June 26th

June 26, 2023

birthday ride to the Republic of Chocolate

One traditional breakfast staple here in Taiwan is 'mantou', which is a soft, white, round bun. Fresh out of a heated glass display caninet, it's obviously hot and has a slightly sticky surface. Well, that's how I feel as I pedal away from home in 34°C heat.

Today being my birthday, it seems worth getting out, despite the dangerous heat and swealtering humidity. It won't be a very long ride - less than an hour each way - and will be along quiet roads. After getting outside, I head to the nearby 114 and go sout, then make a left and make a beeline to a district named Danan 大湳. The first character 大 means big, but I'm not sure what 'nan' means. It may not mean anything.

There's about five minutes' of riding on the 114 and I spot a group of around 10 playing croquet on some grass before making my left turn. They look to be retired and are mostly standing in some shade, but the adjacent trees can only do so much. You don't see much grass in Taiwan and the stuff that grows here is fairly thick stuff.

I make a left and after a few hunderd metres reach where there's an obscure junction to a narrow lane that serves farmland and a small bunch of homes. Just before the turning, parked outside a house, is a painted wooden chair that reminds me of a Charles Rennie Mackintosh design and I pause to take a snap because it seems less often that I see chairs outide.

The lane drops and my speed picks up, but I take it quite steady as you never know who's going to appear from nowhere - the homes and units have doors that open directly onto the lane and many of them are modern ones made of stainless steel. My reflection comes back at me as I go past and one is at an angle, so I try to take a self-timed shot of the reflection, but it doesn't quite work out, even after seveal attempts. It's hot work.

On the quiet lane - trying to get my reflection in the metal door

My route takes me beside farmland, polytunnels and a shallow river and I follow the flow of the water, which tells me I'm going 'downhill' but it's imperceptible. There's not much breeze.

Rather than taking the more obvious route directly into Danan along the busy Guanfu Road, I cut acoss it and make my way along back roads that feed small industrial units and more farms. The route is roughly parallel and isn't much further and it spits me out right next to the traditional market. Before heading to nearby Louisa Coffee, I spend a few minutes in a charity shop. There's nothing to buy.

My order is usually a hot cappucinno, but today I get an iced one and sit at a window stool and read some pages of an older Haruki Murakami novel. There's only me in the place. My birthday treat is a lemon tart that's smaller than my Cateye rear-view mirror.

Going back the way I came makes perfect sense, as the alternative means cycling along with lots of traffic. nevertheless, I hard through teh heart of danan along Route 4. It's frantic at any time but a long section of road remodeeling has resticted the flow to two lanes along a section and it's not a lot of fun.

At one set of lights I look up and see a sign pointing to the Republic of Chocolate and Chocolate Street. My birthday ride takes a turn - literally.

Chocolate Street isn't something Willy Wonka would recognise. It goes past warehouses that don't seem to be very active and there's nobody around to ask where the Republic of Chocolate is.

There's an intersection and straight ahead is a huge parking area with a factory in the distance. I cruise in and make my way to a pair of locked gates, above with small letters spell out what I'm looking for. Adjacent is what used to be a ticket booth -now abandoned - with dusty signs saying how much a guided tour of the factory cost. It all adds up to giving the impression of the place being shut down, but there are seveal 16-wheel trucks parked outside a series of new-looking loading bays, some with engines their running. While this is clearly not the way in anymore, there must ne an entrance somewhere and I decide to head back and make my way to the front.

The factory is huge. It's so big that I think it must be two or more different businesses. Once on the main road, I find the entrance where a security guy points me to a nearby block, which is a small shop staffed by a few women. One soon hands me a wrapped piece which is dark and tastes wonderful. Their English is basic, but it becomes clear the factory tours are no longer run. The good news is there's a range of goodies for sale and I end up with a bar of chocolate with an nondescripy foil covering and a polythene bag of chunks. As I make my way back around the side of the factory along a narrow street, pieces get plopped in my mouth. They're chewy and melting already.

Monday nights are ones I meet up with Ralph for a beer. My other Canadian frind g is also coming out to celebrate my birthday and we meet up at gone 9:00 in a bar in the city centre - one that serves around six draught brews. I opt for an IPA as usual.

We chat about the upcoming Tour de France, Ralph's five-week trip to Portugal and Canada next week and eventually get joined by one of Ralph's coworkers.

Sometimes the bar is inexplicably busy and the room's accoustics make it very noisy, but there's just one man sat at the bar looking at his smartphone and the music playing is a mix of 60s Brit-pop and jazz that's not very loud.

I have two beers before we all call it a night at gone 11 o'clock. The roads are now quieter, but Taiwan is never fully asleep.

Today's ride: 25 km (16 miles)
Total: 3,136 km (1,947 miles)

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Suzanne GibsonHappy Birhday!
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1 year ago

Suzanne GibsonThe typo makes it almost sound like beer-day. :)
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1 year ago

Graham FinchTo Suzanne GibsonMany thanks, Suzanne - it was a nice day and it's always good to have a beer with friends, as you well know.
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1 year ago