Planning a one-month journey around Taiwan by bicycle was one of the first things Wu Yongxi did after quitting an unsatisfying job in Malaysia. Yongxi’s relaxed itinerary, with plenty of time to experience and enjoy Taiwan culture, earned him his finalist spot in the 3rd Youth Trekkers Wanted campaign. In Taiwan, he explored side roads and enjoyed chatting with those he met along the way. Yongxi devoted a full day in Yilan’s Toucheng to experience and document the city’s annual Qianggu (pole-climbing) Ceremony. Eager to avoid hotels and experience the real Taiwan, he either stayed in the homes of new friends or camped beneath the stars. Circling Taiwan from north to south, things that most impressed Yongxi included the ceramics of Yingge, Daxi’s flower fields, Neiwan’s verdant valleys, Sanyi’s traditional woodcraft art, and Beigang’s Matsu religious traditions. He even stopped by Yongxi – a town that shares his name.

Tsai Aibao hails from a Hakka village in rural Malaysia. While she grew up enjoying mom’s tasty Hakkanese cooking, Aibao knew little about her family’s heritage. Interest in tracing her roots inspired Aibao’s Taiwan trek proposal. Her first Hakka dish in Taiwan, a tasty flat rice noodles in clear soup served up in the northern town of Sanxia, was the warm start for her Hakka adventure. She learned at the town’s Hakka Museum about early Hakka migration into the Taipei Basin across the Danshui River. Aibao left with a better appreciation of her Hakka heritage, inspired to continue learning about her people. Hearing familiar Hakka spoken throughout her journey gave Aibao warm feelings of home despite her distance from Malaysia. Her Taiwan adventure was a journey of discovery, with each stop a precious new piece in her heritage puzzle.

Rich culture … Lovely scenery … Friendly people. Would you like a grand tour of Taiwan? Enjoy your Taiwan holiday in your own creative way!

Please visit our official activity website: http://youthtravel.tw/youthtrekker for more details.