The Sweet Spot

Reluctantly riding out of Taroko Gorge we were taking photos and slightly lamenting not trying to ride to the 3000m pass (the highest driveable rode in Asia) but knowing deep down that the misery of attempting this on a 20inch wheeled bike is almost certain torture.  We soon cheered knowing that the best of the best was immentently in front of us.  Hualien to Taitung is well know to be biking paradise.  A more than 200km section of roads that wind through hills, along coastline, in and out of villages and all with good bike lanes and drivers well aware that you, and thousands of other cyclists, are present.  

We rode through road with shrines for relatives who had passed.

  

On a bike-only trail on the coast.  Alas, there were ome stairs too.

The easy ride to Haulien was a pleasure.  We decided too treat ourselves to a hostel, hot shower and delicious night market food and the manageable sized and friendly city of Haulien was the best choice.  We checked-in, showered and went walking in search of the street food we have grown to love.  Nothing much happed in our time in Haulien.  Most tourists use this town as a base from which to visit Taroko and other surrounding sights but as we had just came out of the park and passed or will pass most of the aforementioned sights (a perk of cycle touring) we spent a large chunk of our time eating, reading, and sleeping.  Not able to be more content we did venture out at night to the wonderful Night Markets that are part of normal Taiwanese life.  The food is always cheap, fresh and unique and we love sampling the local delicacies.  

   

Eating a bunch of veg and stinky tofu, a Taiwanese delicacy that smells like your grandpa's socks but tastes pretty good.

   

A stall selling all kinds of skewers you can have bar-b-qued, Bruce in heaven with a pork-stuffed french toast, a milk tea, and a fruit-I-can't remember-the-name-of milk.

After two restful days we staarted south again and zig-zagged our way from one road to the other across the less formidable but still challenging coastal range mountains of Eastern Taiwan.  Avoiding the main roads whenever possible we chose the local village roads which were more rolling hills but with almost no motor vehicle traffic.  At the end of the day we landed at dark at another coastal park camping ground in a village diffficult to pronounce without a smirk and snicker- Shihtiping, that we read about in the Lonely Planet book.  Everything was great- covered platforms on which to set up your tent only meters from the picturesque shore, hot water showers, and only a few other campers with which to share the accomodations.   Unfortunately we found out in the morning that the price was 3X that quoted in the book.  Not a trip ending dilemma but still a shock and slightly bitter pill to swallow.  Still half the price or less of what it would cost in the States we decided to stay and rest another day as we found out that our friend (and warmshowers host, Spanish Aaron) from Japan was coming to do a short tour in Taiwan and wanted to meet up a bit south of our location so we needed to kill some time awaiting his arrival.  

  

Scenery on the way to Shihtipeng,

  

The view from the campground, the platform we camped on, and crater-like rocky beach down the road.

We ate at a local aboriginal food at a cafe run by a wild haired and slightly crazy-eyed native island woman and slept well listening to the sounds of the waves against the rocks on shore.   The next morning we stretched our bodies, something that was long overdue, while looking over the waves (the kind of staff that would make Rodney Yee jealous) and walked arround the little park playing in the tidal pools and enjoying the peace.  We tried to go eat at a local seafood restaurant that we read about in the very tiny village but in true Taiwanese fashion they we inexplicably closed at a normal eating time.  We have started to get used to this phenomenon in Taiwan.  It has similarities to places we have visited in Central America in the past, where 'Hours of Operation' are more of a rough outline of what 'might be' and not what should be expected.  

Hitting the road early the next morning we continued south toward our rendevous point of Dulan but not exactly in a straight line.  This time on coastal Hwy 11 and again crossing the coastal range inland.  We made great time and even had time to search out one of the locally famous destinations, the hot spring hotels where for a few bucks you get to soak and relax in a private hot spring fed tub.  Needless to say ut wasn't easy to get back on the bikes but we were close to a town where we would eat and spend the night.  Little did we know that this simple task would end up being quite so powerful.

Taroko Gorge

When I had read the Lonely Planet and started doing research about cycling through Taiwan, the Taroko Gorge came up again and again as an unbelievably beautiful national park, replete with high peaks, good camping, and touring granite walls.  We rode to the gorge in the waning light, almost giving up the idea of heading to the campground about eight miles beyond the entrance to the park, instead staying somewhere in the small tourist trap of a town that sits at the base of the park.  We had already spent the day gaining and losing elevation on windy roads with small shoulders and multiple narrow tunnels accompanied by innumerable trucks and large tour busses carrying the Chinese tourists that were the mainstay of Taiwan's east coast landscape.

