January 17, 2025
Pre-departure warm-up spin to Danan
Friday
It's that time of the year. My Canadian friend Ralph and I think it's good to get away for a few days before things get manic during Chinese New Year, which will kick off on January 24th. It'll take at least a few hours for him to drive us over to Taiwan's east coast - to a city called Haulien - where we plan to stay in a downtown hotel for two or three nights and use that as a base, riding south on one of a few roads, then get a train back north later each day. That's the general idea.
As always, the weather is unpredictable. It could drizzle. Who knows. The past couple of days have been sunny, albeit still quite cool for Taiwan - around 12-15°C. It's obviously pretty chilly at night and Debbie and I are glad to have the warmth of an electric blanket. I'll be packing a merino top and a pair of leggings for the trip.
These past six months of so my cycling has been spasmodic. Summer is always too hot here and since then I've been busy with different things, but the sun is out this morning, which is an open inviatation to get out to test the legs a bit. It's actually noon before my bike gets wheeled into the elevator.
Today's goal is pretty humble: a small town called Danan, which is less than an hour away. There are a couple of coffee shops there and I have a novel in my saddlebag that'll kill 20 minutes or so. I wear a light down jacket over a merino top and a pair of leggings.
It's seriously urban for roughly 10 minutes and I choose to ride along quiet back streets away from home, but connect to a main road which I turn off at a set of lights after just a few minutes. There's then a short hill to freewheel down - a narrow lane that's lined with simple, old houses - then it's into open countryside.
There are polytunnels and fields that are bare - 150mm-tall stubble of rice crops go cross the soil in wavy lines. They are more like allotments than farms. The flat, agricultural landscape certainly looks wintery, but the sky is very nice with only a few clouds the size of dumplings. Roughly 10km away is the undulating outline of the Central Mountains.
There's a shallow river that looks polluted - in fact it must be - and only locals use the lane that runs beside it. Sometimes I see men fishing and wonder what they do with their inedible catch. The lane eventually hits a busy road and I have to pedal along that for about five minutes, past car repair shops, metal-clad buildings and mudane units before I turn into a small industrial area. After passing two plants the traffic is minimal and the tension fades.
Danan has a busy market. It takes up a few lanes and spills out onto the street that I take to get to Louisa Coffee. Male vendors bark words that must be some fruit or veg or price. It's very old-school and is popular with men and women who look to be older than 50. They often cruise around of motor scooters oblivious to everyone. My finger are constantly feathering my brakes.
The charity shop always attracts me and this time I find a pair of Levi's that look like Debbie's size. They are in a cardboard box near teh entrance and have probably just been dropped off. The clerk says they are NT$100 - about US$3 - which is cheap as they look new. Hopefully they fit. They go in my saddlebag.
The novel I'm currently reading is called Three Junes. I have no idea how it came into my possesion. I was reading Catch-22, but got tired of it and quit. Thsi is better but I'm not sure where the storyline is going. It reads like a soap opera. I don't get far with it today. My mind is on other things, like how Ralph and I will get on this Sunday.
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The ride back home is uneventful. I know the route so well. I stop for a couple of snaps just to record the day. I need to start packing as I teach tomorrow and Ralph is picking me up early on Sunday morning. The weather today makes it hard to know what to wear. As he's driving, it seems best to just pack a bit of everything and wear what that day's weather dictates.
I end up with a bag stuffed full as though I'm going on a months-long tour. Debbie always says that I take too much stuff.
When Debbie gets home at gone 8:00 she tries on the jeans and they fit just right.
Today's ride: 28 km (17 miles)
Total: 28 km (17 miles)
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I don't know how you manaage to keep a daily record while touring. Hats off to you.
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