May 16th

May 16, 2025

Zhubei

When I walked to the nearby 7-Eleven just before nine this morning for a cheap cappuccino, the heat hit me and made me question the idea of cycling north from Zhubei, as there are two decent climbs involved. The thing is, the alternatives don't really grab me, so I bite the bullet and later wheel my bike outside and head off towards the train station to get the 9:55 south.

I've a 'new' camera with me. One of my students at Chunghwa Telecom told me last week he had a Canon G7X Mark II, but said he didn't want to sell it. However, he's changed his mind and handed it to me last night. This MkII has a 30-second timer.

I want to try it out before agreeing a price and it soon gets tested. I fit it to my tripod and set the timer before riding past the white-painted unit on the corner of our block that's been under renovation for two years. It's still not clear what sort of business it is.

The ISO is set to auto and the F-stop is very low, but instead of adjusting things here, I reckon there will be plenty of time on the train to set it to how I prefer, as the commuter train takes at least 30 minutes to travel south to Zhubei.

The unit on our corner looks like it'll open for business soon -- it's only taken a couple of years.

My train south to Zhubei is running two minutes late

Bikes are half the ticket price & the total for the 34-minute trip is NT$74 = under US$2.50

The train doesn't have the usual racks for bikes, so mine gets propped near the door where there's a bit of space for a bike. All the seats are occupied, but someone gets off after a couple of stops and I sit down and fiddle with the camera's dials and buttons. It's basically a computer.

The touch-screen gets turned on, making it faster and easier to adjust things like the F-stop and ISO, and I play around with it for a while. Everything seems to work fine, although the protective film on the display needs replacing, as it's badly marked.

It's like I've met with Q, as I'm now armed with two gadgets. Debbie has given me her old phone to use while in the UK. It's obviously good for keeping in touch and Google Maps is useful. In Taiwan, I don't use a phone, so it takes me a while to get used to using it and I test its camera on the train. The results look alright.

After cycling south from Zhubei's train station for fives minutes or so, I stop at a corner where there's a Louisa Coffee. It's time for another drink and I order an iced latte and relax for a bit, slightly delaying my ride home.

It's really hot out there and it's going to be a testing ride over the two climbs.

At the end of the road running right through town is a river and after making a left, it's a case of riding along a tree-lined path that runs parallel, with a high flood embankment hiding it. My direction is roughly southeast.

Tall apartment blocks are on the other side of the road. These are pricey properties, with this area having the country's highest earners thanks to a nearby science park, where numerous the tech companies are based. A three-bed would likely cost a million bucks.

Riding southeast out of Zhubei, with the river on my right

The bike path goes on for a while. It's quiet, but unexciting. Having a bit of shade from the trees is very welcome and eventually the apartment blocks fizzle out and there's a set of steps going over the concrete embankment that takes me to a riverside lane. This is also mostly empty, as there's not much along here and it leads further southeast, past paddies and the odd farm house.

After over an hour, the lane goes over a stream via a simple bridge and another 15 minutes or more brings me to a turning off that leads northwards to a junction where there's a FamilyMart shop.

It's about 12:30 now and this place is something I've been aiming for. I buy four cold bottles and a rice triangle. My appetite isn't great. It's just too hot.

Break time - I've just bought four bottles in a FamilyMart in Qionlin

From the FamilyMart, a small lane runs between simple homes and marks the start of a 5km climb. It only last for a few minutes, then I get on the 26, which goes past various SMEs. A few vehicles pass by until I reach the end of the industrial area, where the road kicks up more and become the 25. It's now more like a jungle with bird song to listen to.

There's some shade and the clouds cover the sun now and then. However, it's still hot and the humidity is right up there. My clothes are soaked and I pause a few times to wipe away sweat and take a drink.

There's a panoramic vista at the very top and I take another self-timed shot before starting the winding drop. No vehicles have passed by in either direction since the industrial area and it stays that way en route to the town of Guanxi.

I follow the river through the town of Guanxi

I skirt the centre of Guanxi by following a path running beside a river. There are a series of weirs and just one or two people out for a walk. Maybe at the weekend it is busier. Below a high bridge carrying highway 3, I veer right and end up crossing the main north-south road then starting up rural route 28-1.

The incline is quite gentle for a while. Hills rise up on both sides of the road and there are some homes here and there. This is still Hsinchu County and there are a few sharp bends and the road becomes fairly narrow. Ferns and all finds of greenery hem me in. The steepest part is near the top and once my wheels roll over that, I pause for another drink and then begin freewheeling down, crossing over into Taoyuan as I get closer to highway 3.

The 3 drops down and I turn off at speed and skirt the edge of Longtan. My energy has waned and the last 40 minutes home are flat, which is just as well.

It's a case of coping with manic commuters heading home as the roads get busier, especially closer to Highway 66. The route home is like the back of my hand and I'm looking forward to the end as fatigue takes a firm grip. It was always going to be a tough day and it's turned out to be just that.

Today's ride: 68 km (42 miles)
Total: 235 km (146 miles)

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Gregory GarceauQ came through with a good piece of technology there. Sometimes my 10-second timer doesn't give me enough time to do what I want to do.
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2 weeks ago

Graham FinchYes -- I'm pleased to have it. I've agreed to pay NT$7,000, which is about 220 bucks. On eBay UK they are triple that second-hand. I will sell my Mark 3 and will likely get over double what it cost me new. Strange.
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2 weeks ago