Thursday October 31, 2024

A day doing nothing waiting for a Typhoon to hit Taiwan.  Well, not actually doing nothing. We got the washing done and the blog is up to date.

This is a very modern apartment, it has a small kitchenette, with a two-burner induction cook top. There is a unit above the sink that looks like a microwave, then we thought it could be a dishwasher, but it is actually a dish-dryer! 

The bathroom vent has multiple functions: the regular fan, it cools, it can heat, it can blow a cool breeze, it can dry clothes and ventilates the bathroom. It has a 6-hour timer.  We washed our clothes, used a towel to wring them out and then hung them in the bathroom with the heat function on. It took a few hours, but all our clothes are dry including the padded cycling shorts.

I was able to update the blog from Sun Moon Lake and yesterday’s google madness.

All the time we were waiting to be hit by 200 kph winds and damaging rain. Ralf was checking the weather reports on Taiwan weather, and we waited. Reports are that this is going to be the biggest Typhoon to hit Taiwan in 30 years.

Garlon and Jean emailed us to warn us of the Typhoon and to stay indoors as we could get hit by flying objects.

At about three o’clock the Typhoon finally hit the mainland of Taiwan on the east coast, but still hadn’t arrived in the central area. Taiwan has a huge mountain range that runs along the centre of the Island. Often this will create completely different weather systems from one side of the Island to the other.  However, because this Typhoon is predicted to be so big, the whole of the Island is on Typhoon alert. Some major industries have closed, the west coast high speed rail has been reduced, but it is still running a limited service. All flights have been cancelled and all schools and government offices have been closed since Wednesday afternoon.

Ralf was going a bit stir crazy and decided he would investigate the street. We had seen and heard scooters going in and around the neighbourhood. We decided to go for a little walk and get some more beer!!

The wind had died down and there was only a smattering of rain. Some of the shops are still open and a few of the small eateries are operating, however, there are not many people on the streets.

The forecast is for more rain overnight and heavy winds. We are staying an extra day here just to be on the safe side.

The east coast of Taiwan is a different story. It has been heavily hit by the Typhoon, with major power outages and trees down.

Update at 6:00 p.m. the Typhoon is now hitting the central provinces and Beidou has heavy rains and 120 kph winds. It sounds very windy outside, but we are snug in our little apartment with beer and Doritos.

It looks as though Typhoon Kong-rey will have left Taiwan by about mid-morning to noon tomorrow.