November 15, 2014
Taitung
Making the best of it
For another day dominated by rain, today turned out pretty great.
Last night it poured continuously, leaving us pleased to be indoors and dry and feeling hopeful that things would dry out by morning. It did so, but only for a brief spell. Over breakfast it began sprinkling again, and by the time we were ready to depart it had developed into a steady shower with no sign of letting up. We weren't the only cyclists staying at the hotel, and after watching all the others roll out into the elements we were shamed into following their lead.
| Heart | 0 | Comment | 0 | Link |
Given the wet conditions, we changed our plans a bit and decided to take the fastest and shortest route to Taitung by following highway 9 all day. This is the busiest and least scenic route south, but we weren't stopping to see much in this weather anyway and it's perfectly safe, having a 6 foot cycle lane all the way to Taitung. We made great time, blown along by another strong tailwind - for three straight days now we've been helped greatly by a steady 10 mph northeast wind.
At Guanshan we left the highway to ride a bit of its cycle path. It is really remarkable how many lovely bikeways are scattered along the east coast. They're nearly all well maintained and well signed - Taiwan is clearly investing a lot in promoting cycling as both a recreational and transportation option. It's quite impressive.
| Heart | 1 | Comment | 0 | Link |
We were lured off the path by a large fireworks outburst and the sound of loudspeakers. Our curiosity piqued, we detoured into the center of town and ended up at a large political rally. Taiwan is in the midst of an electoral campaign, and we have seen endless signs and banners all along; we've been puzzling over them because they advertise the parties by number. The rally we dropped in on was for party 3, whoever they are. We had no idea of them or what they stand for, but they make a great impression - they were remarkably welcoming, freeing up seats so we could sit among them, offering us water, candy, and I think even an invitation to stay for lunch.
Leaving the rally, we stopped In at the 7-11 for lunch again. We are finding them more attractive as we go along - they've got a pretty decent assortment of prepared foods, good coffee, and clean restaurants with western-style toilets. Makes a pretty ideal cycling rest stop, especially on days too wet to sit outdoors.
Fortunately it didn't rain all day - only for the first 50 miles of our ride. The skies cleared right when we hit the outskirts of Taitung and remained dry and pleasant for the rest of the day. Before checking in at our hotel we spent an hour exploring the waterfront a bit on yet another great little cycle path network.
We had dinner at a delightful little Italian restaurant with good pizza, pasta, and a nice assortment of Belgian ales. Afterwards we enjoyed walking through the park and night market before calling it a night. Overall we found Taitung to be a very attractive stopover.
Today's ride: 60 miles (97 km)
Total: 356 miles (573 km)
| Rate this entry's writing | Heart | 0 |
| Comment on this entry | Comment | 0 |