Taipei Today

Yesterday I travelled from Kaohsiung back to Taipei on the High Speed Rail (HSR). Kaohsiung is a big city but I found it very friendly and accommodating.  The previous evening I walked around the city near Kaohsiung Arena and found a small dumpling place where I had dinner. 

The next morning I went for another walk and found a bargain shop where I bought an Allen key set to help me take my pedals off the bike. I returned to the hotel, pulled the bike apart and got it in the bag.  As I was doing that a man, probably in his late 60s, living in the house next door came up and offered me some gloves to keep my hands clean. He told me to keep them when I tried to return them.

Then I went out in search of breakfast.  I found a nice cosy cafe where I had some eggs, toast (with peanut butter on it) and some milk tea.  Then I went to the 7-eleven and bought a six pack of Heineken which I presented to my very helpfulneighbor.  He was one very happy man I can tell you.  He couldn't stop shaking my hand and almost had tears in his eyes. When I left to go to the HSR station about 30 minutes later he waved me goodbye.  If I had have been able to stay a little longer I would have liked to have spent some time sitting with this guy just having a quiet beer.  

It was a great ride on the HSR. Taking the advice from 'Taiwan in Cycles' website I booked a business class seat.  There is much more storage room for a bike in a bag in business and at a cost of only A$75 it's not expensive.

The trip on the HSR was not to be missed.  Travelling at speeds near 300 km an hour it took only 90 minutes to reach Taipei.  To think it took me 6 days to ride it!!  A fitter me could do it in 3 days but 90 minutes!!!!

Here are some photos of the trip.

Bike bagged and ready to go

I did take short video but I can't figure out how to import it into the blog.  

Arriving at Taipei Main Station I jumped in a taxi and headed back to Xizhi. Next week I will coninue riding , but with Kenny.  The plan is to ride from Kaohsiung to Hualien.  However, on the way back on the train another option occurred to me.  That involves spending a few days exploring Kaohsiung by bike and then catching the train to Taidong and spending some days there doing the same and finally riding the eastern Rift Valley fromTaidong to Hualien. My friend Linhui thinks this is the best option.  Well I will think about it for a day or two before deciding.  

Today I am going to walk down to the supermarket to buy some groceries. I am going to cook dinner tonight.  I will also,visit my friends in the street market.  

Finally, check out the excellent China Hisory Podcast by the incredible Mr Laszlo Montgomery.  Laszlo really knows his Chinese history and politics.  He has worked in China for over two decades and speaks fluent Mandarin. As you listen you will learn to understand topics like how the cultural revolution got crazy,  what made Deng tick, the story of the Silk Road and more recently the story of shipping tycoon YK Pao.  Laszlo covers the whole canvas of Chinese history spanning 5500 years. Here is the link and you can also download the podcast from iTunes.

http://chinahistorypodcast.com

Taipei today

Tour Taiwan Day 6: Tainan to Kaohsiung (56 kms)

Only 50 kms today so no real hurry to get up and riding.  So I slept in and watched a movie on cable TV. Breakfast was a cup of instant milk tea (that Janet and Jennifer had given me), a bread stick and a sort of croissant.

I bid farewell to Mr Chung and started out riding along once again my sometimes friend Hwy 17.  From the start I could tell this was not going to be a great day.  My legs were telling me they didn't want to ride a bike today.  Oh well, just amble along and take each kilometre at a time. It was time, as I once told Alfred when we were out touring and he started complaining, to "shut up and suffer in silence".

So long Beautiful Tainan

Goodbye to - not welcome to - Tainan City

About 18 or 20 kms down the road I stopped for a break and some fuel.  Top of the menu was a can of cold coffee.  I actually first thought of having a beer in honour of my friend yesterday.  But wisely did not.

Mr Brown's coffee in a can

Actually, maybe I should have gone for the beer.  It was this coffee in a tin can that might have upset my stomach because a few kilometres up the road I had to make a mad dash for a secluded bush for, well ......

A full 35 kms into the ride I stopped again. This time at a 7-Eleven for an egg and lettuce sandwich and a peach iced tea.  I sat around lazily surfing the net and making use of the free wifi that every 7-Eleven seems to have here in Taiwan.  In fact almost every coffee shop, convenience store and hotel has free wifi here.  How I love Taiwan!!

There weren't too many stretches of cycle path today.  But here is a side road that only bicycles and scooters are allowed on.  It ran next to the coast and the view was so pretty.

Fisherman

Another 10 kms and I entered Kaohsiung. I have to admit my focus was more on navigation as I did not really take any photos of entering Kaohsiung City.  In fact I should have focused even more on navigation because I took a wriong turn and started heading back north to Tainan.  Thankfully google maps got me back on course and only cost was 2-3 kms.  At least getting lost saved me one problem. Getting in early.  I actually arrived at 3 PM on the dot.  I checked  into the Kaohsiung Bike Hostel and here I am.  This is really a youth Hostel and I booked it because it's a cycling hostel.  But I think I am used to a little more luxury than they provide.  Not that there is anything wrong with it at all.  If I were 25 again I think I would be in my element. Still the people are friendly and there are plenty of restaurants nearby.  I Just hope that the young people don't party all night and I can get some sleep.  I can hear a few of then having a bit of a party now.  Yes, I have turned into the grumpy old guy I always said I would never become. My god, listen to me!

