After breakfast at an interesting Starbucks (not an oxymoron), I didn’t stop at any special locations on my ride to Yilan—but the journey was spectacular.
I had breakfast at this Starbucks made of shipping containers.The second-floor’s divided into a dozen different spaces.Some have views of the carpark (and mountains).The areas without windows were also cozy.But the window seats were most popular.I avoided photographing other customers, but in actuality the Starbucks was 50% full when I visited. It’s a clever space.Soon I was riding north. Within the first 30 minutes, I was on a road that went through a cemetery.Then I was back in the mountains. I rode through perhaps a dozen tunnels; some were multiple kilometers long. One was undulating, with gentle curves all the way through. Like real-life Mario Kart. The outside air was cold—maybe 13ºC—but it was pleasant in the tunnels. Maybe 10ºC warmer. I looked forward to each one.The roads often hugged the cliffs. There were continuous safety barriers on the right side, but some looked safer than others.Monkey warning!A minute later, I rounded a corner and saw four monkeys on the road ahead. Three of them jumped away before I got close enough for my dashcam to capture the fourth.A friend told me the road between Hualien and Yilan is his favorite. I agree it’s spectacular, and is probably my favorite as well. Today I thought a lot about how it felt to be on this road, here in Taiwan, at this moment. And how I could not have imagined this scenario as recently as two years ago. The me of January 2022 would not wholly recognize the me of January 2024. In New Zealand I had a good, full life. In Taiwan I have that too, but in more adventurous ways.I met that same friend in Yilan City for dinner. Bobo Pizza claims to be “Maybe The Best Pizza in the Known Universe”.That’s a definite maybe. It was an easy 10.After dinner, we walked around the city center. Opposite Yilan Station, we saw this impressive installation: the flying Yilan Express. A day with monkeys, pizza, and a flying train, is definitely a good day.
