A Man and His Motorcycle Part 4

There are three great cross island highways in Taiwan- the Northern, the Central, and the Southern. The Northern has yet to be attempted. I completed the second half of the central on my second day of the trip ending in Taroko National Park, and the Southern was about to be checked off my list.

With an early rise in Tainan, I hopped on my motorcycle and breezed toward the Southern Cross Island Highway. I was leaving some rainy weather behind me in Taipei, so I was a bit apprehensive about what was ahead of my, on a trip that would take me from sea level to almost 3,000 meters, back down to sea level. Weather did not appear to be on my side initially.

However, it wasn't long before I found myself admiring some of Taiwan's majestic hidden treasures. The first was this enormous temple no more than an hour into the journey.


The second was this lovely reservoir, ideal for a short stop to catch a picture.


After this, the clouds remained gray, the roads turned very windy, and the altitude began to climb. I was afforded a few stylistic, breathtaking shots before my path before my disappeared into the clouds.


It was a good two hour drive at this point through mist and fog. I had to drive slowly and carefully as the unprotected side of the road was a fall thousands of feet below and certain death at the end. The road narrowed, climbed, and the visibility declined until at times I had to follow the yellow line on the road.


Just as I had given up all hope, I arrived at Yakou tunnel, and the Southern Cross Island highways highest point at 8,960 feet. The sign read that this tunnel, big enough for only one car to fit through at a time, was sixty meters long, unlit, and had a 90 degree bend in the middle. An engineering flaw if I have ever heard of one. Nevertheless, I drove through, and recorded it in three parts below, and when I emerged from the other side, I was treated to the most amazing thing I have seen in Taiwan. (The film was actually four parts, but part three was just a blank screen in the middle of the tunnel, so I cut it from the blog).

And some photos of the spectacular view on the other side, the Southern Cross Island Highway's highest point.

It floored me that three hours up through this mountain ranged was spent entirely in the clouds could be ended so abruptly. The mountain I drove through served as a dam for the clouds- it held them back keeping the beauty and the sun squarely ahead of me. At times a strong wind would come and force some of the clouds to spill out of its natural cauldron, falling wistfully down the edge, over me, and disappearing into vapor.

I followed the trail ahead of me. The road was all down hill from this point on, so I turned off my motor and glided silently down the mountain. With the wind rushing and the sun shining, I was a happy man.

I followed the route until I arrived in a small town called Lidao. Lidao is an aboriginal village with some great Bunnan cuisine and some surprisingly famous kimchee. A small remote place, I had no idea that this little village would be the center of a unique coincidence about three hours later.


It wasn't long after this short stop that I arrived at the exit to the Southern Cross-Island highway. I arrived at a junction of sorts, and had to make a decision- should I drive about an hour South and spend the night again in Taidong, therefore having to retrace the route again tomorrow, or should I press North and hope to find a place to stay. The connundrum was answered not by the setting sun, but the reminder that I wanted to have some really tasty dumplings, so I set out for Taidong and my scrumptious dumpling house.

When I arrived in Taidong, I was checked into a very reasonably priced hotel and was shown to my room. When we walked in, my attendant turned on the television to show me I had cable, and he turned it to the Travel and Living channel. In doing so, a travel show was on called Fun Taiwan! and, of all places for the host to be at the moment he turned the TV on was in Lidao, where I was at no more than about three hours earlier.

With that coincidence in mind, I showered and went out to pick up my golden delicious dumplings down the road.

From your West to East coaster in less than a day, Michael.