杜鵑花之都
THE CITY OF AZALEAS (originally published in Volume XIV, June 2024)
The City of Azaleas, a unique character of typical East Asian shade with Western influences that lie atop a small island, located somewhere in the Western Pacific. We’re 100 miles off the mainland, where Mad Max-esque factories sit between dense jungle-covered mountains leading to hot springs and some of the finest Asian cuisine the world has to offer. Following whispers of an untouched coastline with pristine turquoise waters and empty point breaks, we set our sights on remote corners for Db journey’s annual luggage R&D trip, feat. Craig Anderson and Kaito Ohashi.
Whilst well know for its bubble tea creation and Areca nut consumption, this is also the world’s largest producer of advanced computer chips for smartphones, fighter jets and everything in between. With its own currency, dialect, airline and most importantly, two very tasty national beers, it keeps itself very separate from China.
Taipei, nicknamed The City of Azaleas after the sub-tropical flower heavily present throughout, is where we start this journey. As the night draws in, we’re guided by the notorious flashing red, blue and green lights of the roadside Betel Nut shacks. We dabble in the local produce, leading to increased heart rates, a light sweat and gentle nausea amongst the crew – Welcome to Taiwan.
Taipei
Following a 14-hour flight and an extremely generous cabin crew, the production team touch down in Taipei with more than their fair share of the national beer in their system. Sadly, it’s 6am, and we’re greeted by the inevitable news that there’s going to be 10 hours to kill until check in. With the ‘talent’ not arriving until later that night, we decide to take our guide’s advice and head to a 24-hour spa located downtown—a spa on the thirteenth floor of a tower block which boasts saunas with built-in televisions, (quite literally) scolding hot steam rooms and questionable smelling algae ‘healing’ pools. On the plus side, client/media relations are instantly solidified when our party is told any sort of swimwear is prohibited throughout and keeping constant eye contact between one another becomes common practice. This is backed up with the spa’s cinema room, where it turns out the sofas aren’t just for jet-lagged snoozing, but unwanted adult entertainment.
Craig and Kaito pull up to the hotel just in time for a stroll through Taipei’s infamous night market. Known for its incredible food and local delicacies, it’s also tonight’s dinner spot. Whilst Kaito (a few years sober) exudes maximum health and seems well rested after the short flight, Craig, for the first time ever in my presence turns down a beer on arrival, reminding me he’s straight off the back of a snow trip in Japan with the boys. He manages to keep this act up for 12 hours, maybe less. Bouncing between stalls, Hu Jiao Bing’s are an instant favourite, best described as (molten) hot, handmade bread buns filled with peppered pork. These are paired with steamed dumplings and noodle variants. The one dish we avoid like the plague is the prized national dish named ‘stinky tofu’. The name alone…
The next day, we head to Taipei’s main station in search of a bullet train to take us south, and to our part of the coast. Despite being told that surfboards aren’t allowed aboard, we defy all odds and get past the ticket office. Following a board bag inspection and tape-measure on the platform by the train conductor himself, we’re waved through and on our way. Xiè xie Taipei.
Hualien to Taitung
We relocate to a secret compound on the east coast and are greeted by a private A-frame straight out front with not another soul in sight. When asked, our guide tells us of two good point breaks directly to our right and a couple of river mouths down to the left. And if we’re willing to drive an hour, a potential known left-hander which breaks uninterrupted for hundreds of metres. Crowds aren’t something we experience once, and besides a couple of locals who are happy to see us, we’re alone in the water the entire time. Our time is spent mostly on the wave out the front due to a combination of ease and laziness. A potential ramp on the right teases the boys back on numerous occasions.
Things are sadly cut short for Craig on day three due to an injury, or as he puts it, “surfing a one foot flappy wave, trying a one foot flappy air above some cobblestones, and falling onto my wrist.” With a pulse in the swell on the forecast at the end of our week, and with already extended flights in the bank, all pressure is on our Japanese division. A certain TM also extends, missing important duties back in Europe he’ll later come to regret. Needless to say, said swell sadly doesn’t show and what you see within these pages is about three real days of surfing off the back of a small monsoon swell mid-trip. Visiting a little late in the season has left us wanting more, with a plan to return on a proper swell event.
Surfing in Taiwan
Despite an annual qualifying series event which has been taking place at Jinzun Harbour over the last few years, Taiwan’s actual surf scene seems very releaxed. Or as our guide best describes it, “If you take the best wave, the locals will still clap for you. I guess because surfing is in its infancy people are just happy to see you and Taiwan people are happy to share their waves.”
For how, long who knows? But it’s something we genuinely experienced first-hand along the coast. Our short time on the east side of the island threw up plentiful options, including an array of different set ups, consisting of beach breaks, river mouths and points set against the backdrop of lush, tropical mountains. It’s unique to say the least, and as Craig says, “Compared to Indonesia, and Japan, it’s totally different to most locations that I’ve travelled to for surfing. There’s no comparison to any other Asian countries I’ve travelled to. The waves are different, the food’s different, but it’s a really amazing place.”
The water is warm, with temperatures ranging from early 20s (C not F) through too much warmer in the summer season. The production team (Brits) surfed in boardshorts, whilst the talent (Aussies) wore 3/2 steamers. We don’t want to talk up the place much more…
Earthquakes
“I’m fine. Beach house intact. The one to two minutes of shake were unnerving. I’m heading to Nepal tomorrow to get away from the ‘Underground Dragon’, as the locals call it.”
A few weeks after our visit there was a 7.4 magnitude earthquake, with the epicentre being only a few miles away from where we were staying. Our guide assures us that even with over 700 buildings being severely damaged, there were few casualties.
Despite earthquakes being very common due to its geographical placement over tectonic plates, Taiwan is still deemed a safe place to travel around, thanks to its reenforced building structures. Off the back of the island’s devastating quake which struck in 1999 causing 2000+ fatal casualties, the country made a point of bringing safety levels up for both old and new structures significantly. Exhibit A: the 101 sky scraper, once the world’s tallest building and Taipei’s main landmark, has a giant floating golden steel sphere inside weighing 660 tonnes which absorbs seismic energy and reduces building sway by up to 40%.
We’ve since been hit up by many of the locals on social media following our visit, asking people to come and get overseas tourism kick-started again. “Following the earthquake that struck off Hualien, it now needs everyone’s help; you’re welcome back to Hualien here and Taiwan to surf and eat when you want!”
Video by Matt Payne. Stills by Carles Medina.
