Dawu

November 16, 2014

Continuing south on Route 9

This was a stretch of our itinerary I had worried about a bit. Highway 9 is the only road between Taitung and Dawu, so it carries all southbound traffic. For about half of the route it is a winding, shoulderless two lane road, so safety was a concern. Early on in planning this trip I thought we would catch the morning train to Dawu and then bike on to Kenting; but after learning that there is a basic hotel in Dawu and after reading enough journals (thanks, CGOB!), we concluded it was viable if not particularly pleasant.

We timed our passage just right: leaving Taitung early Sunday morning and arriving in Dawu about noon, there wasn't much traffic on the road - very few large trucks and busses in particular. Actually, most of the way is fine - two wide lanes, or a reasonable shoulder. There are 'only' about 10 worrisome miles, but the drivers were considerate and it never felt particularly dangerous. We weren't alone either - we saw over a dozen cycle tourists passing in the other direction. Overall we were glad we rode it rather than hassling with the train again. I'm sure it would seem much different with more traffic on the road though.

We were mostly lucky with weather - it was dry and sunny for the first half of the ride but began raining when we hit the first big headland. Three miles further down the road we were out of it again though, and it stayed nice until late afternoon when it started raining in earnest. By then though we were cozy in our room catching up on some reading.

Tomorrow we cross over to the west coast where we anticipate much different weather. From the forecast it looks like we are in for warmer, much drier days and a prevailing headwind instead of the tailwind we've enjoyed for six days straight now.

Sugar apples, very common here in the south. Sweet, but not really to my taste - they're a bit slimy inside.

Not sure what this is - some form of peanut brittle I'd guess. Whatever it is, it's delicious.

Fudo Bike Hotel, in Dawu, just right of the 7-11. Pretty basic, but the wi-fi is strong.

Business card for the Fudo Bike Hotel. I couldn't find any information on this place when researching this trip, so maybe this will help someone else.

Today's ride: 40 miles (64 km)
Total: 396 miles (637 km)

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