Day 6: A washout

5/30
I think I keep losing focus on my goal for this trip... I was thinking I could stick it out in the rain... I would have missed some great scenery along the way.

Day 5: Taroko Gorge

5/29
I can't imagine being at Taroko without a scooter. It was so easy for me to zip around the bus traffic and pull over whenever I felt a picturesque moment. On that note, there is no justice in pictures of this place.

Day 4: Backtracking

6:00 AM. No rain. Lots of roosters (or other animals with loud noises). OK sleep. Spent the night being paranoid about sounds and a truck that parked near my scooter. Not sure what to do today after I return from Wai'ao. Maybe head straight for Taroko.

The Ultimate Map

10 days of scootering down the east coast of Taiwan.

Here's what I wrote about it.

Here's how I did it:

Ups and Downs

Day 3: Wufengchi Waterfall Trifecta and the Highway from Hell

After a solid night's sleep at Surfer Inn, I got a good start on Day 3. I hopped back on the highway and went south towards Ilan city (which I had been aimlessly exploring the previous day, looking for a hostel). Armed with my Lonely Planet guide book and some random tourists maps I'd collected along the way, I searched for something to do. Wufengchi Waterfall was next on my to do list.

What goes up...

Day 2: Sandiaojiao, Caoling Trail (Dali), Wai'ao

Bearing in mind my closing thought from Day 1, I woke up at around 4:00 am on Day 2. Longmen campsite is only a few miles away from Sandiaojiao, which happens to be the most eastern point in Taiwan. How can you visit a sight like this at a time other than sunrise?

Turn right at Bitou

Day 1: Nanya, Bitou, Longdong, Fulong (for more photos, clickski)

I jumped on my scooter and pointed it in the direction of the nearest beach and took off. For the first while, I was driving behind buses and choking on exhaust. Finally, the highway dumped me onto the Rt. 2 coastal highway with a smile smeared across my face as I stared out over the ocean. It was about 10:30 AM and the sun was at full strength above me. Tracing the northern part of the North East coast, I began my journey.

...East Coast

(props to you if you get the reference in the title)

I'm outa here! I'm taking my trusty (knock on wood) scooter down the scenic East Coast of Taiwan!

Tomorrow I'll be making a pit stop at the eastern most point of Taiwan, and over the following 2 weeks, the plan is to make it down the coastal highway all the way to the southern most point, and back up. I lost interest in actually circling the entire island when I started actually mapping out the route. East side is where it's at.

If you are interested to see where I'm going, check out these 2 sites:

http://www.necoast-nsa.gov.tw/user/Article.aspx?Lang=2&SNo=02000005

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/taiwan/east-coast

...or just wait until I come back, and you can see all my pictures.

See ya later!