January 31, 2019
Around Kaohsuing
home by train
The hotel rate includes breakfast, but I know these are invariably crap and in the windowless B1 level I drink a coffee with that UHT stuff and have a steamed bread roll, then decide to toast a couple of slices of anemic bread that get covered with a tacky jam and the end result tastes like sugary cardboard.
I'm outside with my bike before 8:00 and it seems a shame the sun is being shy as I'd like to get some blue-sky snaps of Pier-2 for a magazine article and do my best, but know the images look flat. The sun only comes out in brief bursts.
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Debbie reminded me last night that I can't send my bike home from the train station in Kaohsiung because its one of those that is considered too big/busy. That seems plain stupid to me and it means having to ride to one nearby - so going past the big arts center at Wei-wu-ying seems like a good idea as it en route to the station at Fengshan.
A main road runs east to the National Kaohsiung Center for the Arts and it has lots of red lights. There are few people around and I wander around looking for something photogenic. The building itself is so big that it's hard to get it all in a single shot, while the large grounds and plants are too new and the brown grass looks crappy, so instead I focus on the lines of the building, walking inside the ground floor area.
After a while the sun comes out and I ride east to the Da-Dong Center and take a few photos of it before going to the nearby train station and on the way I stop at a 7-Eleven to buy the newspaper so there's something to read later.
The guy at the train station behind the glass sells me a seat on a train north that leaves in just over an hour. It takes over four hours to get home and I have to switch seats en route as it's a bit busy, but its good he helps me out like that.
The guy in the baggage department tells me that it's no longer possible to send my bike because New Year is almost here, but it's only Thursday afternoon and most people work until Friday night. He tells me the last train left an hour ago and the next baggage train won't be for another 10 days and says a delivery service will transport my bike via truck and the office is not too far away. He calls them to check it's OK and it's close to the hotel I stayed in the first night - just a few minutes down the road.
The transport service charges me NT$700 and say my bike will be there tomorrow and I leave the panniers on as they're heavy to lug back to the station and they use zip-ties to make sure they don't come off.
It gets cool sat on the train once the sun goes down and I think about the clothes in my panniers including three jackets that I've never worn.
Today's ride: 10 km (6 miles)
Total: 115 km (71 miles)
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A delightful tour to while away a gloomy Burgundy winter’s day. As always I am in awe of your photographic skills. No false modesty man, you are seriously talented. My wife Sue is a photographer too, and she is equally impressed with your work. Well done.
Oh, and the narrative is a fun read.
Cheers,
Keith
3 years ago
You must be locked down there in France. Hopefully you're managing to keep sane and safe.
As you may know, Taiwan has managed the virus well and life is basically unchanged.
I saw in your last journal that you made reference to your eyes. Mine are not as good as they used to be - I had cataract surgery on both last year, and need drops each day to control glaucoma. hopefully you get yours sorted out OK.
My hands suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome and often get numb.
It's age.
3 years ago