Shosho Chang along with his friend discovers a secret hidden route to the Men Ma Lu mountain in the Kenting National Park. Men Ma Lu itself means "can't find a way," yet these two champs pave their way through the dense forests of southern Taiwan.
Amidst global warming and pollution, Taipei City has taken a step towards saving the environment with the best bike-sharing system in the world. All you have to do is buy an easy card and register using your mobile phone at the kiosk. You're all set to start cruising around Taipei City like a champ. Along with that, this place has really good coffee.
The first national park covers the southern-most area of Taiwan at the Hengchun Peninsula. This national park is well known for its tropical climate. People love to hit the beach during sunshine and play all kinds of water activities. But what they usually don't know is that Kenting National Park is also a perfect place for an economical tour and hiking.
Shosho says, "I personally love the stretch starting from Baisha Bay to Wanliton where it's my favourite place to watch the sunset. For sunrise, the LongPan Park is there from where you can overlook the stunning coast of the Pacific Ocean."
For the ride, you can just cycle down Highway 26 towards the east after passing the southernmost point of Taiwan, the Eluanbi Lighthouse. You can see LongPan Park on your right-hand side. This section is also considered the most scenic highway in Taiwan.
But the real adventure was discovering a secret route for the Men Ma Lu mountain trail — the perfect off-road mountain biking route. Shosho and his friend Kuan Lin tried to find a way in but unfortunately failed on their first attempt. They even sent a drone to scout in.
A few weeks later they returned, determined to tackle this challenge. They went to Hengchun Harbor to find a whole bunch of seafood and had a barbecue feast. Then the next morning they buckled up and set out to explore this secret cycle trail. They cycled all the way to Hengchun Township and entered County Road 200. Soon after, they arrived at the intersection of the Men Ma Lu Trail and disappointedly still hit a dead end.
They wandered around a bit, went through a little trail with trampled grass on a dirt road. Both friends joked they might end up dying or just get tangled between the woods. After a really long and exhausting ride, they reached another fence-like structure and decided to push through. They went for a steep mountain ride, and their hard work paid off — they reached the Men Ma Lu mountain.
Men Ma Lu mountain is situated in the southernmost part of the central mountain range and is about 300 meters above sea level. It was a historic trail for transporting sisal. The roads here were so complicated that even seasoned hikers got lost. The most famous attraction was the couple tree, but they were blown down by a typhoon. This place is perfect for mountain biking where you'd wish to go for a ride again and again.
