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Trekking around Taiwan

Riding a motorbike halfway around Taiwan

On April 7, 2022, my friends and I went around half of the island of taiwan, starting from Taichung, then to Hualien – Taitung – Kenting – Kaoshiung and back again to Taichung. Our plan was for us to stay one day in Taitung, then two days in Kenting, and one day in Kaoshiung. Then we departed from Taichung at 04.30 am. Then before we left, we had booked an airbnb, then we had packed enough clothes, brought extra money just in case something happened while on the way, then we also checked all of our motorbikes that we wanted to drive so that it was safer and nothing happened. we don’t want. So I went with my friends, a total of 3 people, 1 me and 2 of my friends, and used 2 motorbikes, my friend had 1 motorbike together. The names of my friends are kenneth and nickson. Then when we left later, it was Kenneth who brought the motorbike and my friend Nickson who would be ridden by Kenneth. My friend Kenneth, this is the motorbike that will be taken later, namely his friend’s motorbike and my friend’s too, he borrowed my friend’s motorbike because his motorbike in Taiwan is a big motorbike (yellow plate). He was afraid that he was tired of carrying his own motorbike and the petrol was expensive so he decided to bring his friend’s motorbike.

After that we went to Hualien. While on the road we listen to our own songs, but sometimes we also call on the road when we are tired of listening to songs. Then the three of us really enjoyed the trip and rode leisurely while enjoying the ride and the beautiful scenery. When we went to hualien, we passed a mountain called Hehuanshan. On our way to Mount Hehuanshan, we passed a mountain road for approximately 100 kilometers. After we arrived at Hehuanshan, we felt cold because the mountain was quite high (3070 meters above sea level) so the temperature there was enough to make the three of us cold. The temperature there at that time was 6 degrees Celsius. After that we just took photos and then took a short break because it was cold and we also wanted to catch up on time to Taitung so it wouldn’t be too late to arrive in Taitung. After from Hehuanshan we continued our journey to Hualien. Then this trip from Taichung to Hualien I really enjoyed it because it passed through mountain trails along the way and the scenery was very good and the roads were very neat, there were rarely damaged roads. After we arrived at Hualien, we ate lu rou fan there and ate bread and drank coffee so we wouldn’t sleep on the way to Taitung because the journey to Taitung was still long. From Hualien to Taitung which is about 3 hours (168 KM), so we didn’t stay long in Hualien we immediately continued our journey to Taitung to check in the airbnb.

The journey from Hualien to Taitung is accompanied by sea views because the journey from Hualien to Taitung is by the sea, so along the way we saw seafront views. Then in the middle of the trip to Taitung, suddenly something happened, namely my friend’s motorbike suffered damage to the rear tire arm. And I helped my friend to find the nearest repair shop and my friend’s motorbike couldn’t run properly. Incidentally, along the road from Hualien to Taitung by the seafront route there are no towns or workshops. And at that time in the afternoon around 3/4, when I was helping my friend to push his motorbike, it suddenly rained heavily in that area (in the middle between Hualien and Taitung). Then we decided to take shelter on the side of the road in a resident’s house. Then the people there helped us to find a workshop around it and in the end found it. But the repair shop couldn’t repair the motorbike because there were no spare parts, and he offered to do towing service to Taitung city to the workshop there. Then in the end the motorbike was towed to Taitung and my friend loaned the motorbike to the workshop to continue his journey to Taitung.

Then we arrived in Taitung at 11.30 pm because there was an accident in the middle of the road and it was raining heavily that day on the way, but after we got to Taitung, the rain had completely stopped. Then after we arrived at the airbnb, then we checked in, then had dinner and went straight to bed because we were very tired that day and the next morning we had to take care of my friend’s broken motorbike. The next day in the morning Kenneth and I went to the motorcycle repair shop to take care of the motorbike, there was a lot of damage and it was very expensive to repair the motorbike. And the motorbike was finished, the process took a day to complete, so the next day we could just pick it up, while we had to go to Kenting because we had booked a hotel. Then we stayed on the motorbike in a repair shop and my friend Kenneth rented a motorbike from Taitung to go to Kenting. Then we left at 12 noon to Kenting, and arrived at Kenting at 4 pm. After we arrived in Kenting we went to the National Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium. We walked there and then I met my classmate there. After that we continued again to the hotel we had ordered and we rested there for a while like taking a shower. Then we went out again at night to look for food at the Kenting night market. Then after eating we went to our room again and rested to sleep. Then the next morning in the morning I went to the nearest beach to enjoy for a while and take some photos while my other friends were still sleeping. After I came from the beach I bought breakfast bread for me and then I took a shower and was ready to go back to Taitung to pick up my friend’s motorbike and turn over his rental motorbike. Before that we had lunch in Kenting. Then after lunch my friend nickson decided to go home first to taichung by bus because he had important business. Then my friend Kenneth and I went to Taitung again to pick up a motorbike.

In the afternoon, we arrived at Taitung again to pick up my friend’s motorbike which was damaged in the workshop. Even though it’s very far and very tiring but like it or not we have to do it. Then after Kenneth and I took the motorbike, we continued our journey again from Taitung to Kaoshiung to rest before we headed back to Taichung, so we stayed the first day in Kaoshiung. After that we arrived at Kaoshiung at 10 pm. After Kenneth and I arrived at the Airbnb in Kaoshiung, we immediately went out again to look for dinner at the night market while we went for a walk at the night market. Then after that we went back to our room and went to sleep because we were very tired and we were still traveling the next day. Then we woke up at 8 am and ready to go back to taichung. The journey from Kaoshiung to Taichung is approximately 5 hours, and we departed from Kaoshiung at 9 am and arrived in Taichung at 5 pm. And we got to taichung safely and nothing more unwanted happened. So that’s my story about a motorcycle ride in Taiwan. So our total trip is 3 days 2 nights (1000 KM++)

2 replies on “Riding a motorbike halfway around Taiwan”

I thoroughly enjoyed Vincentius’ story, “Riding a motorbike halfway around Taiwan”. The title immediately grabs readers attention, or at least grabbed mine, as I was intrigued of the prospect of traveling that far on a motorbike, and wanted to find more details about the trip: how long was it, did he stay overnight, was he with friends? All of these questions were excellently answered as he describes in chronological order the events of the trip beginning with their initial departure and leading to their additional destinations and the issues they experienced along the way. Hearing Vincentius described what I would deem really stressful trip and how they managed to persevere and carry on was impressive. Between the bike breaking down and having to push it to the Taiwan doing what it seems to love to do most this month and rain cats and dogs, I might have wanted to turn around and cancel the trip, but they carried on and solved their dilemmas.

This is a good blog. Thank you for bringing me such a good experience of driving motorcycle around half of Taiwan. Having a road trip is one of my wish before I leave Taiwan; however, I have never tried to drive a motorcycle around Taiwan before, and I also have no idea how cool it will be like. Thanks to your blog. I feel it is such a reality as I was on the road trip too

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