Cycling Taiwan

Taiwan Tourism Bureau hosted an opening ceremony for Cycling Taiwan. Taipei 101 spokesman Michael Liu (劉家豪) spoke with Randi Winter about the things not to miss in Taipei for business people, even if you're there for a short time make sure to check out this list (link coming soon for Randi's interview!)

The program started out with a fun dance to "You're my Flower" and O'Bear made an appearance representing the special Formosan black bear, which they stated that you would need to go to Taiwan to find out about!

General Liu Hsi-lin (劉喜臨), Deputy Director of Tourism, said that the best way to travel Taiwan is by bicycle. Taiwan is a cyclist's paradise with over 3,000 km of dedicated bike paths encircling the Island and an extensive system through Taipei. More than a billion USD has been put into bicycle infrastructure. When you're in Taiwan get on a bicycle and slow down and enjoy the experience. Make sure to stop often as every five minutes there will be something to see or go into a teahouse. Make sure to stop at a police station, they will have a variety of amenities for cyclists, including snacks and even a shower.

The Deputy Mayors of Vancouver, Kerry Jang, and Burnaby, Anne Kang, were in attendance and both spoke about how they were not cyclists, and even intimidated by traffic, but that in Taiwan it is very pleasant and safe to travel by bicycle. That there is always something to stop and see, so definitely travel by bicycle and enjoy the beauty and hospitality of Taiwan! Zack Bell, our Olympic cyclist, was a stage winner of the Tour de Taiwan last year and described the route as, "pretty breathtaking". He especially enjoyed cycling through the great diversity of climate ranges throughout the country. If you don't want to race but just enjoy the scenery there is a set route around the entire country that an average person can cycle in eight days.

Tourism Taiwan hosted lunch at one of Canada's top restaurants, Hawksworth Restaurant in the historic Hotel Georgia. They served their Vancouver version of Taiwanese Cuisine:

The opening ended with a series of promotional tourism videos promoting the diversity of the country and "displaying the uniqueness of the island where traditions meet modern beauty". We all learned the word, “Zan (讚)!” and we can all say Zan! to visiting Taiwan, especially on a bicycle! I had previously thought that Taiwan was mainly for business travellers and shopping, but now I realize it's a great place for a family vacation and I would love to bring my kids to cycle around Taiwan so we can all see what it has to offer.