  

Riding up to the Gorge, cliffs leading to the ocean on the other side.

  It had started to rain a bit before we had reached the entrance, which combined with the waning light caused us a bit of concern about getting to the camp.  We ended up riding through to the campground and when we arrived at our destination we were glad.  The campground was small, maybe 15 large platforms, each having a picninc table and a bbq area.  There were bathrooms with showers AND we were perched along a steep river valley in a serene part of the park, quiet and with water rushing down below and a waterfall within view.  All of this for NT $200, which is insanely cheap (about $6 USD).  Even though it was a Saturday the campground wasn't full, and the next morning all our neighbors packed up and left, leaving us the main area of the campground all to ourselves.  It blew Bruce and I away that such a lovely tranquil campground could be found in a major national park so cheap and all to our selves.

  

We spent the next few days riding further into the park, exploring some some of the trails, one of crept down a steep and partially washed out staircase along a stone wall of the gorge into natural hotsprings.  They were so beautiful, and blazing hot.  We were only able to dip our feet in for the first ten minutes or so but we eventually were able to sit and immerse our tired, road weary legs.  There was a flurry of older tourists in the pools with us.  Some agreed that the heat was unbearable but a few submerged themselves completely to the awe and cheers of fellow bathers.   It was impressive but it appeared that he might be a regular bather carrying with him a whole basket of provisions for the long periods he spends immersing his body in the cauldron of near boiling subterranean liquid.

   

    

Many people cycle from one end of the gorge to the other, on a winding, switch-backed roads topping out at a little over 3000 meters, or around 10,000 feet.  I had been considering this climb before we set out on this trip.  The largest climb Bruce and I had done to this point was Washington Pass in the North Cascades National Park, which tops out at 5,600 feet and I believe in the range of 27 road miles of climbing.  My mind flipped back and forth between wanting attempt the climb and feeling like it might be unrealistic.  Instead, we opted to ride about 1/3 of the road, but this allowed us to explore some of the trails, to keep our gear at the campground, cook delicious meals, and also feel like we could relax a bit.  Maybe I'll eventually be disappointed that we didn't do the whole climb, but I feel like we've already done some good climbing coupled with some slower, languid days that allow us to enjoy all that this amazing country has to offer.  As we ended our time in Taroko, I firmly believe that it is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen and and was an experience of a lifetime.

The Food, the Friends and the Father

On our way into the town of Yuli we came across another cycle tourer, a solo rider from Singapore who spoke almost perfect English and seemed interested in talking with other riders.  We told him our plans to get a meal and he started asking the locals where the local noodle shops were located.  This started what became a culinary tour of this litttle town- delicious noodles, a local dish they call 'meatball' but is more like meat inside chewy, gelatinous cover (very tasty),  shaved ice bowls with chopped fruit or sweet beans, fresh squeezed fruit juices and the malodorous but rather tasty 'stinky' tofu.  Stuffed to capacity (a rarity on a bike tour) and dark approaching we went to the local police to ask about camping or the like and were directed to the local catholic church.  Here we met the nicest and most welcoming French priest that offered us to sleep in an extra room out of the onsetting rains.  The next morning, Keith struck out at sunrise to head north and back to Taipei while we, in true 'Crack of Noon' style made coffee and slowly packed our things. 

     

With Keith eatiing dinner, desert, and at our fancy church digs.

As we were about to leave the Father came down and invited us to share morning prayer and breakfast that he serves to the local needy.  We met the most interesting group of people, literally of all shapes and sizes.  

We also met a young French man that was an intern of the priest that filled us in on the happenings.  Turned out the Father had been in Taiwan for many decades and had spent much of his time serving the desperately underserved indigenous peoples of Taiwan.  Many of the people milling about, he explained, were from various 'tribes' from the mountains of Taiwan and spoke totally unique languages aloong with Chinese.  The Father was able to communicate with most of them in their native tongues and seemed to know each personally.  We later come to find out that this priest is famous all throughout Taiwan and was given an award from the president for his work with the indigenous people.  After our food and a small chat about our journey we said our good-byes and the Father left in a truck on what was sure to be another long day of service to his 'Flock'.  It was redily apparent that this man's life and work were meaningful on a level that is hard to quantify and his presence,  even in our short time was impossible to ignore and not feeel blessed for having met this man.  Moved to tears and feeling reaally thankful for thier hospitality, Chiara and I rode away from this chance interaction and, as it seems to be in Taiwan, straight into another odd and wonderful experience.  

