The beauty of the place draws more than surfers to the coastline. Highway 11 is a favourite for both on and off-road cyclists as well as motorcyclists who come to ride the twisty Route 23 that winds through the mountains. Hikers also find their way there to explore the Dulan Forest and package tour busses come through to the natural phenomenon of ‘water running uphill,’ which I was told was much less interesting than watching the tourists themselves.
Along the coast, there is an assortment of places to stay that range from the Dulan Cape Café with restaurant, pool and shipping container rooms perched on the sea cliff offering million-dollar views to Black Boss Camping. A place to pitch a tent or rent a trailer in an environment that feels like a cross between a cartoon magic garden and a militia settlement, complete with outdoor bathtub, arc welders, and ATVs.
Highway 11 hugs Taiwan’s east coast for a hundred kilometres, which is why Brian and Rita, the couple I had seen in Bangkok, named their bar and boutique after it. Located in the Sintung sugar factory, the bar has a comfortable DIY feel to it and the gallery is bright, displaying handmade clothes and crafts that Rita sources from locals. The shop’s head-high, peek-a-boo walls reveal the guts of the factory’s monster machine that once rendered plants into table sugar.