More tailwinds. In fact they were so strong I averaged 25 km an hour without really trying for the first 30 kms. Route 15 from Guanyin was a bit boring - it was mostly industrial and as this road is a bit inland there were no views of the coast. However, the shoulder was wide and the road surface pretty good. After about an hour I stopped at a Hi-Life cafe for a coffee and a few biscuits. While sitting there, I struck up a 'conversation' with a local. I speak almost no Chinese and he couldn't speak English. But I was able to get across what I was doing. He offered me a lift in his van to Hsinchu, which I politely declined, as I did the cigarette.
I bid my new friend goodbye. A few kms down the road I was greeted by a welcome stretch of bike path. It ran for about 5 kms and meant I did not have to risk mixing it with the trucks in a rather dark tunnel. Here's a picture at the end. You can see how strong the wind was. And it was right behind me. The tunnel is just to the right.
End of the bike path
The next stretch of road was relatively uninteresting as I continued to ride along Highway 15. The service road had little traffic but it was getting sunny and I could feel myself getting sunburnt. So I stopped to apply sunblock.
I knew I was getting close to Hsinchu when I could see airforce fighter jets taking off and flying over me and over the Taiwan Strait. Another stretch of bike path - but I got lost and did a bit of a loop. And my bike computer stopped working and then half an hour later started working again. So I am not really sure how much I rode today. It must have been at least 75 kms.
I stopped for lunch at Hsinchu Fishing Port. I had a great meal in a local restaurant. Here's the owner. They even let me take my bike inside.
Fishing Boat at Hsinchu Harbour
After Hsinchu I joined the 17 km scenic bike path. Now this is a real gem. 17 kms of great cycle way. I saw more cyclists here than I had since Bali. Most were couples on rented bikes obviously enjoying the extremely beautiful scenery.
One of the three red bridges on the Hsincu Scenic bike path
At the end of the bike path I rejoined Highway 15 and very soon saw a sign to Zhunan township. I very quickly found myself at the hotel I was booked into - the Lotus Hotel and after a shower had a snooze.
At the end of the bike path I rejoined Highway 15 and very soon saw a sign to Zhunan township. I very quickly found myself at the hotel I was booked into - the Lotus Hotel and after a shower had a snooze.
Dinner was at a local restaurant. A beautiful vegetarian hot pot. All for $NTD120 - or $4-5 Aussie.
So that's it for today. I think I rode at least 75 kms today. The computer on the bike says 68.5 kms at an average of 23.1 kms an hour on the bike. After the first hour I made a conscious decision to slow it down as I didn't want to get into Zhunan before 3 PM - which is checking time in Taiwan.
Tomorrow it's on to Taichung. Another 75-80 kms. I think it is time for the cycling Gods to start making my life miserable. Two days of tailwinds must be all they will allow.
The end of the Hsinchu bike path
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