January 30th

January 30, 2023

Hsinchu to Zhunan

A nice lady working out of a small unit in town fitted a new battery to my Casio watch the other day, so I can tell the time now and it's 8:30 when I wheel my bike out the door and set off for the train station. The plan is to do the ride Debbie and I abandoned the other day. It's wonderfully sunny today and hopefully I can get my bike on the express that leaves at 9:09.

The rear mudguard problem has been sorted out by using a 12" hacksaw to get rid of a few inches and I also cut off the two surplus metal stays with the same tool. The reflector was a screw-on and I drilled a new hole and refitted that. Fingers crossed the mudgaurd is still long enough to prevent rainwater getting splashed up my back.

My rear mudguard has been sawn shorter and the reflector refitted

The ticket clerk says the 9:09 express has no more room for bikes, which surprises me as people are back at work today after the long break for Chinese New Year and I expected it to be just me. I know there's a commuter train at 9:18, but as I'm early she gets me on the 8:59 departure. This will also take about 48 minutes to get to Hsinchu, stopping at every place along the way, but I'll be there before 10 and today there's no sightseeing around town on the itinerary.

The train isn't full but there are enough people to occupy many of the seats, including the four where bikes can be stored. It means standing up for most of the journey, which seems to take ages, and once out at Hsinchu, it's straight into the ride south to Zhunan.

My jacket comes off once out of the station, so I'm just in a short-sleeved top with a pair of arm-warmers and as I ride along the wide, city road, my eyes are peeled for a decent coffee shop. None appear and as I get close to the turning I want that will take me along a small lane, I opt to call in at a 7-Eleven nearby as this is the last chance. Seven's cheap coffee - about US$1.50 - is not too bad and the sun blazes through the large window and almost fuses me to my seat as I drink it. The weather is weird.

Coffee time in Hsinchu - just after 10:00 in a 7-Eleven

After crossing the main road I veer along a lane that runs beside the railway tracks. It feels good to be away from the traffic, but it's not a thrilling route in terms of sights. I pause and take a couple of snaps of older houses, but it's not long before I'm at a lane that climbs up to a large park that's got a long name: 19 Hectares Grassland. I'm not really sure of the size of a hectare, but this place obviously constitutes 19 of them.

It's hard to say how the park came about, but it all looks quite fresh, with not many mature trees. The path that winds through it rises and falls and there are groups of people out enjoying the warmer weather. It doesn't seem a natural route and the tarmac looks like it's less than a year old.

At one point a woman dressed all in white - in what appears to be ceremonial robes - is banging on a drum and standing facing a tree. It seems this has religious significance to her, but it isn't very big or old. It looks dead.

I walked a bit of a steep climb up to 19 Hectares Grassland

Woman banging a drum in front of a tree in 19 Hectares Grassland

The route through the park keeps twisting and turning, with dips and climbs thrown in. It brings me out on a quiet road and I use my screenshots to make lefts and rights and whatever as I make my way south and then west towards the coast. There's no chance Debbie and I would have made it here by using just Google Maps on her phone. There are even a couple of times when my detailed screenshots make it hard to know where to turn.

The last, short section to the coast is along the top of a concrete defense wall and then I hit the bicycle path that runs along the west coast - just where there's a crossing over an estuary at Baiyun Bridge. It's a while since I rode here, but my memory isn't totally shot and little bits are familiar. The sands stretch out towards the distant sea, which is looks like it's not coming back in this far any time soon. There's a range of sizeable dunes along and here and there are basic, marooned fishing craft sitting isolated.

The path crosses over from Hscinchu into Miaoli County and soon after a screenshot tells me to make a left and there's a map fixed beside the route showing the way to the nearby Qiding Tunnels, which are my next stop.

Rough track leading west to the coast (see screenshot below)

It's just as well I did some research, as getting on the lane that leads to the tunnels is not straighforward. It becomes clear I'm heading in the right direction when I pass visitors on their way back to their vehicles. Many give me the thumbs up and look a bit surprised to see a foreign face.

The tunnels are on what used to be the original rail line, which is a short distance away now, moved over for whatever reason. Getting here included going through a very low tunnel under the line.

The pair of old tunnels still seem strucually sound. At the second I know it's be best to take a turn and climb up a small track, as at the end of the line there are a series of steps to contend with. The winding track gets a bit hard and I walk for a little before cruising down to come out near Qiding Station. A train has just pulled in.

From the station I make my way further south on the coastal bicycle route that cuts through a wooded area with a host of huge wind turbines spinning away until it's time to ride east at Longfeng Harbour.

My route east into Zhunan is a bit complicated and involves back streets, which means consulting my screenshots pretty often. After a while I just use instinct and my compass, but get confused and slightly lost. The good news is a 7-Eleven appears and as it's 1:30 it seems fate and I pop in for lunch... pasta.

One of two old tunnels north of Qiding Station

In the end I ride direct to Zhunan train station following signs, as I know the area I want to visit is fairly close by. It's a district called Toufen and has a neighborhood of older homes that sounds interesting. Just by the station is a NET clothing shop and the temptation is too much and I pop in and end up with a plaid, flannel shirt and striped long-sleeved T-shirt that will be gifts for someone.

Finding the area of old, brick-built homes in Toufen is easy enough and I spend 20-odd minutes cruising around. The lanes are small and some are so narrow it's not possible to get the bike down. A few are dead-ends.

The place has clearly become something of an attraction and vistors are walking about armed with cameras, just like myself. Many properties have been decorated with murals and in my mind this dissolves their rustic appeal, while posters of films from a bygone era have been painted by someone with limited artistic skills and these adorn numerous walls. There are a few cafes and coffee shops, but it's too late in the day for me and I opt to get back to the station to see what departures north there are. I doubt I will have to wait more than 30 minutes.

Repro movie poster done by a master of perspective (in Toufen)

It's gone 3:00 when I get to the ticket office and the clerk tells me a commuter train leaves at 23 minutes past and it costs a total of about US$4 for the ride north. When it pulls in it's good to see it has hangers for bikes and I hook mine up and am surprised to be the only passenger in the whole carriage - for about 30 minutes.

It's a journey of almost 80 minutes and once out and onto the street, my jacket is needed. The sun's now low and the temperature has dropped too.

Heading back north from Zhunan on the 15:23

Today's ride: 40 km (25 miles)
Total: 2,317 km (1,439 miles)

Rate this entry's writing	Heart	3
Comment on this entry	Comment	0