In front of the church with the father and his intern.

While making our way out of the town we "picked up" a young, local fellow cyclist.  He didn't speak more than 5 words of English but seemed  determined to ride wherever we were headed and communicate by whatever means necessary.  This led to a day of pantomiming, picture drawing and language lessons where we were given a tour of the local area- beautiful terraced rice fields, a delicious (and famous) Bento restaurant and hillside parks.   We rarely had had spent such day of superfulous activities.  It reminded us what the true purpose of our time was, not just a list of destinations, mileage counting and box ticking but a journey of human interactions, exploration of a people and their lives.  We are very greatful for meeting our new friend "Monkey" and will never forget him.

  

Bruce and I being arty and with our buddy Monkey.

Obviously not making it too far on this day we camped again in a mostly deserted campground at a welcome center.  Only one other family was there and with the help of their precocoius little boy we soon became friendly.   They gave us a delicious local dessert, pineapple filled 'Coffin Cakes' and we spent the morning watching their baseball phenom 4 year-old hitting pitch after pitch from his father well over his head.  We would not be too surprised to see this kids name on the back of a professional jersey in 15 years time.

Like so many people in Taiwan the family waas exceptionally warm and welcoming and even invited us to come and stay with them in Hulien where they lived.  Lamenting a bit that we had come from the direction already and would not be able to take them up on their offer we said our good-byes and hit the road south oone more time to meet our buddy in Dulan.

You Gotta Take the Bad with the Good

Cycling out of Taipei: the North Coast

Whoa! Our exit from Taipei was a complete 180 from our entrance. Mitchell pointed out that there was a bike specific path one block from his apartment ( how did we miss that?!?). That path led us to the Taipei cycle and pedestrian dedicated paths that led us not only out of the city, but to the north coast of Taiwan. The ride consisted of many conversations such as: Chiara (sarcastically): 'This is terrible.' and  Bruce (sarcastically) 'I know, Taiwan is terrible. How are we ever going to survive this?' And every turn seemed to just become more surreal and postcardesque.  We rode for 40km with scarcely a motor vehicle near us and exited the city joining the coastline Rt 2 route around the northern aspect of the island.  The day was building up to be the best of the tour thus far with small seaside villages, quiet roads, beautiful sunny weather and two happy riders.  

   

That was until the route took a left turn....literally a left fork in the road that I didn't see and Chiara did, though she was a bit behind me and didn't see where I went and that's where the cautionary tale begins.  Though we had planned for such an event of losing each other our contingency somehow failed and as did our always patchy WiFi we have ben relying on for any email, text etc.  Jump forward 2 hours and you have two riders, on the same road 20km apart and no idea which one is in front of the other.  Flash forward 4 hours and after a bit of hard to decipher text messages and an assurance that both were on the right track you have two riders almost 60 km apart in the dark, hungry, confused and exhausted.  Turns out the place we were both trying to find, Jiufen has an "Old Street"  as do many other towns that have names that also start with "J" and on maps are hard to find because they are so small.  Now you may be beginning to understand what this all adds up to...a day that started like a fairytale and ended in FUBAR.  With nothing left to do but go to sleep in our respective locations and fight a new battle in the morning we resigned ourselves to our fates.  Chiara went to the local police station and found the most sympathetic, concerned and helpful public servants since we were in Japan and misplaced her wallet.  They found a hotel for her across from the station and made sure she had her phone charged and that she knew where she would need to go the next day.  Bruce managed to find the place we were staying but all the amenities had been long since shut for the day.  

The picture Bruce sent to show me the home stay.

Luckily the intended guesthouse was very lax in their idea of "closing for the night" and I found a friendly bunch of Austrian travelers outside that helped me find some WiFi (so I was able to find out that Chiara was indeed safe and tucked in for the night) and that there was an empty space in the house that I could lay my head for a few hours.

