Xingeng – Taipei - 65 km ^51
The rain-streaked windows warned of another unpleasant day. Luckily, Taipei wasn’t
far, and cycling into Taipei I was thrilled to find a bed at Taipei Hostel. Though small,
I needed nothing more and stood under the hot shower for ages. The hostel had an
especially convenient location close to the central train station and a short hop to
practically anywhere.
Taipei
A ferry from Taiwan to mainland China made it a no-brainer where to go next. The
problem was obtaining a Chinese visa. Taiwan and China weren’t the best of friends,
resulting in no Chinese embassy in Taiwan. The day turned out a total waste as
absolutely zero got done. The office organising Chinese visas wasn’t indicated on the
map, and Giant Bicycles was not behind the train station as expected. The hostel’s
helpful staff helped locate the visa office and suggested a more convenient bike
shop.
The following day, the visa office was located close by and within easy walking
distance from the hostel. ST International Travel Service (www.sttvisa.com) made it
extremely easy and took care of everything. They had been in business for the past
20 years and knew the procedures well. It took five days as passports were sent to
Hong Kong. It wasn’t a big deal as a whole bunch of things remained to be done in
Taipei and I had plenty to keep me occupied.
A bike shop was situated four blocks from the hostel, and the friendly owners gave
the bicycle a good overall.
Unfortunately, the ferry operating between Taiwan and Mainland China (Xiamen)
departed from Taichung on a Wednesday and Keelung on a Sunday. The choice was
thus to take a bus to Taichung or wait five days to catch the Keelung ferry. So, after
collecting the bicycle from the bike shop, I continued to the camera shop to clean the
camera.