June 22, 2021
June 22nd
Shirmen Dam
A week's gone by, but it seems longer than that, what with me being cooped up at home, hiding from the sun that's been scorching anything it lays its eyes on. The good news is last night it looked like it might rain and the sky this morning is overcast and it feels a bit cooler, so getting out for a spin is on. At last.
The temp is around 30 and it's 10 o'clock and riding around a reservoir near the town of Daxi appeals. There's an undulating road that skirts the water's northern edge and it's quiet and gives super views of the green hills that surround the whole area. It'll be interesting to see how low the water level is, as there was talk of rationing domestic and industrial use here last month, until some rain fell. According to reports, it's about half full.
In the spare room is a plastic storage box full of cycling clothes and I dig around and find a yellow and blue top bought in Tuscany about 16 years ago. It's a bit tight on me.
Since last week's ride my tyres have gone down and feel squishy, so I pedal around the corner to a scooter repair place and use the guy's compressed air hose to get them up to pressure in just a second or two. It's easier than using my track-pump.
With it being grey, taking colour snaps seems pointless and my eyes are looking out for things which will lend themselves to being transformed via Photoshop to black and white. First up is a crudely painted Chinese character on the wall of a house. It means 'slow'. It's sat at the head of a small T junction and such locations have bad feng-shui and consequently these houses are always cheaper to buy. It wouldn't bother me.
My route is initially the same as the one to Longtan - and what I rode last week when I cycled to Daxi. That polished metal door that I photographed reflecting my image is wide open again, but a black and white snap just wouldn't work. When I get to the top of the small tree-shaded lane that zips down into a small valley my tripod gets set up to take a timed shot of me set against the dark foliage and the shutter clicks just as a scooter veers around the 90-degree bend and photo-bombs me.
The difference of today's ride is that instead of zipping down the long hill on Route 3, I make a right near its top and follow a road that goes past market vendors selling fruit, drinks and various knickknacks, but with COVID restrictions, they're not here.
The road continues to go down to where cars have to pay at a toll to enter the reservoir area - it's some kind of 'resort' - but when I get to it the metal barrier is totally blocking entrance, which seems odd. Clearly COVID restrictions have been taken to another level.
After doubling back and then finding a second entrance also blocked off, there's no real choice but to ride to Daxi. Starbucks there is going to get my custom again. I get back on Route 4 and whiz down at 50km/hr before cycling along Route 4.
The old part of Daxi is just a block or two away from Starbucks and that's where I venture first. One of the original side streets has seen some serious renovation work since my last visit quite a while ago and I pause outside a grand building, which like many, is in a baroque style and has ornate features, along with its name - this particular one also in English. Behind the facade is just an empty space where construction work is going on.
Daxi was a busy port a hundred years ago, when Japan ruled Taiwan, with camphor and hardwood getting loaded onto boats that then sailed down the river to Taipei, but things changed, as they do. Now the nearby river is very shallow due to Shirmen Dam and there's no way a boat could sail on it. At Daxi it'd be hard to float far in a rubber dingy.
There's only me in Starbucks. I ask the clerk if he's lonely and get a hot Korean sandwich and a cappuccino - the same as last time - and put the bag over the end of my bars and cruise down towards the river and turn left at a set of lights just before the long bridge.
The gazebo overlooking the valley isn't taped off, which is a relief, and I have my coffee and snack in peace. Ten minutes later I ride through a short tunnel to get to what is now a pedestrian bridge. When taiwan's former dictator - Chiang Kai-shek - died in 1975 his cortege had to cross the old bridge and drive through this tunnel. Apparently at that time it was too narrow for motor vehicles and work was hurriedly done to make it wide enough, with workers only having a short time to complete a massive job. His mausoleum is a couple of miles up the hill from Daxi, at a spot called Cihu where he had a villa.
Instead of cycling the way I did last time after crossing the old bridge, I go in the opposite direction along the bike path. Again it's been a while since I rode here and the trees that line sections of the path have grown and hang over the smooth surface.
The path leads to a farm lane that serves a patchwork of fields. Rice and onions are the two main crops and it's a picturesque route with the lane curving this way and that. I take snap of a rotund pomelo that is one of many hanging from a couple of trees beside a simple home.
Above the sky is pretty threatening and a wind is now blowing in my face and it's not long before spots of rain start to fall. There's no shelter here and after a few kilometres the route veers up and starts to climb up an escarpment. The rain doesn't arrive in a meaningful way, thankfully.
For my first few years in Taiwan, the final leg of the route to the top was just rough and the place was a favorite spot for fly-tippers. It's now been surfaced and the garbage disappeared a long time ago. There's a great view back towards Daxi and the river before the route bends and T's into a main road.
My tripod gets placed on the edge of the lane just where trees form a kind of arched window that frames the landscape in the distance. While standing there assessing the result on the camera's screen, I drink the last of my drink which has become lukewarm and notice how damp my shirt, hat and mitts are.
After the climb the main road is not the best experiences in the world. It's surprising how often Debbie and I used to ride along this way on our way back from Daxi. We'd usually ride there every Sunday at one point, about 10 or more years ago.
There's not much to photograph but when I spot some murals while at a red light, I venture down the side street to see that the artists was on some kind of mission. Al the homes are decorated and the standard is high. For some reason all the work is focused on the movie series 'Despicable Me'.
A man sat outside is home on a bamboo chair looks over at me taking a shot of my bike. He pretends he's not looking a couple of times, but then we make eye contact. He looks to be at least 70 and it'd be nice to go over an dtake his portrait, but it would feel like intruding so I just give him a thumbs up before making my way home, just a few kilometres away now.
The drizzle has become more constant and the tarmac has a sheen to it and my Casio says it's getting on for 3:00 when I get to the end of my block. Once inside I check out news online to see what the COVID restrictions are as the government has to decide soon whether to ease the level 3 rules. The latest number of daily cases has dropped to below 100, so hopefully soon it'll be OK to sit inside a coffee shop and not have to cycle wearing a face mask.
Today's ride: 50 km (31 miles)
Total: 240 km (149 miles)
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