  A big shout out to Sebastian, Max and Anna...hopefully we can take them up on their offer to come and visit them on our way back to the States.  The next day Chiara was up at the crack of 6 and she blazed through the mountains, through steep winding roads on her way to rendevous in the quaint old mining town that was intended goal the day before.  The drama of the evening wore away as we made our way to the guesthouse deciding to enjoy a full day together in the little hillside town, eating and gawking at the busloads of tourists that poured into the impossibly small "Old Street".  The views were amazing from the streets but in the daylight we appreciated the strange little homestay with the windowless room we rented that was built into the hillside, a much cheaper and mustier option than the other rooms.  However this came with added bonuses of a dark quiet night sleep and movie channels with English langauge films! You know that things have gone a bit askew when your laying awake into the wee hours watching Night at the Museum 2 and actually enjoying yourself.   We headed back out towards the coast and the famed Taroko Gorge, with a better plan in case we lost each other again and a desire to stay a little closer together when we cycle.

A view from thet homestay.

Narrow little streets on Jishan Old Street.

Evening lights and clouds.  A beautiful sunset.

All the tea in Taiwan

Less than one week into our time on the island nation of Taiwan and we both unequivocally feel that this will be one of the high water marks of our tour.  So far we are finding great street food, low cost, friendliness, great weather, demonstrative locals and just the right hint of organized chaos giving Taiwan a leg up in winning over our hearts as the place of which we want to explore every nook and cranny. 

Taiwan has a very interesting history, it's was called Isla Formosa (beautiful island) by Portuguese conquerors and throughout it's history has the effects of multiple different cultures, including Japan which ruled it for multiple generations and more recently, China, with which Taiwan continues to have a push-pull relationship and which refuses to recognize Taiwan as a sovereign nation. The west side of the island is the side that is more inhabited, where most of the popluation lives and works while the central and east sides are mountainous playgrounds, with 4 peaks over 10,000 feet and multiple national park areas including the beautiful sounding Taroko Gorge area, and indigenous towns and villages with their own cultures, customs, and foods. Taiwan has something like 14 indigenous tribes.   Most have been integrated into present day society, but still live in and around the mountainous areas of central and eastern Taiwan.

Now a bit about how we got here...

You can barely see bruce riding into the airport terminal here.

  Our 5:30 am flight from Tokyo turned out to be NOT the worst choice after all was said and done.  Being that we needed to be at the airport at 3:30 AM for check-in anyway we decided to forgo our last nigh's stay and just ride to the airport, slowly, and arrive around 10pm to sleep and await our flight in the terminal.  Turns out this is more the norm than not as when we arrived already most of the benches were taken with lounging travelers awaiting their morning departures.  We found a little spot, nestled ourselves down and tried to catch a few ZZZ's.  This all went fine and the check-in, boarding and flight went off wthout a hitch.  We arrived extremely tired, and having gained another hour on the clocks (one that we were not expecting). We thought all had gone well with the bikes this leg also until we uncovered Chiara's bike to find that it had apparently fallen off the turnstyle and the front chainring had been bent (note: Tern does not recommend using their carry-on bike bags for air travel, they  recommend boxing the bikes.  We are certainly starting to understand why but continue to struggle with the extra labor involved in this versus our relative ease off riding to the airports and packing on-site.  We are presently evaluating our options for our next few flights).

Luckily light gauge aluminum is easily bent and we were able to get it back into working order for the ride to town, which turned out to be 40 km of traffic, noise, diesel fumes and hopes that the rest of Taiwan would be better.  Turns out there is one thing that this otherwise bike friendly nation has not put into place and that is a good way to get from their international airport to Taipei City.   Not too shocking as most cities don't have a great way to ride to the airport but we have been spoiled by places like our own PDX airport and  the Seoul Incheon airport which have devoted bikeways leading straight to the terminals. Surprisingly though, there are no trains or alternate modes of transit only taxis and buses.  Regardless, I (Chiara) found it exciting to be back on the roads with a little more stimulation.  Motor bikes are the main mode of transport here, which it does not tke long to accertain, and there is generally a lane devoted for them to use.  This system often breaks down however as cars use them to park.  It ends up being a gauntlet of cars, buses, motorbikes, bicycles, parked cars, and pedestrians weaving in and out in a way that doesn't feel  awful or dangerous, more that one needs to  be on their toes and pay close attention to what is happening in front of them at all times, which is bit of a change from Japan and their almost-sedate driving conditions.  

