December 24, 2022
December 24th
out with g to Daxi
Yesterday my friend g emailed and suggested a ride and said he'd come over, which is what he does at gone 9:30. Although the sun's out, it's cool again and I have leggings on and my red jacket, plus a wool cap and gloves.
We ponder where to go for about seven seconds and then I lead him along the road towards Longtan. We soon reach the old houses that I photographed yesterday and he sees some of the murals and as the one of the tank is now in more sunshine, we stop and I take a snap of it, then another one of g exploring the side street.
We pedal by a few of 7-Elevens and eventually stop at one quite close to Longtan. We'd wondered about going into the town centre and popping into Louisa Coffee, but the current plan is to veer around its edge and head to a dam. Before leaving I go in the washroom and take off a T-shirt that's under my merino top as I feel hot.
After dropping down a lane and going up an incline on the wide route 3, we turn right onto a road that leads to Shirmen Dam. With it being a weekend, vendors have set up stalls along the edges and there are visitors milling around. One stall has funky Nepalese hats and g buys one for his wife as a stocking-filler.
We squeeze through the toll barrier where cars have to pay an entrance fee and it's likely a year since I was around here, but for g it's a lot longer. After going along the top of the dam, we ride up a long hill that follows the reservoir's north shore. The water below is aquamarine and the level is high and my jacket is off and so are my hat and gloves. Lots of cyclists come the other way. This is cycling weather and it's a wonderful route.
After a winding descent, we cross a short bridge and ride up a steep section that lasts a couple of hundered metres, then lock our bikes up outside Lakeside Cafe. It has a lower level with a terrace and that's where we sit, in the sun, and order coffees. I get a wedge of cake to keep me going.
The reservoir road continues to curve around the edge of the water, rising and falling until it eventually brings us to Highway 7. I soon spot a temple roof and we go around the back of some homes to take a look. It's not very old, but it's a surprise that it's something I've never noticed before.
The 7 drops us towards Daxi and it's about 9km of mostly downhill. We pause a couple of times for me to take photos and it's around 2:00 when we reach Louisa Coffee in town. We're both hungry. I imagined it'd be full but there are lots of empty seats.
| Heart | 3 | Comment | 2 | Link |
1 year ago
1 year ago
Daxi is a tourist spot and its 'Old Street' is lined with 100-year-old merchants' homes. The town is packed. We make our way to an elevator that could save us a trek, but there's a long lineup, so we walk with the crowds to the stone steps and wheel the bikes down to the river then cross it via a now-pedestrian bridge that's thronged with visitors all wearing face masks, even though they're no longer required outdoors.
There's a bicycle path and we follow that and get on a road heading roughly north to Taipei. We soon branch off and then take an even smaller one that just feeds farms. There's no longer any traffic and the fields have nothing growing in them now.
The quiet lane takes us to a branch that climbs up an escarpment with a couple of hairpins and my energy is low, but I manage to ride up it all. The temperature has dropped as the sun has got low but the hill heats me up and it's hard to know what to wear. I just have the merino wool top on.
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It only takes five minutes or so to reach the apartment building where g used to live and he reckons it's seven years since he moved which blows my mind. It only seems like two or three. After a couple of blocks we get to a junction where we split up to go our seperate ways home.
I follow a lane that cuts through farmland. When I get to a crossroads I know I've made a mistake and should turn around, but for some reason keep cycling and make a right after a while. It is vaguely familiar but I'm guessing which way to go at junctions, but eventually I reach the road I should have been on.
The sun's power has diminished and it'd be a good idea to put my jacket on. I don't bother.
Today's ride: 50 km (31 miles)
Total: 2,100 km (1,304 miles)
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Merry Christmas Graham and Debbie. It’s sunny here in burgundy, but I doubt I’ll be getting the bike out. French cuisine on Noel has produced its usual effect, and even your café calories would pale by comparison. I need a nap after eating our dinner!
Cheers,
Keith
1 year ago