April 17th

April 17, 2023

Longtan

Debbie and I went to an Indian restaurant for lunch yesterday. Her dish was nice, but my chicken tikka was a bit weird. I ate it all, but then had serious indigestion and this morning still felt quite bloated.

The bloated feeling gets worse after putting on a pair of cycling shorts. These shorts always give the feeling they're about to fall down any minute and have me pulling them up all the time, while the shirt I put on is not really long enough. It's one of those tight tops that are called 'racing fit', but I had the elastic removed from the hem to make it looser. Nevertheless, this shorts-top combo make me feel like a sack or potatoes tied up tight and after a few minutes I swap the top for a baggy polo shirt that looks like something a golfer would wear.

The cycling top is one I got from a charity shop here about a year ago. Funnily enough I was in the place recently and spotted another cycling shirt which was only NT$50 - less than US$2. I was on the verge of buying it, but realised it was one I donated a while ago. It must have been deemed surplus and past its prime. That would have been odd - buying my own clothing back.

Well, from today people here no longer need to wear a mask on public transport, so it finally looks like the lockdown is over and done with. Having said that, I think most Taiwanese will still wear them. While we were sat in the Indian yesterday, Debbie had one on. I was going to say something to her, but didn't bother. It'll take a few months for the habit to break.

I remember having to cycle with a mask on last year. That was a pain. My face would get very sweaty and it seemed ludicrous while out alone in the countryside.

This morning a warm wind is blowing in my face and my smiling mouth is there for all to see as I pedal away towards Longtan for a coffee. The temperature is getting up towards 30°C and there's suncream on my arms.

Being mask-free means my burping is unhindered. The indegestion is getting sorted with each pedal stroke.

It'd be nice to have a dollar for every time I've cycled along this route. While my camera is in my barbag, I know there's not much to snap that hasn't already been snapped. It's something different that's needed and a women in a conical straw hat is bent double in a waterlogged field, pulling stuff up with her hands. It looks hard work and she doesn't seem to notice me pause and take a quick shot.

Soon after a metal stool catches my eye. It's in a shaft of sunlight, otherwise I wouldn't have noticed it. After crouching down and taking a snap, I notice two women sat across the road in a small warehouse having a break. They're looking over at me, no doubt wondering why the hell someone would take such a photo.

There's a David Sedaris book I'm reading that gets taken into Louisa Coffee and I sit reading for about 45 minutes. Once outside, I take a photo of my mkII mudflap - the one I made earlier this month didn't last much more than a day. It was made of plastic and split, so I bought some thin A4 sheet of foam and fashioned one from it. We'll see how it does. It's black and has some refelctive tape stuck on it.

I ride a different way out of Longtan, not only just for a change, but also I'm thinking of calling in at a small cafe for a bite to eat. When I get there it's closed. In Taiwan, many businesses don't open on Mondays as they open on Sundays. This is one of them.

When I get near the junction with Highway 66, I make a left and follow a small lane running beside a canal. Again, it's a bit different. There's a section that was closed when Debbie and I came the other way last month, but I reckon it'll be open by now and it is.

I don't see any other people on bikes, and just one or two out for a stroll. The sun comes and goes, but it's nice the path is shaded as it feels pretty hot now. In another month or so, it'll be quite uncomfortable to ride. It gets too hot.

The section of path that was closed last time I was here

The canal path gets me back to a junction with Highway 66 and it's then a case of following a riverside trail. The scenery isn't spectacular, but it's relaxing, with paddies lining a lot of it. The rice has grown a few inches in the past couple of weeks, so the fields look more like a solid green now, rather than rows of little shoots.

A guy aged 18 or so is jogging quiet fast, but he's just wearing flip-flops that making a slapping sound with each stride.

It's a bit late for lunch and my appetite isn't great, so I just head home via a network of side streets once I turn off the riverside trail. Thankfully my indegestion has eased thanks to the near-constant burping.

Tonight I'll ride into town at gone nine to meet Ralph for a drink. Life is good.

Today's ride: 24 km (15 miles)
Total: 2,745 km (1,705 miles)

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