I decided to start riding relatively early this morning. My goal was to reach Tainan which is a Journey of 100 kms. Last night I walked up into town and had a lovely dinner of noofdles and soup. TheTaiwanese sure know how to make great soup. On the way back to my motel I took the following picture of a local temple.
Out on the road it was not too bad. The day was starting off cool and yet again the winds were pushing me towards Tainan. My legs were a little stiff to start with but after about 5 kms they seemed to come right. My first stop was at a small town some 20 kms down the road - I think it was Dongshi. As per custom I stopped at the cyclists friend, the 7-Eleven. I was sitting at the 7-eleven eating a cheese sandwich and sipping on a coffee when a cyclist rolled in. While he spoke no English and I no Chinese we managed to communicate. He was riding around Taiwan but the opposite direction to me. Gosh with these winds it must be tough. I seemed to get the impression he was doing it in 6 or 7 days. But that could be just my misunderstanding. His choice of drink, a Heineken, also surprised me. Anyway he 'told' me that I should visit the bird sanctuary to the south. I interpreted his signals that it was 30 kms south, but it actually turned out to be 30 minutes riding.
We bid each other farewell, with my friend riding north and me south. I did come across the Aogu bird sanctuary, but it was a few kilometres into the information centre and my mind was on reaching Tainan. In hindsight I should have gone in for a look. Anyway here is a photo of the entrance and another of mural on the underpass.
I was actually making good time today. Highway 17 made for really nice riding today. What a contrast with yesterday. There was almost no traffic outside of the town and the surface was so smooth.
Budai was my next stop. Yes, another 7-Eleven for you guessed it a cheese sandwich and a cold drink. Budai seemed an interesting town. It had a nice feel about it. Here are someone photos of Budai. The first is a fish sculpture made of bamboo.
Onward and southward I rode towards Tainan. It was getting warm now and I stopped a further 12 kms south at a rest area. It was only 12.30 and I only had 40 kms to go. If I didn't take a few breaks I would arrive too early. So after 20 minutes or so I got back on the bike. Another hour further on I stopped at a my-life shop for an ice cream and some iced tea. I can't remember what the name of the town was.
Back on the bike for the last 15 pr so kms to Tainan. It was getting hotter. Reaching the outskirts of Tainan the roads widened and there was a dedicated cycle lane that amazed me. The road was set up like this: two lanes for cars, two lanes for scooters and a 3 metre wide cycle lane. I tried snapping a photo but it doesn't give a real indication of how god the road design is.
Finally I reached Tainan just on 3 PM. I had been playing tag with another cyclist ever since my stop further up the road. We exchanged some conversation at traffic lights and I was amazed that he was riding from Taipei to Kaohsiung in one day. He started at 9.30 PM the night before and was hoping to get to Kaohsiung before dark. Real Audax stuff. That's around 420 kms. Here is a picture of my new friend just as we crossed the river into Tainan proper. I sure hope he made Kaohsiung before nightfall. Well of course he would have. It was only 50 kms away.
I had some problems locating my accommodtion for the night. It wasn't where The Agoda map said it should be. So I rang Linhui and she sorted it out. I was staying at a new apartment and they came and collected me. I followed Yan Yan on her scooter.
That night Yan Yan invited me out to have dinner with her friend Crystal. We went to a local restaurant and the food was among the best I have had in Taiwan. It was certainly the best I had since leaving Taipei on Tuesday. I showed them photos of my family. I think Yan Yan thought Alfred was cute and seemed disappointed when I told her he was getting married. Here is a picture of Cystal (on the left) and Yan Yan.
After dinner we went and bought coffee and I got some breakfast supplies. Yan Yan wanted to take me sightseeing, but quite honestly I was tired and wanted to sleep. That was a pity because Tainan seems a really nice city. It has a reputation for culture and it shows everywhere.
All in all a good day. 105 kms at an average of 24.4 kms an hour on the bike.
Tomorrow it's a short 50 km leg to Kaohsiung. I think I will head off about 10.30. No real hurry after all. Tomorrow back to Taipei on the High Speed Rail.
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