The second day of our trip to Taiwan was blue sky with no clouds.
With the advice of our support rider, Sam-san, we applied plenty of sunscreen and were ready to go.

There is a large beach behind the hotel.
Fulong Beach, the oldest beach on the northeastern coast, is also known as the "Golden Beach" because of its beauty.
There is also an arched bridge called ""Saihong Bridge"" which crosses the beach from the Keelung River in front of it.

Every summer, a sand art sculptor is invited to create precise sand art works. On this day, several excavators were in operation and the production was in full swing. By the way, the back of the sand art beach is the sea, and the front is the Shuangxi River. An area sandwiched between the sea and the river.

I heard that there is a bicycle pump, so I stopped by the visitor center next to the hotel.

Check location on map

A maintenance stand is installed next to the entrance of the building, and tools such as air pumps and hex wrenches can be used.
Bicycles can be comfortably hung from the stand to be worked on.

The air conditioner is cool (happy)! Visitors will find a cycling experience corner in the museum where you can virtually enjoy cycling roads in the Fulong area.
As you pedal, the scenery on the screen moves in tandem with your pedaling. "I think that's enough for today's riding!," blurts out Tsucchi.

When you go up to the second floor, there is an exhibition about the marine environment.
There is a section introducing the sand art we had just seen, and a video showing how it is made.

After leaving the visitor center, the “Old Caoling Ring Road” ride starts from Fulong Station and circles the eastern seaside area for about 20km.

There are many types of rental bicycles in front of the station, including tandems and electric bikes. It is said that on weekends, it is crowded with tourists who come by train and enjoy cycling here.

Check location on map

After about 5 minutes ride on a country road from Fulong Station, you will see Mt. Longlong right in front of you. The former Choryong Railway is no longer the railway dug to cross the mountain in front of it.

About 2km from Fulong Station, you will arrive at the iconic entrance to the Old Caoling Bicycle Road, the Old Caoling Tunnel (North Exit).
This is the first bicycle path in Northern Taiwan (length: 2,167m, height: 5.6m).
It was a quiet place with no one around on weekdays, but it seems that this place is crowded with cycling tourists on weekends.

Check location on map

Please note that the opening hours vary depending on the season.

The air inside the tunnel is cool and refreshing.
A railroad track is drawn on the ground

Near the center of the tunnel is a sign marking the boundary between New Taipei City, where Fulong is located, and Yilan.

The south exit of the old Caoling Tunnel (approximately 2km) is paved in blue to mark the cycling road, just like in Japan.

Pacific Ocean in front. The island in the center, Guishan Island, looks like a sea turtle when viewed from a distance.
You can access the island by boat and enjoy a day trekking there.

Ride along the old Caoling circular cycling road that runs parallel to National Highway No. 2.
The road that runs along the coast, the Pacific Ocean right next to it, and the atmosphere of the mountains approaching on the other side are similar to the coastline heading for Muroto Cape when you go around Shikoku .

A group of people in brightly colored ethnic costumes marched in front of the festival, carrying portable shrines. In addition to drums and flutes, even firecrackers are played, making it very lively. According to Sam, this is a festival celebrating the birth of a local god, and he was very lucky to be able to see it.

Take a short break at Taiwan's easternmost Far East Park along the Old Caoling Ring Cycling Road.
There is a monument of "EASTPARK" in the park.

We came back to the area around Fulong Station again. From here, we headed inland to the tourist spot Shifen. Exit National Highway No. 2 and head for the Dai No. 2 Hei Line (equivilant of a prefectural road in Japan), which is a gentle climb. Compared to the national highway, there is less traffic and it is very easy to ride.

After riding about 10km from Fulong we stopped at a town called Shuanxi for a short break.
I bought the famous Taiwanese castella at Sam's recommendation, "Haishan Bakery".
The name of the store does not suggest that they sell Taiwanese sponge cakes.

