Text by MOOK Scenic Spots’ Mofei Photos by Charlie and Mark
After enduring the mountain roads of Hsinchu and Miaoli, Charlie and Mark finally made it to Fengyuan, Taichung. As the saying goes, when you're out and about, friends are your greatest asset. The next three days were a wonderful recovery period—they stayed at a friend’s place and also caught up with old friends, taking the time to soak in the local culture of central Taiwan.
Charlie’s university senior sister rode her bike all the way from Changhua just to have a meal with them and cheer them on.
PART3 Taichung Fengyuan – Changhua Yongjing
After arriving in Fengyuan, an old university junior gave them a ride home to freshen up. Exhausted, they fell sound asleep right after showering and didn’t wake up until the next day. They then spent the day riding a motorcycle from their junior’s house, enjoying the feeling of having their feet off the ground, and visited all the major attractions in Taichung before their high school friend got off work.
Their high school friend treated them to an immensely satisfying shrimp-catching experience—even though neither of them had ever done it before.
The high school friend suggested they all go skateboarding to the shrimp-catching spot together to better experience the urban vibe of Taichung. He even taught the two shrimp-catching newbies how to catch seven delicious grass shrimp within just two hours. Perhaps shifting from the tough journey on foot to a more relaxed sightseeing pace made their emotions fluctuate more easily than usual. Filled with a sense of accomplishment, they slept peacefully that night.
Setting off early from National Chung Hsing University, they didn’t arrive in Yongjing, Changhua, until dark. A friend came to pick them up by car to cheer them on.
The next day, they met up with their university senior sister and high school classmates, taking turns to have meals with them. They chatted about their journey so far, shared funny stories from their time abroad, and caught up on each other’s lives. After heading back home to get ready, they prepared to move on to Changhua the next day. In the morning, they grabbed breakfast from a café run by an old university junior at National Chung Hsing University, then set off full of energy. They traveled from Daya District in Taichung across the Wu River, through Fenyuan, and arrived in Yuanlin, finally reaching Yongjing, Changhua, close to nine at night. They planned to stay at their high school friend’s place.
The university junior who ran a breakfast shop at National Chung Hsing University and the old university junior who hosted them for two nights.
Q&A
What was the most touching moment you experienced during your island-wide hike?
Charlie C
Gathering with friends—even if they had work, they went out of their way to meet up with us because of us.
Strangers would approach us on the road and offer us rides. We’d actually thought about stopping people ourselves to ask for rides, but doing that is really not easy.
Mark M
One day in Xinying, Tainan, when it was raining and getting dark, a girl drove by and asked if we wanted a ride.
The emerald green rice fields under the sun are the most beautiful scenery in the Taiwanese countryside.
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