On my trip back, I had big plans to explore the stunning eastern coast of Taiwan. The scenery is said to be breathtaking, and I was all set to spend three days biking the route before catching a train back to Taipei on the final day. But, of course, things got complicated. The moment I started my ride, a typhoon was heading straight for Taiwan, and by the second night, I learned that the train from Hualien had stopped running. My flight was scheduled to leave in two days after the bike trip, and I honestly was quite worried that I wouldn’t make it back.

Panicked, I decided to skip the ride on my last day and took a train from Ruisui—a tiny town with just 10,000 people—straight to Hualien, hoping the train service might resume, since the weather had actually cleared up. But when I arrived in Hualien, everything seemed calm… except the train still wasn’t running. To make matters worse, I learned that the roads were closed due to landslides, and I had no way to get back to Taipei.

Determined not to give up, I walked to a youth hostel across from the train station to see if I could figure something out. Inside, I found a bunch of other stranded travelers, and we all started swapping stories to pass the time. One couple’s relatives had heard a rumour that the road might open for a few hours in the afternoon. They were going to take a chance and try to get through, and before they left, they gave me their number in case they made it.

While I was waiting, more people arrived—two two ladies, two guys on motorbikes, another family—and joined the conversation. By now, most of us had resigned ourselves to the fact that getting back to Taipei seemed impossible. But then, at 3 PM, I got a text: the couple had made it through! I immediately told the two guys on motorbikes they should leave right now since the road was only opening for 2 hours.

Then, out of nowhere, one of the ladies suggested to the guys, “You should should take him! He has a plane to catch!” As soon as the guys heard that a plane was involved, they were totally game to help me out. There was just one problem: I didn’t have a helmet. The hostel owner popped up from behind the counter and said, “I have a helmet for you!” We all couldn’t believe it.

By 8 PM that night, I was back in Taipei— absolutely in awe. It was a miracle that I made it back. If I hadn’t chatted with that couple, I never would have had their number. If I hadn’t talked to the hostel staff over lunch, he wouldn’t have known the situation. And if those two ladies hadn’t asked on my behalf, I wouldn’t have made it back. And the biggest thank you to the 2 guys who actually gave me the ride. I haven’t been on a motorbike since I was kid, what an experience. (Scary! : P)
What an unforgettable, unexpected adventure. Thank you for the hospitality, I was so moved.

回去十一天的行程中就是去騎花東。預計是三天兩夜，從台東騎到花蓮。第三天再從花蓮坐火車回台北。但當我開始啟程的第一天，就遇到可能有颱風的壞消息。結果第二天晚上因為大雨土石流，花蓮的火車便已停駛。我的飛機預定在騎行結束後的兩天起飛，我超擔心自己回不去。第三天早上八點鐘我便從瑞穗（人口只有一萬人的小鎮）放棄最後一天的行程，直接搭火車前往花蓮。我想賭一睹火車有沒有恢復的可能，畢竟當時天氣其實蠻正常的。

抵達花蓮火車站時，雖然天氣非常好，但停駛的狀況仍然未改。我想說那搭計程車應該就沒問題吧？結果道路也不通，因土石流緣故道路封閉。所以不得已之下，我便走到火車站對面的青年旅館看有沒有其他辦法。

當時有許多旅客也都卡在花蓮回不去台北。所以我們大家就這樣慢慢地聊了起來。其中一對來探親的夫婦有親戚說有當地消息提到道路可能會在下午暫時開通幾小時。他們打算過去闖闖關。離開之前他們還特別留了電話，說通過的話會給我傳簡訊。這期間持續又有更多的新朋友（兩位來花蓮玩的大姊，兩位騎機車環島的年輕人，還有一家人（？））加入我們。我們大家當時其實都已經認命了，想說應該是回不去了。就算通車，我們也趕不過去。下午三點鐘時，我收到簡訊說他們正式通過了。真是恭喜他們。我便跟那兩位騎機車的年輕人說要他們現在趕過去，應該來得及！說只通行兩小時。那兩位大姊其中一位突然提議要他們載我，因為我要搭飛機！我當時說不好意思。但他們一聽到我要搭飛機，立刻說沒問題。但我沒有安全帽，這樣可能不安全。結果青年旅館的員工便從櫃檯那邊說他有一頂安全帽可以送我！不可思議。結果當晚八點鐘左右我就真的回到了台北旅館！

謝謝大家的幫忙。全程碰到的每一位朋友都很重要。要是我沒有跟那位夫婦聊到天，我就不會留到他們的電話號碼。要是我中午沒有跟青年旅社的員工吃飯，他就不會知道我的狀況。要是那兩位姊姊沒有講出我需要回去台北的關鍵詞：搭飛機，我當天也回不去。還有，最謝謝那兩位載我的年輕人。台灣人的人情味真讚。好難忘的一次經驗。謝謝大家！