Sunday

October 27, 2024

Last night we had bought breakfast food from the local supermarket, yogurt, muesli and bananas. We also decided we would stop and eat and drink more often.

Today was a grey day, we had a bit of a tail wind and the heat and humidity were not too bad. I am not sure if the grey skies were due to the weather or the pollution.

We headed out to the temple and spent about 20 to 30 minutes looking at this temple.  It would appear that there isn’t an actual Sunday service, you can go and pray at any time. It was very peaceful and a good start to the day.

Today was another good ride. We followed google maps again. On leaving Yuanli we figured that Taiwan got an excellent deal on traffic lights. There seemed to be a traffic light every 100 metres, stopping and starting what a pain in the backside that was. Literally, every time I stopped the bike it wanted to keep moving a little bit and my seat would hit me in the butt. I have another bruise forming on my bum.

We had a short ride on Hwy 1 through Dajia and then followed the Da’An River, along a huge flood plain area.

For the first 20 kms I seemed to struggle even though it was a flat ride. I felt as if my bike was dragging. In Taiwan you can go to any police station and ask for water and assistance. Our route took us through small villages where there were limited or no facilities. Eventually I spotted a police station and went towards. A police officer came out I mimed that I needed a pump. Unfortunately not all police stations have bike tools. Oh well, carry on.

When we got into Houli District I spotted a bike store and asked if he could put some air in my tires. He said they were good, but I said I liked my tires to be firmer. They were reading about 60 psi and I like them around 80 psi. It made a difference. We got some lunch and carried on. I had Bubble Tea, (with coconut) and Ralf had a sandwich from the 7/11.

In Nanyang New Residential Quarter we joined a bike path that ran underneath the high-speed rail line. Once again away from any traffic and a straight line to our hotel.

We arrived at our hotel early and managed to get an early check-in. From our hotel window we can see the old train station and there was a demonstration of Japanese dance and music which we could see, hear and watch.

We discussed our options for the ride to Sun Moon Lake. It is a 79 km ride and the last 17 kms up hill with an 8 to 12 % grade. I was concerned about the hills, of course, and Ralf didn’t want to walk up hill for 17 kms!! We checked the price of hotels, which are expensive and after much discussion we decided to take a tour. Easy way out, but more enjoyable for me at least. We get picked up at the hotel at 8:00 and arrive back at about 6:00, lunch is included and a boat cruise. Lots of time for some walking and site seeing.

We decided we need to get some washing done. We found a laundromat near our hotel and then walked a couple of blocks to find something to eat. We found a Beer Fest happening Yeah. We tried a couple of beers and then got some food which I thought was fried chicken, but it wasn’t not sure what it was but it didn’t make us sick so everything is fine.

A great end to a good day on the road.