obsessed cycling: Cycling in Taiwan

I had a few days to my own in Taiwan so I thought I'd bike around. Biking is certainly a better way to see a city, faster than walking but slower than driving. Taiwan has a cycling culture, supported by Giant the bike manufacturer. Rental places like the one shown below are easy to find.

At the hotel I was staying, there was a fleet of Giant folding bikes that are free for guests to use. You know that I had to take advantage of. So on the day I was free, I borrowed one of these nice bikes and got on my way.

The bike is complete with a basket, a front and a rear light, a bell and a working kickstand. You can see these features better in the following picture. My laptop bag actually fit well in the basket.

The city, Taitung, has a nice bike path, a loop actually. The whole loop was built by connecting several stretches of old bike paths, one converted from an old railway going through the city, another along the ocean, and yet another through a forest park and a botanic garden. The loop is named the Mountain-Ocean Bike Path because you can see both the mountain and ocean doing the loop. Here is a typical sign on the bike path,

and a map.

You can see the ocean,

and the mountain (actually both).

Here is a gps track file from my phone with additional pictures.

Taitung Moutain Ocean Bikeway at EveryTrail

I ended my cycling adventure by sampling local food at one of their night markets. Yum...