Day 3: Jiaosi 礁溪 > Hualien 花蓮
Stay: Hualien Hostel
Before I'd left, there was an earthquake in the upper Taiwan area. There is a famous mountain pass -- the 蘇澳公路 (Su'Ao Highway) -- which is dangerous due to its narrow roads, no designated bike lane, and construction trucks passing through. No layperson will recommend you go ("It's very dangerous"), but any biking enthusiast who has ridden around the island would say to try it ("It's very dangerous, but it's worth it"). Given there was an earthquake, I would just skip the stretch this time and go directly to Hualien, getting off at Taroko Gorge station and then biking in.
In the morning in Yilan, my friend recommended I eat a noodle shop. I had crowdsourced infromation on must eat and must see spots along the way, and people had recommended accordingly. This morning, I was eating some garlic noodle at some side-shop. I rolled in in the morning with my bike outfit, no one batted an eyelid. The aunties at the shop served me their specialty and chatted with me for a bit, and then sent me on my way, telling me to add oil.
Biking to the station was difficult. I didn't know that in Yilan there were actually two stations, one of which you were able to take a bike on. After showing up to the wrong station, the guy kindly directed me to the other station, about 3 kilometers away and next to some processing plant. When I got to the counter, the trains were oddly confusing. There are only a few trains you can take in which you can carry on a bike, and there are only a few carts of those designated trains. The people at the train station were nice, and directed me to the right way. I was always impressed at the friendliness of the people along the way; how willing they were to help. Call it the spirit of being Taiwanese. I hadn't felt this at home in a long time. The biking was the most liberating and comforting thing, in part because of all the people who took the time to just sit and talk to me.
The train stops just outside the Taroko Gorge area, one of the most famous geologic formations in Taiwan. As I'm biking down, the gorge is to my right, and it's about 16:00. The sun is catching the mountain ridge beautifully, and the rays shine through the ravine and meet me on the road. I stop countless times to take pictures of the sea of mountain to my right. It smells like earth. The Eastern coast of Taiwan is really something else. Scattered throughout the coast are small betelnut shops (檳榔) that are independently owned. These nuts have become kind of a trademark of Taiwanese aboriginal culture, but I never took the time out to just try a bite. It begins to feel more like Southeast Asia and less like Taiwan as conceived through my experiences traveling only through the cities. There's a stronger sense of nature here that consumes me as I keep pedaling.
By the time I get to Hualien City, It's about 18:00. I check into my hostel who seems to be no stranger to bikers along the way. They welcome me, and the store owner, surprised at my Taiwan residence card, asks me where I'm from and what I'm doing here. He is a chubby man, cheery, indigenous to the East and from a local tribe, running a hostel. His disposition is cheery, and he happily chats away with me while helping other guests, telling me where to put my bike. I asked him for some suggestions as to where to eat at the night market and he pulls out a map, and circles it in detail for me.
The night market is commercialized. Things are rebuilt, and relatively new. It doesn't have the chaos of a street market, but it's more organized and comfortable. There are also some nice spots for people to sit and eat. There are several middle-aged women singing karaoke throughout (blaring the Teresa Teng classics). I get in line for the recommendations, eating my way through the night market according to the hostel owner's suggestion.
As I get in line for one of the famous drinks, a stall-owner next door calls out to me and tells me to get an alcoholic drink with them, and I tell them I'll definitely come back later to chat. After I go back to the hostel to rest for a bit, I come back out and meet the guy to chat. He invites me for a drink in the back, and makes a cocktail for me. Turns out, the bar is run by gay guys, and we just chat for the night. I ask them about their experiences about being gay and growing up in the rural side of Taiwan, and they share their experiences. In the 90s, it was all about moving to Taipei, the big city. When I asked them where the gay bar in Hualien was, they looked down at the table then at me. "It's here." We spend the rest of the night casually chatting away as friends of the owner come and go. They all introduce themselves to me, stay to chat for a bit, then go. One friend brings bad news to the table -- that one of their friends had just committed suicide -- and the mood is dark for a bit. They drink in her honor in front of me. It's surreal what's happening around me but people do not make me feel unwelcome or shoo me away.
After they finish drinking and are cleaning up for the day (the night market is closing), a couple of friends stay behind and want to continue chatting about their recently passed away friend. I politely excuse myself, saying that they should have some time to talk amongst themselves. The bar owner walks me out of the shop and then says goodbye, and asks what I am doing tomorrow. He offers to give me a ride throughout Hualien to go see some sights, as well as take me to some secret spots. I'm thankful for the offer, agree, and he says goodbye. He waves with a small smile, clearly still thinking about his friend.