A sweet scent wafts through the entrance. Inside the store, a large amount of molds for baking castella are piled up.
Local people take turns buying freshly baked castella.
It was quite big, so I asked if there was any cut pieces available, but I was told that it was only sold whole. I decided to buy one and eat it between the three of us.

The freshly baked cake was fluffy and sponge-like. Even if there is no cream or chocolate, the gentle sweetness of the castella itself is just right. Before I bought it, I was scared of the size, but before I knew it, I ate it all up.

After riding about 12km from Shuangxi we arrive at Shifen, a popular tourist spot famous for its sky lanterns.
The train tracks of the Pingxi Line, which is still in use today, run through the streets lined with souvenir shops and restaurants.
If there are no trains, you can even enter the tracks. Since it is a big deal, I walked while pushing the bicycle.

A train really came in on the track I was walking on. A thrilling experience where vehicles pass in front of you without guardrails. I was involuntarily excited by this sight, which I have never seen in Japan.

Try the Taiwanese dessert drink "Lemon Love Ball (Ogyoch)" at the storefront. A hard jelly made from aiyu plant is served with lemon syrup. Vitamin C and refreshing sweetness make it perfect for rehydrating in summer. One cup is 40 yuan (180 yen).

Experience Shifen's famous "Sky Lantern lanch", where you write your wishes on a large lantern and let it fly into the sky. The colorful lanterns are colored according to the category of wishes and visitors order their favorite combination. Tsucchi and I chose four colors (health, money, work, and happiness) for 250 yuan (1,130 yen).

Wishes are written with a brush and ink.
On the red side for luck in health, I wished for improvement of my back pain and Tsucchi wished that his upcoming medical checkup would be worry free.

The finished lanterns are launched into the sky from the middle of the railroad track. It is said that local volunteers collect the used lanterns.

After flying the lantern safely, we had a late lunch at the restaurant "Neishan Chicken Leg Rice" next to the lantern shop.
I had the beef noodle soup, a standard Taiwanese dish.
Despite its appearance, the soup is light.
Contrary to its appearance, the soup is light. The soft noodles are similar to Japanese Ise udon. One cup is 160 yuan (720 yen).

After enjoying sightseeing and lunch, head to Jingtong Station, the last stop on the Pingxi Line.

Drive about 8km from Shifen and arrive at Jingtong Station.
The station building with a wooden tiled roof is Japanese-style architecture. It seems that it was built in 1929 during the Japanese colonial era, and　the atmosphere is somewhat similar to an old Japanese house.

After leaving Jingtong Station and riding about 20km, you will come across a mountain pass that leads into Taipei City.
The steep slope continued for about 3km, and Tsucchi was quickly left behind by Kenta and Sam.

Just a little further to the hotel "PAPERSUN HOTEL" at Shilin Station, the goal. On the way, I went down a mountain pass called Shennan Road, but I was grateful that the road was wide enough for bicycles.
Enter Taipei City and enter the cycling road along the Keelung River. Perhaps because he could see the end of the ride, Sam, the support rider, looked relieved.

Ride the cycling road for about 17km and arrive at the hotel where you left the previous day.
We successfully completed the second day (94km).
I felt like I was staying in Taiwan for about a week even though I only ran the northeast corner area for two days and one night. It was a very intense two days.

The rooms are very bright, spacious and comfortable. The hotel also has a washing machine (with detergent) and a dryer, which are indispensable for bicycle trips.
Bicycles can be left in the lobby.

For dinner, we went to a hotpot shop near the hotel, "Rosenkaku Maara Kiln Hot Pot."
A style where you order and put your favorite ingredients (meat, seafood, vegetables, etc.) in a pot for one person.
One of my favorite Taiwanese dishes that you can eat at your own pace.
Thanks to Mr. Sam's support, we finished our 2-day, 1-night cycling trip in the northeast area as planned without any equipment troubles or injuries.
The bike trip ended on this day. On the third day, I decided to go sightseeing in Taipei until the evening flight, so I left early on that day.