up towards the top of Toroko Gorge. A trip of over 90 kilometers from sea level and Toroko Gorge entrance arch to almost 3000 m altitude. Not to mention, it goes uphill all the way and the route is described as one of the toughest in the world. Every year the famous KOM race is held, to understand how tough it is, I have posted this link to a little video about the race:
The hardest climb in the world
We were glad that we were going the other way, down through the beautiful landscape.
Just imagne going through one turn after another following the roads shape. Sometimes we could see further down how the road disappeared into a tunnel and knowing that we would get there in a few moments. It's hard to imagine how the road has been built at all. It has cost hard work really blood, sweat and tears.
We have to say that it is one of the most scenic roads we ever have cycled. In fact, we could just let the bikes fly down at full speed, but we also wanted to enjoy this moment, so we tried to take it easy and stopped many times to enjoy the view and take pictures.
When we reached Luoshao, we made use of the toilet that was just off the road, and then went up to Luoshao Chihui Temple to look at it. At the temple stood a large statue that resembled the Virgin Mary and elsewhere a large dragon was built. We do not know what the connection between the two things is, but one thing is for sure there is always a very special atmosphere at such a temple.
Next to the temple there was a forest of large bamboo, which toned up toward the sky. It's really amazing how big and tall bamboo can be.
After the visit to the temple we continued downhill, until now we had enjoyed being almost the only ones on the road, but now we suddenly saw another cyclist with luggage on the way up the road, we had to talk to him.
It was a German man and further down the road came his wife cycling. The man was very optimistic and told that they were heading to the top of Toroko Gorge. They had rented the bikes and had tried the climb a few days before, but had turned around when it started to rain.
But today it should be, he thought. We don't quite know if the wife was happy with the decision, because she cycled right past us without greeting. She didn't look so happy.
Before we left home for this ride, we had talked about cycling uphill to the top, but had changed our mind, which we can say today we were happy about.
Since this day we have talked about the german couple, wondering if they ever reached the top??
One thing is to ride the route on a road bike, but with full packed bikes and the heat, it is a death sentence in advance.