March 3rd

March 3, 2022

Longtan

After my 7-Eleven coffee and daily newspaper-reading routine ends at gone nine and I've strolled the block back to my building, it's a drag to find the elevator not working. It's a climb up six flights to get back up to the apartment and my heart rate is certainly going.

The elevator was working just 20 minutes ago and it's only after trying to check my email that it's clear the whole building is without power. Without electricity and Wi-Fi, it takes Debbie a while to find out that a big chuck of Taiwan is in the same boat. Apparently a power plant in the south has gone off-line

My plan had been to get out for a ride, but carrying my bike down six flights is a big ask and while I could use my commuter bike, which I leave on the ground floor, it doesn't appeal. It's OK for short trips to town, but it's not well maintained and he gears were crunching a bit yesterday when I rode to the main post office.

It's a surprise when at gone 11 o'clock I absentmindedly flick a switch and a light comes on. Great. Soon after I take my bike down in the elevator and head off in muted sunshine towards the small town of Longtan. It'll be lunch time when I get there.

I ride along and cross the main road, then follow what's a relatively new section of road and soon see a man on a bike that looks too small riding with one hand while his right holds onto a trolley loaded with what looks like recyclables. His arm must be aching. He crosses over and rides down a side street and as he reaches the end my camera is out just in time.

The ride to Longtan is very familiar and there's not much I've not photographed over the years. I pass a few side streets I've never ridden down and with time to spare I make a left and cruise back and forth down dead-ends.

The houses that have not been remodeled have metal grills on windows just like the ones I saw with Debbie on Sunday. The triangular design reminds me of the Mitsubishi logo - the Japanese name translates to three water chestnuts - and I imagine these buildings are 40-odd years old.

I spot a bicycle parked near a flooded paddy and know there must be a farmer nearby and sure enough I pedal past a man who's chin-deep in muddy water, bent down and pulling up weeds around its periphery by hand. He looks to be at least 70 and has no doubt done this work since boyhood.

Just along the road I spot a wheelbarrow parked on a narrow path between rice fields and can see it's loaded with shoots that will be planted today or tomorrow. The farmer is likely having lunch. It's now 12:15 and I spend a minute or two on the dirt path taking a few shots from different angles.

The fields I pass are mostly flooded and in a month or so they'll be a vibrant green. Right now they look drab.

I stop in at a couple of small recycling yards and show a woman and then a man the photo I took of a window grill and ask if they have any that have been brought in for scrap, and it's no surprise to find they haven't got any.

Once in Longtan, it only takes a few minutes to find the local Traveller Cafe, which although much bigger than the local one, the dozen or so tables are surprisingly full. A young server cleans one table recently vacated near the window and gives me a menu. It's slightly different and I opt for a spicy risotto, followed by a waffle.

My cappuccino soon arrives but it isn't very big and soon disappears.

The music being played is modern folk, which is all new to me, and the chatter of other customers floats across the large space.

My stomach is stuffed by the time my waffle and ice cream have been consumed.

I veer to the town's south side and get on a lane that borders more rice fields and it's just wide enough for a small vehicle like farmers use when planting and harvesting crops. It makes a nice bike path.

My ride back towards home is very familiar and I wonder if there's anything new to photograph. An elderly man wearing a baseball cap is chatting to a woman in a conical hat sat astride her bike. They're talking in Taiwanese and while I have no idea what they're saying, the sight is a nice one and I surreptitiously stop and take their photo.

The wheelbarrow is still there with the rice in it and the farmer has made his way around the edge of the paddy and is now pulling up weeds beside the road.

A side street I pass gets my attention because the windows have metal grills. It seems my eyes are now trained to spot them. The designs are slightly different and I take photos before enjoying the very slight drop back towards home.

Today's ride: 24 km (15 miles)
Total: 1,542 km (958 miles)

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