Taiwan’s natural environment is a wonderland for outdoor sports; I have long said that it could be an Asian version of New Zealand. Some sports, such as cycling and hiking, already have a strong foothold, but the scale and breadth of the natural resources on … Read More →
Nenggao has been the ‘nemesis’ ride for the group for the last two years, attempts thwarted by typhoons and bad weather on two attempts: last year we even made it about a third of the way in before we had to turn around and high-tail … Read More →
The day after our kitsch night out, we planned to escape the city and head for the hills. Joining friends from Facebook and Google, we drove over the Golden Gate and into Marin County. It was all very odd with Abe and Armando; we are … Read More →
A pretty awesome ride out to Wufen Mountain (五分山: 757m) in the first of the really deeply hot days here in Taiwan. Still, a pretty early start, some strong legs, and some good team mates, meant that I was back in time for lunch. I … Read More →
It has long been a goal to ride from Wulai, in the mountains near Taipei, to Yilan on the coast. There have been rumours of such a trail, reporting varying levels of condition. The internet is making searching for this kind of thing much easier … Read More →
I had deep reservations with the Taipei Flora Expo, even before getting the tickets. China gets the Olympics; Taiwan gets the Deaflympics and World Games. Shanghai gets the World Expo; Taipei makes a ‘Flora Expo’ for itself. I don’t see anything more than a cynical … Read More →
Yuyin and I enjoyed the long weekend by heading down to Taichung for a friend’s wedding. It was awesome to meet some of her university buddies, and they let me know they liked me by proceeding to get me nice and drunk. In 100% recovery … Read More →
West of Austin is Texas Hill Country; an area of rugged hills that reaches as far as the suburbs, and provides access to some pretty splendid hiking and biking. One of the tourist honeypots of the area is Enchanted Rock, an enormous granite rock dome, … Read More →
2010 was the Chinese Year of the Mountain Bike, starting it in style on two wheels in Hong Kong, taking in some of Taiwan’s best riding, and ending up recently with a new bike to call my own. After proving the intra-Asian transport options over … Read More →
Taiwan Central Cross Highway By Bike
This is the big one: 248km, 5,072m of climbing, peaking at a mighty 3275m. Taichung to Hualien by bike, with my friend and colleague Tony. Bisecting the ridge of mountains that run down the centre of the island, the most direct route leaves Taichung and … Read More →