2026.04.21

Taiwan Travelog‐Taroko Peace Cycling

huwari300

I enjoyed my first overseas trip in 35 years.
From the 5th to the 8th of January, I visited Taiwan. I achieved my long-cherished dream of cycling to Taroko National Park, and then played the Ryuteki flute and prayed for peace. I’d like to thank everyone who has led me to this trip. I’m glad I studied English.

I could understand how visitors from overseas feel coming to Japan. I once again felt that I wanted to be able to speak English and decided to try learning Chinese as well. That’s because I was happy to meet people who can speak Japanese.

I was busy at the end of the year. I cooked New Year’s dishes and cleaned the house. My biggest concern was my mother’s health.

However, I had to prepare to travel to Taiwan. I planned the timing for my trip to Kansai airport. In any case, my bicycle bag was the biggest problem because it was a little bigger than what was allowed on the bus, train, and airplane. But I only had to pay extra for the plane.

To enter Taiwan, I needed to show them the disembarkation card, but I could do the application online. I used the Airalo E-sim after entering Taiwan. It was very difficult to set up, so I tried to set it up using the airport Wi-Fi when I was in line. But I was in the wrong line. I asked the airport staff where I needed to line up, but they almost didn’t speak any English, only Chinese.

It seems that the gate was reserved for tourists, Taiwanese citizens,civil servants, and others. I’d never seen gates divided by occupation before. I heard Taiwan is a blend of socialism and capitalism.

I was going to go to Taipei on the Airport MTR, then go to Hualien on the Taiwan railway. A kind guide who could speak Japanese was near the ticket vending machine. He showed me where the platform was, so I wouldn’t get lost. The ticket for the MTR was a coin-type. Also, when I wanted to buy a ticket for the Taiwan railroad I was spoken to by a kind man who could speak Japanese. It turned out, he had worked in Japan. He guided me to the train. I had only eaten food on the airplane. I was tired and hungry, so I was happy when I was able to buy a canned coffee on the train.

It was similar to Japan’s, and I learned how to buy tickets, so I was able to buy my train ticket on the way home.
When I arrived at the hotel in Hualien, I took the battery out of the seat post and put in the plane, so I had to put it back in. It was very hard, so I was sweating a lot!

Then I ate a spicy noodle dish from a food stand. It was a little rainy. Also, I ate chicken ginseng soup and shrimp stir-fried noodles at another shop. These were the store’s recommendations. They warmed me up from the inside.

For my next breakfast, I ate 蛋餅, pronounced Dan-Pin. It was like a crepe made by layering fried egg and chewy mochi. It’s very tasty!

When I visited Taiwan, I saw many free-range dogs. They were watch dogs for most of the stores.

I wanted to drink palm fruit juice, but the dog was barking loudly and chasing me. I was surprised by them and rode away. When I was a child, there were many free-range dogs in Japan too, so I actually don’t like dogs.

I was most surprised when I was chased by a skinny young dog and a big dog who was barking loudly. But I was saved by a honking car.

I arrived at the Taroko National Park earlier than I expected, since I changed routes in the middle after getting information from the local people. I was able to eat a Taiwanese sweet mochi at Master Zeng before arriving there.

Then I went to the Visitor Center.
They were surprised to see me because the gate’s opening time was 3 p.m.
They were worried I wouldn’t be able to get through the exit by bicycle before closing time. They said, “You won’t make it through the last gate in time because bicycles are slow.” I wanted to explain that I was confident I could make it in time, but I noticed my phone had no signal.

I was disappointed because I had a new Chinese translation app on my phone, so I asked them using their phone. I talked with them about two things: I told them I checked with the hotel before coming, and I asked what I should do if I was not able to get through the exit before closing time. They said that I had no choice but to call the police in that case.

OMG, I remembered my husband telling me that I would be unable to make phone calls with my phone in Taiwan before I left!

I was at a loss. They contacted the construction site and found out they would let through bicycles.

I started to ride my bicycle with no worries but was stopped by an inner gate. However, I was able to get through the gate with other cars after waiting a while. The effects of the earthquake were still visible, but the scenery was beautiful. The trail was covered with mud.

I was happy to arrive at the hotel despite the difficulties. I stayed at Silks Place Taroko, a five-star hotel. It was my first time staying at a five-star hotel.

When I arrived at the hotel, I asked the staff about the opening time for the return gate, but they didn’t seem to understand my question, so I gave up and took their suggestion to leave the bicycle on the shuttle bus. There were some bumps on the road, so I think it was dangerous anyway. But I enjoyed cycling the next morning around the hotel.

Dinner was Taiwanese cuisine. The passion fruit flavor of the manbo jelly was especially delicious, and the abalone also had an oolong tea flavor. The sweet and sour cherry tomatoes were also nice. After the dinner, I went back to my room and enjoyed a bath with bath salts.

I liked that they had a large pool on the roof of the hotel. I wanted to play the ryuteki there. I asked the hotel if it was okay to play the ryuteki by the pool, and they said it was fine and that they were excited to listen. So I decided to wear the dress which had been made from the kimono that my mother-in-law sewed. It was so warm that I didn’t need to wear a jacket even on the mountain.

How beautiful this scenery is! Standing here, I felt the presence of the dragon.

I had another reason why I took the shuttle bus: I wanted to go to the Shinjo Shrine ruins where I could get a sense for the deep history of both Taiwan and Japan.

In 1896, Japanese soldiers were attacked by native inhabitants, the Taroko tribe, and many people were killed. One of the reasons was they couldn’t understand Japanese culture. For example, Japanese men would wear only a fundoshi (a traditional Japanese undergarment) because Taiwan’s weather was hot. The Taroko tribe, on the other hand, didn’t.
The Taroko tribe didn’t only kill the Japanese, but they also cut off their heads. For the Japanese, the practice of beheading people was primitive and nobody did it. I felt sadness in the fact that they must have considered each other barbaric.

Remarkably, a Swiss pastor protected the torii and guardian dogs, etc, by turning it into a church protected from the destruction order. At the time, there was a strong public will to preserve historical buildings.

Written on the torii is, “this is a church”.

I rode my bicycle along the coast in strong crosswinds to the bicycle shop near Hualien Station. They helped me to take the battery off my bicycle, so I was so grateful to them.

Then I headed to Taipei. That night, I wandered around looking for souvenirs. I bought two kinds of Taiwanese tea, though I thought they were a little expensive for the quantity.

The next morning…
When I went to eat Xiaolonbao, I noticed a statue of a deity on a small altar. Then I heard a sound from the next table, and I saw a man had dropped and broken a beautiful ceramic pot. It contained these teas. It made me realize how valuable Taiwanese tea is.
I felt the gods’ existence in Taiwan too! Realizing this, I visited and prayed at two famous Taoist Temples.

The Taiwan Peace Cycling Ride led me to my next ride, which was the Megumi Ride, to pray for the return of the abducted victims in North Korea.