Taiwan

Travel Story

We decided to visit Taiwan because we had made many taiwanese friends in New Zealand. They had invited us to explore their place.

When we arrived there, we borrowed two bicycles from our Taiwanese friends and we toured the whole country. We had a good adventure thanks to them.

We discovered a great culture, a generous people, a fabulous cuisine and astonishing landscapes.

Taiwan is forever in our hearts!

Overall feel

What we appreciate

• The country is really safe
• Excellent food
• People are nice and helpful
• The scenery is fantastatic, especially in the mountains
• Cycling is easy

What we dislike

• The language barrier sometimes
• The temperature is high

In details

Stats

• Way of travelling: Mainly bicycle
• Starting date: February 5, 2020
• Duration: 31 days
• Distance: 1290 km

Crossing the border

Since Taiwan is an island, the only possible ways to enter are:

• by boat
• by taking a flight

We departed from Okinawa, Japan, and arrived at Taipei. We did not have much choice but taking a flight.

We travelled with Peach which offers a good service for a low-cost company.

Fab 🇫🇷

Easy peasy!

I just needed to show a valid passport and a return ticket at the border control. I was then allowed to stay 90 days inside Taiwan.

Mina 🇯🇵

Pretty much the same for Japanese nationals.

Road condition

We cycled all around the island by following the coastline most of the time.

Otherwise, there is the Cycle Route n°1, also called “環島” (“huan-dao”) which means “round island”. We didn’t follow it completely though, because we wanted to explore a few specific remote regions (north and south extremities, mountains…). However, it is a shorter and stress-free route.

The road was sealed all the way and about 70% of our route was a special lane shared by cyclists and motorcycles.

On busy streets or highways, drivers would always make room so we could ride safely on the side.

Taiwan has probably the safest roads for the 2-wheelers in Asia.

Besides cycling, we experimented hitchhiking.

It was not a piece of a cake since the locals are not used to this practise. If you stand on the side of the road, they would slow down thinking you need some help. We managed to get a few rides by writing our destination (in traditional Mandarin) on a big piece of cardboard.

The best approach is to talk to them directly if you can.

Accommodations

For two people it’s actually more economical than a night in a backpackers.

If there’s not any accommodation around your location, it’s possible to stay at some temples. You need to contact the temple’s manager or ask the locals. Please remember that the temples stays are mainly intended for pilgrims. These are not touristic accommodations.

In the end, we only have a limited experience of 8 days in accommodations.

Freedom camping

Taiwan is really urban and people are not used to freedom campers.

Around the city, we would ask the locals for a good spot for pitching our tent. Most of the time, they would recommend to go to the nearest elementery school yard, which somehow has an official campground.

In remote places, we would stay anywhere we would consider sheltered enough, and not too anoying for the locals.

The police really don’t mind you do freedom camping at random spots, but they may check on you if they think you are at risk. They might try to look for a proper accommodation for you, and give you food and hot beverages.

Facilities

Taiwan is well equipped.

There are convinient stores almost everywhere. There, you can find:

• Toilets
• ATM machines
• Eat-in corner
• Plugs
• Free Wi-Fi

For cyclists and bikepackers, there is nothing to worry about. You can find branded or private bike shops around every corner.

At the visitors centers, the staff cannot speak English. So, if you have any issue on the way or need information, just go to the local police station. They can speak English, and they will provide anything you need (including driking water and snacking) for free. Some of them are official bike stations.

Communication with the locals

If you can speak or read traditional Chinese, you are fine. Otherwise, it’s not that easy, but not too difficult either.

The people who can speak English are:

• The police
• The accommodations’ owners/managers
• Taipei people

For the rest, you will need to use your body language and/or your smartphone’s translator.

In general, the Taiwanese are really patient and they will try their best to help. They will not hesitate to approach you to check on you if you look lost or tired.

Food

Food is delicious!

Each village has their own specialties. For instance, we visited the village of spring onions. They would add fresh spring onions in every dish. We even had spring onion ice cream!

More seriously, food is accessible everywhere. Shops, restaurants, night markets, supermarkets… You really don’t need to carry much food if you stick to the official cycle route. For the mountain part, you will probably need to carry food for a couple days.

Vegetarian friendly:

⭐⭐⭐⭐☆

Vegetarism is a religious practise in Taiwan. Around the city, you can find many shops that serve traditional vegetarian food. If you need to find one of these shops, look for “素食” (“Sùshí”).

They also have several veggie options for the dumplings and bao.

In the countryside, they might not have a vegetarian menu, but they can always accommodate you.

What we eat:

• Rice
• Noodles
• Dumplings
• Bao Zi
• Tropical fruits
• Bento
• Bubble tea
• Peanut butter

⭐ Fab's favourite:

Keelung’s Bao Zi

⭐ Mina's favourite:

Bento set from a random restaurant located in the industrial area. Unfortunately, we cannot provide a link or address to that place because it does not exist on google maps.

5 memorable places