Finally made it to the bike path.

Riding into Taipei City we started to feel excited about spending some time exploring.  It is a very, very dense city, and with apartments above businesses, and the streets teeming with activity, people eating, shopping, and selling.  The delicious smell of food came at us from every corner, as much of it is cooked in open-air stalls on the street with tables in the rear at which to sit and eat.  And the food choices abound as Taiwan is know for it's cuisine.  Due to it's beforementioned history of imperial rule food influences vary as much as the faces on the street.  Beef noodle, pineapple cakes, steam buns, meats, veg, fish, teas, coffee all readily available, cheap and delicious.  

The first place that we arrived to when we got into Taipei City was the offices of one of our supporters Tern bicycles. We had been corresponding with some of the folks that work there for the last few months.  We were so excited to meet eveyone face to face and be able to express how happy that we have been with ourr choice of mounts.

Now that we have had enough time on our bicycles in order to really get to know them and their idiosyncrysis we are learning to appreciate their versality, ruggedness and usefulness.  Other than the gearing issues I have faced from the beginning of the trip due to a bent deraileur at the hands of luggage handlers on our initial flight, we have been very content with our choice.  Side note: After 2 months we fiinally resolved the issue with the airline for the baggage issue and were compensated for our troubles so don't be afraid to utilize the customer hotline if you have any flight problems in the future.  

Parts are the one thing that have been the hardest to appropriate.  Surprising since most of the parts and the bikes themselves come from this part of the world, ie. Taiwan, China, Vietnam.  But thus far, al least in Japan and Korea, we have had no luck walking into a shop, even one that is a Tern dealer, and buying replacement parts off the shelf.  Attempts to buy fairly basic parts like the before-mentioned bent deraileur hanger to the kickstand boot end that both Chiara and I have unfortunately broken while moving the bikes off the exceptionally high curbs we have encountered, have been met with blank stares or sheepish smiles and shakes of the head.  We are lucky, however, to be in contact with the very supportive and helpful people at Tern who have been trying to help us find the parts we need even going as far as to send them to us when we have places to get mail.  Here is another aside about post.  If you want to have something sent ahead but you are camping like us or just don't know your destinations you can use a General Delivery type service that will send the package to the main post office in the intended city and will usually hold it for about one month.  It is best to have the shipping number as we discovered as when we first tried this without the number and we just gave our names we were met with dumbfounded looks of "seroiusly, do you have any idea how many packages we get coming through this post office?!"  All our woes were soon forgotten  as when we arrived at Tern they greeted us like old friends, asking us questions about our journey, taking photos of the bikes, offering us tea, and most importantly fixing up the bikes foor us so they were running like new.  We can't thank Amanda, Gale, Eric, Kara and all the other peoople we met at Tern enough for their hospitality and help.  We can honestly say that touring with these bikes was a great choice.

Wait...wrong bike!

Much better! That's my bike!

We left the Tern offices renewed to meet our Warmshowers host, Mitchell and his girlfriend Lynn.  So gracious, open and welcoming that we were almost a bit taken aback and unsure if maybe all his hospitality was the result of a slight language barrier.  It, however turned out that this is just the way of the Taiwanese people, warm, welcoming, happy, and inquisitive.  We ended up staying more time than we usually do at a host (it is our unwritten rule to not take advantage of the hosts and limit ourselves to 2 night) but with some impending rain and desire to take in more of great activity of the city we spent 4 nights.  We also were treated to the most amazing traditional foods of the Hakka people of Taiwan by our hosts that included a wild chicken soaked in liquor and medicinal herbs and cooked.  This, it turns out, is a truly rare meal even for locals and we felt blessed to have been treated so well by our hosts.

Mitchell and Lynn, and deeeeeeelicious food.

Japan in a nutshell...and what a tough one to crack

Hip-hip....hooray!  Or is it AWWWW...however you want to embrace the end of the Japanese leg of our tour in Asia we certainly can say it will be memorable.  I mean, you don't  quickly forget some of the most stiffling, mind bending heat and humidity of your life or that you just happened to arrive at the site of the world's first atomic bombing on the 70th anniversary memorial (without accomadation...not recommended btw), or wonderfully welcoming new friends we made...be it the exceptionally friendly 7-11 clerks, the team of police that jumped into action to find Chiara's wallet and passport when she left it behind, or to our lovely hosts Jun and Bee in Yadoriki who made it a challenge to want to get back onto our bikes.

