Where White Clouds Fly
Taiwan Stage 15 – Toucheng to Keelung 65 Km (Mon 26 Nov 2018)
Weather: 20⁰C min – 23⁰C max, overcast, showery
“Heard on a recent club run: They are not hills, they are mounds of opportunity” ~ Michael Page
My day started well, with a good breakfast at the 7 Nook B&B cooked for me by a pleasant young lady who spoke reasonable English and was keen to chat. Her omelette was simply amazing too!
Just one thing though. When touring a country I always respect the local customs and culture. In Taiwan I don’t mind leaving my shoes at the front door, but I do wish they would provide slippers that are not so small that I can get no more than my big toe in them!
This morning I was on the horns of a dilemma. Do I follow the Beiyi Provincial Highway up the mountain (maximum elevation 500 meters above sea level) or do I take a slightly longer route that hugs the NE Coast of Taiwan? The Beiyi promised great views of the mountains on the way up and stunning views of the sea from the top, but the traffic on this road is often heavy. On the other hand the coastal route is flatter and picks up some nice bike paths including the Caoling Tunnel. I chose the latter option and have no regrets.
By the time I had travelled 8 Km I had taken 40 photographs! Fishing ports, seaside villages, beach villas, surf shops, palm tree lined beaches, ocean vistas, rugged rocks, rock fishermen, attractive wall art, segregated bike paths, a suspension bridge, roadside orchids, ornate temples … this section had it all.
Fishing ports have always attracted my interest and the ones I saw today (Toucheng, Keng-Fang, Daxi and Badouzi) were irresistible. I blame them for my ride taking so long!
Without a doubt my highlight today was the 2 Km long Old Caoling Tunnel, and the intriguing sounding name “Where White Clouds Fly” tourist area at the northern entrance. There is nothing quite like the feeling of riding through a disused train tunnel now for the exclusive use of bicycles.
Somehow the predicted rain showers never eventuated until after I reached about 20 Km from my destination of Keelung. No white clouds flying, but at least the grey clouds refrained from dumping too much of their load on me!
What a great day there Kevin, how are you getting on with the street food?
Yes it was a very enjoyable day Paul. Keelung where I stayed last night must be the street food capital of the world … check out the photos of Keelung yesterday. I ate far too much last night, just couldn’t resist!
Once again brilliant photos Street food may not kill so if it does no kill then it will fatten!!