Day 7 - 125 km. Hot spring to another hot spring. In east side of Taiwan, there are hot springs. We stayed at Zhiben, and today we are going to Ruisui, another famous spot for the hot spring. We left the seaside where we enjoyed seeing the Pacific Ocean, and we are heading towards the valley. One thing concerning in the morning was that there would be rain in the afternoon. And yes, there was rain, heavy rain. 

The areas we go to today there are bicycle trails. If you want to go fast, just go straight with Highway 9, Besides, we got off Highway 9 and took several bicycle roads. Paradise Road (天堂之路), became popular with a commercial by Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro (there is the tree of Takeshi Kaneshiro, a popular photo shooting spot), 關山環鎮自行車道 (used to be railroad), but the best bike trail today is Hualien Country Road 193. The 193 is the most beautiful bike trail I have ever ridden. From about 25km south to Risui, we rode the tunnel of the trees, but today, under the rain. It could be stunning if we had pleasant weather, but even in the rain, it was so beautiful which I could not forget. 

In the afternoon when we rode the route 193, heavy rain made us so cold, and we were so wet and muddy from the top to the bottom. We were so lucky that we are going to stay in another hot spring where I was able to meet with the founder of the hotel. He is 87, speaks fluent Japanese. He sat on the chair beside the entrance of the restaurant, and we took a photo together. The weather forecast is telling us that tomorrow it is expected to rain again. Keep warm, I am going to bed early for today. Have a good night!!