From the start Japan felt different from our first stop, Korea.  Gone was the loud traffic, construction cranes, honking taxi drivers and selfie-sticks. The southern part of Japan ,where we started our tour, was full of tranquil beach towns,  courteous drivers, and curious friendly locals, many on their usual August family vacation.  We want to say here that we HIGHLY recommend not touring Japan in August, or if you do go north to Hokkaido.  For our timeline it worked out that Japan was our second country to visit, less we wanted to hop and skip all over the contintent.  But looking at pictures, talking to locals and just expereincing the heat and crowds that come along with the traditional holiday/family vacation season we encourage everyone to organize your tour in Spring or Fall (Just our 2-cents).  

As far as the vibe I think we agree that Japan is nothing like its nearest neighbor, South Korea.  The 30 year economic stagnation and the strong ties to and unquestioning faith in tradition make for a place that at times seems stuck in a period in the past.  Other than Tokyo and parts of other cities like Osaka where nightlife, music and energy abound, the rest of Japan is quiet, with fewer young people, dying elders, disappearing villages and vacant homes that one gets the feeling may never again be inhabited.  In both countries we had some interesting conversations about the future.  What the decline in birth rate means for South Korea and Japan and what is being done to curb the potential deleterious effects of a population consisting of mostly elder folks supported by the meager number of younger nationals.

Things we loved about Japan:

-courteous drivers and well kept roads

-convenience stores with totally acceptable coffee, free wifi and no limit on loitering

-THE FOOD

-umami

-safety and politeness abounds

In fact, while we pedaled our way around Tokyo lazily making our way to Henada International for our early morning departure flight we talked at length about how we felt about Japan.  After more than 4 weeks and 1600km we couldn't come up with much that was unpleasant except the heat/humidity and the cost.  Of which the former is our own fault choosing to tour Japan at the hottest time of year and knowing it would be trying at times.  The latter is a fact that is well known amongst most people coming to visit but it really hits home at the times you are trying to find a cheap place to spend the night and you are charged not per room or campsite, but per person using the shared space.  Or when you go to buy a piece of fruit at the store and an apple costs $2.50 and a red pepper cost $1.50 and the result is you eating large quantities of rice and noodles to fill the gaping pit where your stomach once stood.  

Japan, ultimately, treated us well excepting these small inconveniences.  We, however, found ourselves slightly wanting for interpersonal interactions.  Except a few gracious and warm hosts the people were so reserved and stoic that the rare moments of levity and lightness felt almost out of place.  Japan abounds as a place of beauty, culture and history but when you are people that feed off the life energy of your host country it, at times leaves you feeling as though the wind has been pulled from you sails.

A brief foray into Tokyo

Tokyo has maybe more build up than any city I can  think of.  It is a city that I relate with it's pop-culture references, it's famous fashion and subcultures, its electronics.  I had rented a small apartment in a quieter part of the city, which we were very happy to poke around in.  On that note, we had a pretty chill time in Tokyo in general.  The thing about riding through a country and seeing so much is that for Bruce and I, by the time we get into a city we don't feel a huge need to see all the sights.  So we wandered  around some different parts of Tokyo, saw some of the sights, and got a very small experience in the giantic city that was the end-cap of our Japan journey.  Tokyo, at least the parts that we saw, struck me as a very clean and orderly city, with  visual interest all over  the place, teeming with young professionals in starched white shirts.  It is very cool, but also very expensive, so we were limited in what we were able to experience in Tokyo.

Bruce riding into Tokyo, Ginza area.

The best tako-yaki ever! (little douggh balls with octopus inside).

The busiest crossing in Tokyo, Shibuya area.

A Cute little area named Setagawa-Kitazawa, narrow streets with lots of second-hands stores and cafes.  I bought asuper yellow checked shirt from the 70's to cycle in.

      

Big crowds and colorful shops in Harajuku

Gorgeous brewing museum and tasting room at Yebisu brewery.

Huge tori lead to a beautiful temple nestled in a park.  One can almost forget they are in the city.

Next up.... Taiwan!