Why Taiwan?  As with the last couple of autumn trips, my main reason for travelling this time of year is the dreary and soggy nature of southern British Columbia in November. The snow line is creeping down, but it’s not low enough to be any fun. So I’m off to Taiwan for a month of exploring. 

Sue and Rick, who are featured in a couple of my past journals will join me for the first few weeks before they fly to Thailand. They have rental bikes, while I’m bringing my trusty Trek 920. I’ll be on my own for the last ten days. 

Taiwan's weather should be good - the summer heat has passed, and the internet tells me that typhoons don't generally hit after October.  This year,  Typhoon Kong-rey cut it close, arriving on October 31. Yikes. Even if there are no more typhoons (🤞), I predict there will be occasional rain and perhaps some wind too, especially on the east coast, but at least it'll be warm rain.  If the weather is really lousy, trains are an option.  After a month in the tropics, with any luck I'll return home to great early season ski conditions. 

Things I'm looking forward to include: great cycling, amazing food, welcoming people, and moderate prices. Taiwan has a relatively low crime rate too, not that I’ve been a victim in any other country I’ve visited. 

It'll be a homecoming for my Trek bike, which proudly sports a 'Made in Taiwan' sticker despite being an American brand. Giant is the largest bike manufacturer in the world, and I think they make the aluminum Trek frames like my 920. And no doubt lots of my other gear was made there too. 

What’s new with my gear?  - not much!

-   I replaced the creaky old saddle last fall when I returned from Puglia. The bike has been tuned up recently and is sporting new 40 mm Schwalbe gravel tires with tan sidewalls, and new rear derailleur cable. Thanks to Tantrum Ride Co. in Revelstoke for taking such good care of my bikes. No, I don't expect to encounter any gravel at all in Taiwan, but the tires make sense for the variety of riding I do elsewhere, and they'll be good if the roads are wet.

-I replaced a few worn out bits and bobs, but haven't purchased anything net new for the bike other than a Garmin Varia rear radar that has only been used on a few rides. It seems to work well. 

-I tried to find a small tire pressure gauge, but bought one that was a dud, providing inaccurate results and attempting to eat the presta valve each time it was removed 

-I'll bring a bell along because I think we'll have a reasonable amount of time on bike paths, and a bell seems a more polite warning tool than shouting 'on your right' in English.  

-I'll be carrying fewer warm clothes, since Taiwan is mostly subtropical except for the southern tip where the climate is tropical. Yes, there are loads of high mountains where the temps are lower, but I don't intend to bike up any of them. I'd rather head south to the beaches. 

The famous Taroko Gorge is still closed after a magnitude 7.4 earthquake in April 2024, so we won't be biking there either.  

What causes me anxiety?  Language will no doubt be a challenge. Visiting and working in China for three weeks over twenty years ago, I only managed to learn a few key words: hello, thanks, and beer are all I remember at this point. When I was in China pre-smart phones, I did a lot of pointing at phrases in my guidebook. I am hopeful that Google translate will be more useful.  I have double-and triple-checked that the free downloaded maps on my Garmin Edge are not in Chinese characters,  but interestingly, the Komoot maps on my phone ARE in Chinese.  From other blogs, it looks like the signs on marked cycle routes are bilingual. And Google tells me that major street signs are in Chinese characters and also pinyin (Chinese words transcribed into the Latin alphabet).

Another worry is travelling in a land where the vast majority of the population is lactose intolerant, because I think I’ll be dairy deprived. In particular, what will I be eating at breakfast? But it's only a month, after all.  

And travelling with my bike is always a worry. Will it arrive safely? Will I get the derailleur back on correctly? But if things go wrong with the bike, I don’t think there’s a place in the world better to be than Taiwan. So bring on the adventure!!