At a glance
The Sixglobetruckers left Japan and set course for Taiwan.\ Let's discover the rest of their adventures... without the truck!
The Sixglobetruckers left Japan and set course for Taiwan.
Let's discover the rest of their adventures... without the truck!
Heading to Taiwan
We left you with our truck in Osaka, from where we flew to Taiwan to meet the friend of a journalist friend we'd just met in Tokyo. So it was Michel, our host, who welcomed us at Kaohsiung airport in the south of the island for this leg of the journey — without our vehicle! Besides being a necessity, we also wanted to try this different way of travelling, "backpacker style", which is what awaited us for almost a month.
As soon as we stepped out of the airport, we felt the warm wind and took off the jumpers we'd still needed that morning to protect us from a freezing wind. We found lush vegetation, palm trees, banana trees, women in the rice paddies, brightly coloured temples, open-fronted houses, less-than-perfect pavements, lots of people outside, mopeds, the smell of basil in the air, butterflies flying everywhere!
Back to comfort and "luxury"
After ten months of travelling, arriving at a house with running water, electricity, a bathtub, real beds, an entire library of French comic books and a piano felt like the height of comfort! We instantly relearned how to make use of all the space on offer! We were planning to settle in for a while to recharge our batteries before hitting the road again. After spending so long sightseeing, and especially after four months of winter, we were happy to have the chance to "do nothing" in the warmth for a few days. So we started by getting to know our host, then gradually ventured out to explore our immediate surroundings. Then, after 15 days, we once again felt the urge to discover the rest of the island. Michel had already lent us his house, his bed, his dog, a SIM card, and now he was offering us his car to tour the island! So it was in a vehicle inversely proportional in size to our own that we set off on the road south.
The truck has its advantages
Nicolas rediscovered the manoeuvrability of a small car, being able to go anywhere, even through the narrow streets of tiny villages, without worrying about the height of overhead power lines! This is definitely a point in favour of this way of travelling... But in the evening we had to go hunting for a hotel and restaurants, not always easy to find at reasonable prices without ending up in a dive. We often spotted the "perfect spot" and thought... Ah, with the truck, this would be great! It's hard to shake off old habits... And all those bags to pack and unpack every day... Not to mention the kids squabbling, crammed too close together in the back, unable to do their homework while we drive to keep themselves busy! No, travelling by truck really does have its perks!
Discovering Taiwan
Taiwan amazed us. A relatively little-known country in South-East Asia where European tourism isn't yet obvious, many places are still untouched by the sole pursuit of making money. We fell in love with Kenting National Park and its impressive banyan trees, the east coast whipped by winds crashing against steep cliffs, the marble gorges of Taroko, mining towns clinging to the mountains such as Jiufen, decorated with red lanterns, the treasures of the Chinese Forbidden City, almost all housed in the Taipei museum, the colonial towns of Lukang and Tainan on the west coast, where you could easily film a movie set in another era, and finally the contemporary art scene of Pier2 in Kaohsiung, where artists have taken over the old port warehouses. Having been in a seismic zone for almost three months, it was during this tour that we felt, late one evening, our first earthquake (magnitude 6!) and its five aftershocks! Our small hotel was newly built to code, and we were only on the first floor. Luckily nothing fell, but as a precaution we still moved the children away from the windows every time.
What's also fascinating is discovering that the island is still home to sixteen aboriginal tribes who already lived in Taiwan before the Dutch, Portuguese, Chinese, and later Japanese invasions. Each has kept its own culture, expressed through languages, rites, dances, dress, tattoos, and other markers of identity displayed on the totems that mark the entrance to their community. Michel introduced us to his Paiwan friends, with whom he's been close for decades and currently works. Thanks to such good company, we were lucky enough to access the ancestral village, for which a special permit is normally required; we were invited into people's homes, and the day before we left, we were invited to a wedding! Our eyes feasted on the sight: everyone wore traditional dress, and twelve dishes were served in succession around the newlyweds before the long ritual dance began. Unforgettable.
It was with these images still in our minds that we headed back to the airport, leaving Michel and the Paiwan behind, hoping to stay in touch.
Macao: a different atmosphere
Arriving in Macao, a completely different atmosphere awaited us... that of the Palaces casting their lights over the city, hoping to attract the billions of Patacas spent by Chinese tourists! And they manage it easily, since turnover there is seven times that of Las Vegas! Past this mushrooming district surrounding the airport, you reach Portuguese Macao. A dense city, narrow streets following the curves of the hills, tall buildings, restaurants serving Bacalhau and Pastéis de Nata sitting alongside traditional Chinese medicine pharmacies displaying dried shark fins and flying squirrels. With its pastel-coloured buildings and Catholic churches with statues of the Virgin on their cornices, you could easily believe you were in Lisbon without ever having left Asia. After a long walk through the centre and a visit to the beautifully arranged Macao Museum, we bought our tickets for the hovercraft that would take us to Hong Kong in under an hour.
Hong Kong: a jungle of skyscrapers
In Hong Kong, we immediately took the ferry from Central, which runs from Pier 3 to Discovery Bay, the expat hideaway where a very good friend of ours lives, whom we came to visit. This time, we tried out expat-style travel and were impressed to find a supermarket, activities in French, and next-door neighbours just like you'd find in Paris! Here, it's the fate of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon, the mainland part facing it, that struck us most. Why was this wild rock given to the British rather than some other place? Either way, it has been transformed into a dense forest of skyscrapers, while the other areas have remained wild jungle or home to fishing villages on stilts... A striking contrast. So we alternated between nature or rural walks and urban strolls, getting our feet trampled by the crowds out for Lunar New Year.
Heading to Borneo
We then received a message from the agency handling our truck, letting us know it would arrive safely the day after tomorrow. So we bought our tickets to head to Borneo the next day, to be there in time for the handover!
Follow the Sixglobetruckers' adventures on their website and in the "From Brussels to Sydney by truck" series