Solar farm just outside Kaohsiung

Tomorrow it's back to Taipei on the High Speed Rail.  My son Kenny arrives in a few days and after a few days we will continue the journey together.  So until about 26 November there will be no bike touring, although we are likely to go for a few rides around Taipei.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love Taiwan!!!

Tour Taiwan Day 5: Mailiao to Tainan (105 kms)

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.

Tour Taiwan Day 4: Wuci to Mailiao - 76 kms

I quite seriously considered staying in Taichung for an extra night.  The hotel had vacancies and I had a slight headache. Hey, I could spend a day sightseeing and catch the High Speed Rail to Tainan and cruise into Kaohsiung.  Thankfully I did not weaken and give into temptation.

Not that the ride was a great ride.  It was all on Highway 17 and this stretch, if I am to be honest, is quite dull. The northwesterlies were blowing up dust from dry river beds and there were no coastal views today. In fact I hardly took any photos today. The riding itself was easy and my cycling legs were feeling quite good. Highway 17 is flat and has a great surface. But it didn't compare too the previous three days. Today was one of those days you do because you have gotta get somewhere else.  I was riding quite quickly, averaging around 25 kms an hour without really trying.  I quickly worked out that if I did not slow down I would get to Mailiao about 2 PM. 

Around 9 kms I had to cross the Peach River. The bridge is about 3 kms long and has no real shoulder.  I felt a bit exposed and thought I have to get across this fast.  So I stuck the bike in the big chain ring and sped up to 35 kms an hour.  At the other side I dropped back to the chain ring of choice, the middle ring, and down to 25 kms an hour.  After nearly 30 kms I chanced upon a town called Lukang.  Here I stopped for a cool drink, a banana and a sandwich.This turned out to be my lunch. 

A local young guy came up to me and asked if I needed help. I managed to convince him I was okay. He also said he wanted to welcome me to Lukang, his home town. Gee the Taiwanese people are genuinely friendly.  

Lukang actually looked an interesting town. The Longshan Temple is a real draw card. I rode past it and neglected to take a proper photo. I snapped a shot looking back through the Main Street but it doesn't do justice to the beauty of the temple. I also rode though a very bustling market.  Here are some poor quality photos of Lukang. 

My bike in Lukang

If you look carefully you can just make out the temple

After Lukang I rejoined Hwy 17. It was a rather dreary ride until I came across this monument.  I will have to ask Linhui what it means when I return to Taipei. 

Further up the road I caught up to Keith. He was out for a ride and lived down the road in a town called Erlin.  I snapped this photo at his turn off.  

After I left Keith I just continued my trek down Hwy 17.  I arrived in Mialiao just before 3 PM and set about looking for my motel which Linhui had booked for me.  This took me about 15 minutes. So here I am in Mialiao. Mialiao looks quite a tourist town. There were quite a few tour buses outside a temple as I rode into town.  

Tomorrow it's a 95-100 km ride to Tainan.  I think I will start early just to get some riding in before the heat kicks in.  

Summary for today - 76 kms at 23.4 kms on the bike.  While the riding was easy it was a bit dull. So I did stop quite a bit to just have a break and watch the world go by.  

Tour Taiwan Day 3: Zhunan to Wuqi (Taichung) - 87 kms

I left my hotel at about 10 am and I could tell it was going to be quite warm today. 

Zhunan in the morning

The cycling gods did exact some mild revenge today.  After about 15 or so kms I was feeling pretty miserable as the road I was on had no shade and the sun was beating down.  I passed one guy on a bike and a few other riders went past me just as I had stopped at the bottom of a dirty big hill. I stopped because I was feeling lousy and wanted to get some fluids into me before what looked like a long climb in the sun.  I was seriously thinking that I might struggle to get to Taichung tonight.  

But then fotune smiled upon me.  I saw the guy I had passed turn off to the right at the intersection I was stopped at.  Maybe he's just a local going home I thought. Then a group of half a dozen did the same thing.  Now I knew something was going on so I followed. Wow!! I was rewarded with 45 kms of bicycle paths and quiet back roads. It's called the Maoli Bikeway and in all my research I had not come across it. There was shade, coastal views and most importantly it was much cooler than that oven known as Highway 61.  It certainly lifted my spirits when I needed it. Here are some photos.  Would you believe that the first photo is a bike only path.

