March 7, 2023
March 7th
Danan with Ralph
Ralph and I had a couple of beers last night in a downtown bar and agreed that we ought to get out for a spin what with the weather being so nice. It's been a while since we rode, but his leg seems to be feeling better after having surgery for anuerisms and pushing himself a bit will hopefully help the recovery process.
Thankfully I'm awake at eight and after a quick call, we agree to meet in town at nine at our usual rendezvous spot near the river. It gives me time to get a coffee en route and I pause at Louisa Coffee and ride onwards with the paper cup wedged in my bottle cage and the drink is mostly consumed when Ralph arrives at just before nine. He's wearing a blue, cotton, long-sleeved Cannondale top that I gave him, as it was something I never wore: it always felt too warm for Taiwan. I'm in a short-sleeved one.
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Ralph says today marks the date he arrived in Taiwan 22 years ago and I outline a route that won't be too taxing and we then ride along the riverside cycle path, past several elderly women out for a stroll in the sunshine. There are one or two people on bikes, too, and we spot a turtle enjoying the spring warmth, sunning itself on a rock protruding out of the shallow water.
It's not long before we veer off the path and head towards my place, along a few back streets that I rode with Debbie last week. Once we cross over the 113, we make our way through my neighborhood, down alleys that are very narrow and in shade, then get on the 114 and turn south. We're not on this busy road for very long before Ralph gets a new experience of a rural back lane, one that winds its way beside smallholdings and paddies that have a few inches of water in them. It's quiet here.
We pause at a seriously rusty tricycle that must be over 50 years old. It's a robust, bomb-proof thing with really heavy wheels and just a rear, totally no-nonsense lever-operated brake. It's not something that's been here long - I would have remembered seeing it. There's a piece of wire attaching it to a nearby concrete pole, not that it would deter theft. Whenever I see these things and it occurs to me to renovate one and this model would be ideal, as apart from the plastic seat, it looks to be original. It's just that pedalling it would be a strenuous challenge unless the route was totally flat. You wouldn't want to ride far.
As we're looking at it, a farmer with a spraying equipment strapped to his back walks up the lane and he seems a friendly guy and he lets me take his portrait - a suntanned face with a big smile.
The route is nice as there's very little traffic and it curves through a rural patch of the area. Eventually we get onto route 48, which leads us into Danan, which I always consider to be the old part of Bade. The 48 doesn't have much space and is a road with a decent amount of traffic, but it only takes us about 5-10 minutes to reach the town's market area, where there's a small branch of Louisa Coffee.
The market is crowded and motor scooters and the odd car crawl through the tight area and we ride at just above walking speed, past stalls selling meat, veg and fruit, as well as hardware and whatever. Raspy-voiced vendors shout out there wares and prices. It's all very traditional.
Ralph says he has taught at a school around the corner from Louisa, but has never been it this outlet. maybe that's because it's on a side street and you would have to know where to look to find it.
We cycle back up the 114 accompanied by cars and scooters and feel happy to reach the junction where we make a left and get on the rural lane. It's like we've entered a different world.
Ralph's leg seems to be fine. He says it was feeling weak for the first 20 minutes this morning, but perhaps the riding has increased circulation a bit. We have a slight climb to do to get back on the 114 and it's this sort of strain that is a challenge, but he makes it OK.
The 114 is the usual frantic, wide strip and we soon get off it and make our way back down side streets and alleys that are mostly just wide enough for one car, then get a bit lost.
We come out on a road and things look familiar. There are market stalls and although we've come slightly out the way, after five minutes we're at a roundabout and heading back towards my neighborhood, cruising slightly downhill before spliting up and going our separate ways when I have to make a right turn a few minutes from home.
Today's ride: 25 km (16 miles)
Total: 2,443 km (1,517 miles)
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