Around the Island - 環島 (huán dǎo) - Part 4

This is the day many of us have been waiting with fear. How are we able to pedal over the mountains to the Pacific Ocean? The aborigine statues do not give much comfort.

Luckily this uphill is not worse than those in Luxembourg, just longer.





This is the highest point when crossing the island from West coast to the East. All tourists take a photo of this.


After loooooong speedy descent we arrive to the shores of the greatest ocean The Pacific. In Chinese they have this surprisingly creative name "Big sea". I didn't take photos of the downhill part, it was too fast and needed concentration. But I have videos, just right now couldn't find them.








There are lots of aborigine (or is "indigenous" the right word now) people's communities in the South-East cost. I was told that when the Japanese ruled in Taiwan from 1895 to 1945 they chased most of the indigenous tribes out from the mountains to the coast, where it was easier to limit their potentially rebellious freedom.


The big sea is too big.


This is the text glued on the mud guard of the bicycles, that we read every time we hit the road. Mystery to me, I guess it remind us that the security is the number one concern.


People are extremely friendly and positive.


Red colour makes me feel safer.


Kids cheering "Add oil! Add oil! 加油！加油！It means Go, go! or Hop, hop! Somehow I feel accepted.

These photos are snapshots taken while driving 20 km/hour!. Panasonic LX5 is amazing. I couldn't do this with a DSLR.


The journey continues...