Bike path

Beach and wind turbines

Coastal vista

My bike having a rest

I stopped at a small town called Tongxiao for lunch.  A sandwich, banana and iced tea from the 7-11. Then I rejoined the bikeway.  I was soft pedalling along the paths at a pretty relaxed pace. I also got my first puncture today.  A large bindi.  I changed the tube beside a rice paddy.

About 25 kms out of Taichung the bikeway ended at the Giant factory. If you own a Giant your bike may have been made here.  Bow in reverence!!

The Giant Factory

Then I rejoined the road.  I got disoriented and went the wrong way for about 3 kms before I realised I had to turn around. I stopped at another 7-11 for a drink. These shops are amazing - you can buy anything. Apparently you can even ship a bicycle to any other 7-11 in Taiwan. Incredible.

A few more kilometres down the road some members of the Taipei cycling club caught up to me.  I rode with them for about 15 kms until the turn off to my hotel.  They were riding a 'little' faster than me.  But I managed to hold their wheels and had a great ride into Wuqi: a suburb of Taichung.  I checked into the Taichung Harbor hotel.  This is luxury I could get used to. 

All in all a day of challenges.  But a day that was also rewarding.  I can start to feel the cycling legs starting to work again. Another warm day awaits for the 75-80 km trip to Mailiao.

Total for the day 87 kms at an average of 21.8 km per hour on the bike. There were a few long hills today and while not much more than 4-5% they sure made the legs ache. 

Sent from my iPad

Sent from my iPad

Tour Taiwan Day 2: Guanyin to Zhunan (75 kms - maybe)

My day started with breakfast at the Gold Coast motel in Guanyin.  I was a bit worried about accommodation on Saturday night in Tainan so I spent half an hour booking a Homestay before I hit the road.

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.

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

Tour Taiwan Day 1: Xizhi to Guanyin (77 kms)

Well day 1 done and dusted.  The cycling Gods were kind to me today. I had tailwinds almost all day.  However, as my cycling buddy Bob McHugh always reminds me - the cycling Gods are Greek and it is only a matter of time before they will wreak their vengeance upon me. 

It was a joy to be back on the road. There is nothing like the feeling of freedom you get when you start off on a bike tour.  

So here's how the day went.  I set off from Xihzi  at about 10.30, a little later than intended.  Light drizzle greeted me as I bid farewell to my friend Linhui.  As I joined the bike path I stopped briefly to adjust my seat height and take a last look at Linhui's apartment.  Along the Xihzi bicycle path I sped easily sitting on 25 kms an hour due to the easterly winds.  My first stop came at around 18 kms.  Here's a picture of Taipei 101, the top obscured by low cloud.  Here's another of the bike path.  

Taipei 101

How good are these cycle paths?

After passing by Songshan Airport and Taipei City I headed towards Tamshui and the Guandu Bridge. The bridge is a Taiwanese icon spanning 810 metres and painted bright red.  I was pretty pleased to see the Guandu Bridge as it meant my internal GPS system was working.  It was here that I needed to cross over the Keeling River to Bali. 

Guandu bridge

Over the bridge I stopped for coffee at the Frog cafe and then rode up to Bali proper for lunch.  Here's where my language skills let me down. I thought I was ordering mushroom noodles and milk pearl tea.  I ended up with a very nice pasta dish and black English breakfast tea. 

After Bali the bike path petered out. I ended up on back roads and followed route 17 and highway 61. This road went past Taoyuan Airport and towards Guanyin. It comprises a mixture of back roads and service roads next to the southern expressway.  The view to the right over the Taiwan Strait was at times spectacular.  The view to the left less so.  I was riding through thei industrial heartland of the Taiwanese economy.  Despite the industrialisation it wasn't a bad ride. One thing about Taiwanese-drivers is that they are incredibly considerate.  Not once did I experience any problems. Even the scooter riders I seemed well behaved today!!

Entering Taoyuan county

After about 15 kms past this point I came across a 7-11 store and bought an ice cream and some apple juice.  Guanyin was only 10 kms away and as I rode up a hill a girl on an old rusty bike rode past me like I was standing still. Where did she come from? After about 100 metres she turned off onto a side steet. I need to lift my game. 

The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. I found the motel Linhui had booked for me and checked in. Had a sleep and then went out in search of dinner.  By now I had learned that I should not try and order myself, but rely on the note Linhui had written for me saying I wanted a nice vegetarian dinner. It worked a treat.  An absolutely delicious bowl of noodle soup arrived at the table.  I got a beer out of the fridge and settled down to eat. A few young kids derived some joy out of my chopstick skills - or lack thereof. How do you eat noodle soup with chopsticks? 

Tomorrow I am off to Zhunan. Another 70 kms or so.  It's a great thing this bike touring. You really see the country first hand.  As always the Taiwanese people are very friendly and want to talk. I was talking to a small group of cyclists near Guandu and they were amazed that an Australian would come to Taiwan to ride a bike.  

Summary of the day: 77 kms at an average of 22.7 kms an hour on the bike.