The night at the hostel at Fonglin was very quiet and peaceful. I couldn’t make more recommendations for this hostel other than pointing out that the gratification of sleeping in a historic tobacco tower will be long-lasting. I’ve never expected the experience and was very thankful for the referral by the cop at Fonglin police station.
Fonglin is a small town with notable Hakka artifacts. A Hakka Museum (客家文物館) is located at this town to preserve and exhibit many of these relics. I arrived at the museum in the morning and was warmly welcomed by a volunteer docent, a retired high school principal. He walked me through two floors of exhibitions and explained the history of Hakka people in the early struggles of settling a foothold on the east coast of Taiwan. The visit to this museum made my stay in this town a very rewarding experience.
Fonglin has a population of about 14000. Over the years, this small town has produced 86 principals administering schools at various levels in Taiwan. The town is admirably referred to as a School Principals Dream Factory (校長夢工廠). An old residence of the very first of these 86 principals is now a small museum commemorating this distinction. Incidentally, the docent at the Hakka Museum and his father are both retired school principals.
A food-stand near Fonglin Farmers Cooperative (鳳林農會) sells authentic Hakka breakfast. I arrived there late and found they had sold out most of the selections. I got a sticky rice bun with vegetable fillings and a sweet bun.
The sky was filled with dark clouds this morning. The heavy overcast condition would persist for the rest of my journey today.
I continued on Highway 9 going south. In about an hour, I arrived at Guanfu Sugar Factory (光復糖廠). This factory was established in 1921 and it produces sugar using sugar canes harvested from local plantations. Its cafeteria sells ice cream and popsicles that have the aromatic taste of sugar canes. The red bean topping for the ice cream is very sweet and tasty.
Soon after the sugar factory, I ran into two college students on their fourth day of cycling around Taiwan. In order to save money and test their own agility in the face of adversity, they brought camping gears and had slept outdoor for many nights. Here is a picture of one of these two spirited and venturesome students.
In the middle of my chance encounter with these two students, the rain started to come down hard. It continued to rain until I arrived at Yuli. Along Highway 9, there are many tea fields that produce celebrated tea. I am not a tea person so I didn’t pay much attention, but I heard tea from this area is really good.
A sundial on the side of Highway 9 marks the point where Tropic of Cancer crosses the highway. Tropic of Cancer passes through Taiwan and dissects the island into two almost equal northern and southern parts. There are two markers of Tropic of Cancer on the island. This one is on the east coast. A similar one exists on the west coast also.
I arrived at Yuli train station by mid-afternoon. After 15 days of pedaling through many townships and on many highways, I have finally completed the loop of cycling around Taiwan. For this accomplishment, I strangely didn’t feel exhilarating at all when I arrived at the endpoint. Instead, I felt very relieved and just wanted to go home. I boarded a train at this station and got back to Kaohsiung by late evening.
Waiting for a train to arrive, I sat on this same bench 14 days ago. At that time my trip was only ¼ done and I was hopeful and optimistic about the journey. Little did I know that my trip would later be interrupted, and the resumption of the trip amidst the untimely seasonal wind almost killed my determination and enthusiasm.
Now after 1060 kilometers (659 miles) in distance, and 7659 meters (25128 feet) in elevation gain, I have finished what I set out to do. I am filled with gratitude for anyone who has helped me and cheered for me along the way, and for the good fortune of being able to attempt this feat at this stage of my life.
I am very much indebted to my in-law's family for various logistic supports, especially my brother-in-law Oldman 老爺, who generously loaned me his bike for this trip.
The first map shows the full island of Taiwan. My bike ride for the day is from 3 o’clock position to 4 o’clock position. The second map gives a closer view of my ride.
Vertical profile of today’s ride. It has many modest climbs.
Summary of today’s ride.
Summary of the complete journey.
Note 1: Distance is measured in kilometers, elevation gain in meters, speed in kilometers per hour.
Note 2: Calories information is missing twice due to malfunctions of Garmin 500 Cycling GPS.
Statistics of the complete journey
Distance 1060.31 kilometers = 658.85 miles.
Elevation Gain 7659 meters = 25128 feet.
-Joe
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