December 27, 2022
December 27th
coffee with Ralph in town
I cycled with Ralph over a month ago. He was limping a bit at the time and we assumed it was just a stiff muscle, but the pain increased and a couple of weeks ago he ended up in hospital. The doctors found five aneurysms, with blood flow seriously restricted to his left leg. He had surgery and is not up to riding, but he says getting into town on his motor scooter is fine, so we agree to meet for a coffee. It's a 15-minute ride for me.
He had the misfortune to spend his birthday in hospital and we never got to have a beer then, so I take the few bits I bought for him - a pair of blue Cannondale bottle cages and a couple of cans of beer - and we sit outside Louisa Coffee catching up.
He's on blood-thinners and maybe will be for a long time. Aneurysms are not something to be taken lightly. Before they did the surgery, the doctors said there was a 20 percent chance his leg would have to be amputated. That's sobering.
The main post office is just around the corner and after 40 minutes of chat, we go our separate ways and I wheel my bike there and send a card to my son in the UK. The birthday package I posted him back in September got returned this morning and I just want to let him know. It's a mystery why he didn't collect it - this is the third time a package posted to him has come back to Taiwan. Who knows if he got my Christmas one OK.
As I'm in town I decide to see if I can find any more brushed cotton pyjama bottoms for Debbie. She got two pairs for Christmas and would like more. They're from NET and there's an outlet I've not been to for a while, so I ride there and see what they have and leave disappointed. They only have small sizes left.
The river is just a block away and I recall seeing an abandoned home earlier this year downstream and wonder what's happened to it. My guess is it's been demoloshed. There's only one way to find out.
My heavy jacket is off as it's now sunny. It's surprisingly rural just a minute from town.
The single-floor house is still there. It's just a shell and a few wooden windows were something that I salvaged. The interior of the roofless rooms at the back have become overgrown with weeds, but there's a tent occupying one of the front rooms that looks OK. I then spot a sleeping bag inside another dry space and realise homeless people have moved in, so decide to leave after taking a couple of snaps.
I return along the cycle path beside the river and don't see anyone else riding before turning into the town centre. I pop into a posh department store thinking there's a NET inside, but there isn't, then ride back towards home.
There's a house standing empty near the Carrefour supermarket close to home and the 3' x 3' metal grill to one of the rear windows is one I want. The sun looks like it's in the right place to cast some light on it so the plan is to take a snap and I make a detour to luckily find the agent showing a prospective buyer around.
He thinks I am interested in buying the place and tells me the asking price is almost NT$10 million, which is US$300,000. It's derelict and is basically two floors with one room on each. After using a transalation app, he understands what I want and I give him my namecard and hope the person who eventually buys it will let me have the grill. The agent likely thinks I'm a nutter.
Today's ride: 12 km (7 miles)
Total: 2,112 km (1,312 miles)
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