We woke up for a morning swim and then went out to McDonalds, or "the place that represents all that is wrong with the world" remarks Alf as he eats his fruit from 7-11, for breakfast...or not - it was 10:40 am...
After lunch, we made another sign that said "Bei Shang" meaning "going North." We had the sign and our thumbs visible for minutes and we were off with a wonderful couple from Taipei in their Mercedes. So needless to say, it was a comfortable 45 minute ride. They were fun and engaging asking us about our lives in Taipei and our travels. They ended up dropping us off at the entrance to the highway leading to the east coast of Taiwan.
While at 7-11 getting some snacks for the ride to the other side of the island, we met Harry, "as in Harry Potter," from Hong Kong. Harry is no joke walking around Taiwan...
We walked with him for about 30 minutes before hitching a ride with an artist named Frank. Of course, we told him his nickname is now Frank the Tank. He more or less lives in his van and hangs out around Taiwan. The good life, you know. His van has no back seats, so I just sat on his tent for a few hours heading to Taitung. Going from a Mercedes to a tent for a seat was quite the change. No big deal. The east coast of Taiwan is absolutely stunning and made up for the lack of an actual seat. It reminds me a lot of the Golden Coast, with the mountains jutting out down near the ocean. We made it to Taitung with him where he dropped us off at the doorstep of Hostel Who Knows!
We were about to take off to a hot air balloon festival, but luckily we talked to the owner and he said there were no balloons flying today, only tomorrow from 5-7 AM. Instead, we went to a balloon/light show outside Taitung. We had to take a bus, train, and taxi to get back to the hostel, so that was an adventure in itself.
I'm really keen on a hot air balloon ride, so I need to get some sleep for the 4 AM wake up call.
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