How exciting it is to cycle around the island on foot — but every traveler has to go home eventually.

Text by MOOK Scenic Spots / Mofei | Photos by Charlie & Mark
 
When they arrived at Mark’s home in Nuannuan, Keelung, and had freshened up, Mark’s father served them stir-fried rice specially made for the two of them. Before they could finish eating, Mark’s mother came in with freshly bought fried chicken cutlets and braised snacks. There’s no place like home — the exhaustion from cycling all around Taiwan was comforted at this very moment. They went to bed early, as the journey wasn’t truly over yet. The next day’s goal was to walk from Keelung to Songshan in Taipei.

PART11Keelung Nuannuan - Taipei Jiangzicui
 
After bidding farewell to their parents in the morning, they set off again. From Badu to Qidu to Liudou to Wudu, they were almost driven crazy by the traffic jams. How could the roads they normally drove or biked on feel so unbearable to walk? The blazing sun continued to test them, and their trials weren’t over yet. Along the way, friends — a married couple who were university acquaintances — called and invited them to have pig’s trotter rice together. At the table were also the parents of their friend, who had taken good care of them since high school. After the meal, they decided to stay at their friend’s house that night to rekindle the friendship formed playing cards back in high school.

Early in the morning, as they were getting ready to leave, they realized that if they continued walking back to Jiangzicui on foot, they wouldn’t make it in time for their university friend’s graduation ceremony. Not long after graduating from university, their friend had been diagnosed with leukemia and bravely fought the disease for over a year before ultimately passing away. So, in the end, they decided to take the MRT back to Jiangzicui to complete their 35-day long hiking trip around the island. They then quickly freshened up, dressed up carefully, and went to see their dear university friend for the last time, looking their best.

Q&A
What would you say to those who are still hesitating about hiking around the island on foot?
 
Charlie C
Take that first step, and the world will be at your feet.
 
Mark M
You can have a million excuses to refuse, back out, or hesitate — but you only need one reason to set off.

Route Suggestions
 
● People don’t grow old until regret takes the place of dreams.
 
During Charlie and Mark’s hiking trip around the island, they met countless people and heard many stories. Many of them were no longer young, but they still bravely pursued their dreams. Time is never an excuse to stop us from setting off. In today’s era, so many people are busy chasing money, status, and power, as if without these, they’re destined to be failures. But we’ve all forgotten the so-called “never forget your original intention” — those things we swore to our teachers in class as children about what we’d become in the future. Always remember: people don’t grow old until regret takes the place of dreams.
 
Set off now. Life only happens once — just don’t have any regrets.