Bunny Chows in Taipei @ Toast Bar and Bistro

A friend of ours from Church recently opened a wonderful new eclectic restaurant in Taipei called the Toast Bar and Bistro. Last night (18 August 2012) us, some friends, Queenie's Mom and our niece Charlene went for a delicious meal there. The food there is truly awesome. But for me, the really special part, was the chance to have an incredible Bunny Chow in Taipei for the first time in 14 years. Don't know what a Bunny Chow is? See the picture below!

Could this be Taipei's first ever Bunny Chow?

Cycling in Taiwan

Taiwan is fast becoming a cycling mecca with people coming from all over the world to cycle in and around the country. As an increasingly avid cyclist myself I am starting to do longer and longer rides. The articles below are a list of all the different blogs I have done on my cycling trips in Taiwan. As you can see, they get progressively longer with time. Some of the best rides I have done are certainly circumnavigating Taiwan and also the two day East Rift Valley. I recently bought a Garmin 800 so all articles on cycling in 2012 include GPS maps that show the route more clearly.

Cycling the Twin Peaks in Taipei

Last Saturday (11 August 2012) I had the chance to go for a bike ride. Nathan Miller suggested a route that was about 120km in distance and would see me ascend approximately 1,500m in a single day. I was kind of looking forward to the ride but would cut out about 40km from the ride. I was mostly interested in climbing the mountains than riding the flats. Nathan's route recommended I ride over the mountain to Wanli (萬里) on the North Coast in Taiwan. Then head to Sanzhi (三芝) and climb over Yangmingshan and back into Taipei. I decided to climb Yangmingshan from Jingshan (金山) instead that would cut a couple of kilometers off the route. Still was a great ride. The climb over Yangmingshan would be the reverse trip from when I previously climbed Yangmingshan.

Cycling Taiwan's East Rift Valley (花東縱谷)

Taiwan's East Rift Valley (花東縱谷) stretches from Taidong all the way up to Hualien. After spending a weekend in Taitung with Queenie and some other friends, I decided to cycle through the rift valley all the way up to Hualien. It was an awesome experience and the one thing I will always remember is the tremendous sky above the valley in the late evening of the first day. It was a great 180km ride and a worthwhile experience. It is also an alternate route from Taitung to Hualien on any circumnavigation of Taiwan.

Sunset Over Chihshang (池上)