Hualien

THAT TIME I SOLD ALSATIAN CHRISTMAS COOKIES IN A TAIWANESE MARKET

THAT TIME I SOLD ALSATIAN CHRISTMAS COOKIES IN A TAIWANESE MARKET

Even when I was living in my tiny studio apartment in Strasbourg with a mini oven, I was still following this vernacular tradition even though I had to spend my days off baking, batch after batch, so I could have my little cookies to eat with my tea during those long Alsatians winter evenings. I’m so attached to this tradition that I couldn’t help but bring it with me in both New-Zealand and Taiwan! As a matter of fact, I’m always travelling with cinnamon just in case I’d like to bake something tasty for my hosts or travel companions.

CYCLING TAIWAN'S EAST COAST : THE STORY OF AN UNLIKELY CYCLIST

CYCLING TAIWAN'S EAST COAST : THE STORY OF AN UNLIKELY CYCLIST

Moi, là-dedans, je m’amusais de plus en plus avec mon vélo Hello Kitty à Hualien, avec cette idée de tour de Taiwan qui me démangeait de plus en plus. Il faut avouer que ça me faisait flipper, de partir sur les routes à vélo comme ça pendant plusieurs semaines : j’ai même jamais fait de randonnée de plus de 4 jours ! Alors j’ai trouvé un compromis avec moi-même : j’allais pédaler la côte Est de Taiwan. De Taitung à Hualien.

GETTING READY FOR A CYCLING TRIP IN TAIWAN : TIPS FOR BEGINNERS FROM A NEWBIE CYCLIST

GETTING READY FOR A CYCLING TRIP IN TAIWAN : TIPS FOR BEGINNERS FROM A NEWBIE CYCLIST

When you decide to go on a bicycle travel trip, for a long period of time or not, you kind of face the same old fears that when you decided to go backpacking for the first time… ‘How do I pack my bag in a smart way’, ‘which itinerary should I follow’, ‘which gear should I buy’, ‘how could I avoid selling my kidneys to replenish my bank account’, and the same old ‘how do I stay alive while travelling the world?’ (yeah, I did ask myself that one more than once), in other words how to achieve your traveling goals, and in that case, on a bicycle…?

WHY YOU SHOULD START TALKING TO STRANGERS #6 - WORLD INN IN HUALIEN

WHY YOU SHOULD START TALKING TO STRANGERS #6 - WORLD INN IN HUALIEN

Like a family, we took care of each other. We cooked together after our shift. Emma used to help me to separate the white and the yolk to bake chocolate mousses. Vincent helped me getting train tickets out of the Family Mart’s vending machine where everything was written in Chinese. I used to go swimming with Emma at Our Beach. I used to sleep with Vincent at the 7/11 convenient store before watching some hot air balloons in Luye.