Day 6 - Goodbye west coast. We are climbing up and moving to the east coast of Taiwan. Started from Taipei five days ago, now we passed the midpoint of this trip and finally we have a hill climb, or in other words, there is a mountain we will climb. So far, the west coast has been super flat and five-day straight tail wind even helped us better. Today, we first climb the mountain which we will reach about 450 meters high from sea level. 

While Taiwan is relatively small(er) island (compared to Honshu in Japan), I can clearly recognize that each region has its own face. When hit the mountain, I almost felt like I was riding through the tunnel of trees and flowers. The first 40 km of the ride today was hill climb. Then after going downhill for 10 km, we reached the east coast, and the Pacific Ocean! From the mountain to another couple moderate hills, today is the most challenging day in this trip.

What is great to be part of the tour is that we had time to celebrate our achievement with each other. After each hill climb, we had a short break where we had high-five, chat, and recharge for the next climb. Naturally we took photos which I also was able to take some great pictures of my new friends. This is never going to happen if I go by myself. 

Compared to the west coast, the east coast is more relaxed and less commercialized where we could meet cats and dogs more often. Dogs in Taiwan are interesting since they are not often leashed. They sleep on the road, walking somewhere, and gazing at us.  At the final stop, we found cute cats which many of us took their pictures. Thanks for entertaining us, kitties!