Health Day

January 14, 2020

Par Boiled, Chilled and Battered

Luodong has turned out to be a delightful regional city in a remarkable area of fertile agriculture and hot springs. So we decided to stay here a day longer.

The summary is we decided to rebook into the hotel, and do a return day ride with light loads out toward the northern hills where there are hot springs. We reached a town called Xiaoxi or Jiaoxi or Jiaosi.

We mostly followed Road 9 with a few diversions and detours. In Jiaoxi we enjoyed a thorough soak in hot and cold pools. It was more like an aqua park than a hot spring or onsen. It even had a water slide. No we didn’t try the slide, but after an hour or so soaking in the pools, we rode the 20+ kms back to Luodong.

This day ride (our last full day of cycling on this trip) in the countryside was another pleasant treadle in perfect weather, on excellent paths and roads rolling through very interesting landscapes with a mix of farming, villages and creeping urbanisation.

Taiwan really is an easy, enjoyable country to cycle tour in. I’m already wanting to return here for another cycle tour and we haven’t left yet.