A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I took the overnight train from Taipei to Taitung to ride our bicycles along the East Rift Valley (花東縱谷) up to Hualien. We didn’t want to only ride on the flats — that would not be exciting enough for us — so we decided to combine the East Rift Valley (花東縱谷) with the East Coast Highway, along with some mountain riding by crossing the Coastal Mountain Range — three times. By the evening of the second day, we had covered more than 250km in a spectacular trek that can only be called a Taiwan classic.
The route took us along sections of the gorgeous Pacific Coast Highway, where the ocean’s thundering waves crash against lush mountainous terrain. It covered the East Rift Valley, some of Taiwan’s most beautiful rural countryside. We traveled on hillside roads with views of meandering river valleys far below. The expansive East Rift Valley floor spread out before us against a backdrop of mountains. And then there were the hot springs of Ruisui (瑞穗), which provided a welcome relief for our tired legs and weary muscles.
Taitung to Ruisui
With our bikes dismantled and bagged, we left Taipei at 10:55pm on a Sunday evening and arrived in Taitung at 6:05 the next morning. After assembling our rides we went looking for a 7-Eleven. We wanted to cut several kilograms from our load by mailing the heavy bike bags ahead to Hualien, and if you know the address of the outlet where you want to pick up your shipment (more information in Chinese can be found at www.7-11.com.tw/search.asp), the cashier in any 7-Eleven in Taiwan will help you ship it there. They will even call you when it arrives.
By 8am, we were on the Zhonghua Bridge headed out of Taitung onto Provincial Road 11 toward Donghe (東河), some 40km away. After about an hour of leisurely biking along the scenic Pacific Coast Road with the mountain range tapering off into the distance ahead of us, we saw a sign that read “Water Running Upward” (水往上流) a couple of kilometers ahead of Dulan (都蘭). With a name like that, we just had to check it out; it’s easy to spot as the road signs show the name in English. It’s a narrow stream by the side of the road that, as if by some kind of illusion, does indeed appear to flow upward.
General tips:
To do this ride in two days and enjoy it, you should be in good shape and used to spending a whole day, or at least several hours, on a bicycle — we rode ours for seven out of 10 hours on the road the first day and for six out of nine the second day. You also need to know how to adjust saddle and handle bar positions to avoid an unnecessarily sore butt, shoulders and knees — you might not have a problem after a couple of hours, but you could end up in a badly adjusted riding position after 120km to 130km of cycling in one day. Bicycles are not allowed on trains and must be sent in advance as freight, so dismantle them and put them in bike bags — available at bicycle stores for roughly NT$2,000 — and bring them as carry-on luggage.
Getting there:
We took the overnight Chukuang Express (莒光號) from Taipei to Taitung, departing Taipei Main Station at 10:55pm and arriving in Taitung at 6:05am the next morning. Tickets were NT$616 per person. The return from Hualien to Taipei Main Station was about NT$350 per person.
Where to stay
In Ruisui, we stayed at Juisui Hot Spring (瑞穗溫泉山莊) at a weekday discount rate of NT$1,500 for a room with a double bed. Service was good and friendly and while the food was simple, the establishment did serve dinner and a meager breakfast. An added bonus was the pick-up service: when we weren’t sure how to get to Juisui Hot Spring from the center of Ruisui, a minivan was sent to pick us up, bikes and all. There are also a variety of other accommodation choices in Ruisui.
In Hualien, we stayed at Blue Ocean Resort (藍海綠地) along Provincial Road 11 for NT$1,200, another weekday discount. Hualien is a major tourist destination and offers a wide variety of accommodation choices.
Also visit my biking blog: http://bikingintaiwan. theforgetful.com
Next came Donghe, a good place to grab a snack and fill up on water since there are no shops for the entire 45km up to Fuli (富里). We then crossed the bridge outside Donghe and took an immediate left down Provincial Road 23 toward Fuli, for our first ride across the coastal mountain range.
A bit down the road, we stopped to take a look at a band of macaques sitting by the roadside. One of them wasn’t very happy that my wife, Diane, wouldn’t feed them, so she and two others attacked her. Only by dashing to our bikes and pedaling quickly away were we able to make an escape and avoid a fight.
The first 20km of Provincial Road 23 aren’t very steep, but they are followed by about 7km or 8km of continuous climbing. It might not be much steeper or higher than Wuzhishan in Taipei, but having already traveled 60km, it was still a bit trying. After this section, the inclines are less steep and mixed with a few drops before finally sloping all the way down to Fuli.
After a late lunch in Fuli, we set out for the final 50km up to Ruisui, the thought of the eagerly awaited hot springs ever clearer in our minds. We crossed the railroad to avoid the busy Provincial Road 9 and instead rode next to the green rice paddies along Zhuofu Access Road (桌富產業道路) to Yuli (玉里), where we switched to County Road 193 up to Ruisui.
RSS