

December 29, 2023 – Checheng to (Anshuo Tribe)Daren – 53 kms – Lao Fan Home
December 30, 2023 – Daren to Taitung – 65 kms – Home Rest Hotel
Gordon: Yesterday we had an excellent ride from the west to the east coast on Highway 199. After climbing a few hundred metres from the dryer west coast, we cruised through the jungle on a meandering strip of asphalt. For perhaps 20 kms the narrow road had no centreline and practically no traffic. We passed a number of tiny communities in this predominantly indigenous area, but there was nary a Seven-Eleven (the hallmark of Taiwanese civilization) to be found. We saw many troops of monkeys, passed exceedingly loud frog choruses, and swept through clouds of butterflies.
We finished the ride with a screaming descent to a small indigenous community near Daren. Our welcoming host gave us the key to the house and said she wouldn’t be around in the evening because she was attending a community festival. We had noticed preparations at the open walled community centre as we cycled into the town and we later watched the final rehearsal by a children’s group of native dancers.
The low-key festival was part potlatch and part amateur performance night. There was a large pile of stuffed animals that the children selected from using fake money that they had apparently been given. There was another pile of goods that the adults were collecting items from. Most of the entertainment consisted of various groups doing choreographed routines to canned music, but there was also a kids ukelele orchestra, a pair of nervous teens playing guitar, and the native dance group we had previously watched. As the only foreigners in attendance we were welcomed by the MC (at least I think that was what he was saying) and made to feel at home. I love it when we bump into local events of this nature.
Speaking of nature, we woke to some strange noises across the street. It turned out to be a troop of monkeys jumping onto a sheet metal roof from an enormous banyan tree, but while watching them I noticed a small flock of very flashy birds: blue magpies. Ruth had been hoping to see some since we left Taipei. They are the national bird of Taiwan, and while not rare, they are not common. (Our Taiwanese friend Bruce, by way of illustration, has never seen one.) We went out to watch the magpies for a bit, and while I wasn’t able to get a picture, we did see them repeatedly. They have luxurious tails which affect their flight, and when fully flaired in flight they are a remarkable sight. Ruth has been on a high from the experience all day.
We had a couple of food firsts today: trying “sugar apples” (delicious) and stinky tofu (which is pleasant and tastes nothing like it’s sewage smell).








Thanks for sharing your adventure ❣️
Happy New Year🎉🥰🥰