The Christmas period is over and I’ve finally got chance to bring you a somewhat brief report on my trip to Wutai 2 weeks ago.

The year started with hiking and would end with it, and something a little different. I’d been really enthusiastic about the mountains until late February then it started to heat up, the baseball started and my enthusiasm quickly evaporated. Aside from a few short walks, i.e. Jiantan in May, I’d really done nothing on the hiking front. This winter has ended up focused on cycling but for one day only, things would change. I know realise upon reading this back how nice it would be to head out to the hills again!

The Southern Taiwan Hiking group put out a post asking if anyone was interested in a trip to Wutai in Pingtung. It involved a hike, a hot spring and aboriginal meal, three things that really interested me. I’d known Wutai as being an aboriginal village deep up in the Pingtung mountains and it was inaccessible by public transport, I signed up. Despite not liking group activities this was a unique chance to do see Wutai, eat aboriginal food and visit a hot spring.

It was an early start which felt even earlier for me after I’d had about 45 minutes of sleep! I had to meet up in Kaohsiung which meant taking a train but I’d not wanted to leave my bicycle in Tainan City Centre all day. The first bus wasn’t until 6:15am which wouldn’t allow me to get to Kaohsiung until gone 8. I compromised and decided to cycle to Bao-an, one stop down the line and 6.5km away. It meant I could leave later at 6:15 and easily make the 6:50am train.

I got to Bao-an and bike parking wasn’t ideal. I ended up surrounding my bike amongst a load of rusty others and hoped Bao-an was as safe as it felt. I left my bike behind and took the train down to Minzu station

I tried to find a 7 Eleven nearby but couldn’t and worried about the 8am meet up time so had to go without. This didn’t end up mattering as I found the van wasn’t leaving until gone 8:30am. I did get my coffee and my food after all! It was 9am before the van finally started heading towards Wutai, picking up a straddler near the martial arts stadium.

Coming off Highway 3 and onto Highway 24 I recognized where we were, on the same road as I’d taken on a tourist bus to the Aboriginal Culture Center in Sandimen. The mountains got closer and soon we were heading up the spectacular mountain road to Wutai checkpoint.

The scenery got better and better as we got further up the mountain, the drive alone being worth the trip.

The drive soon came to an end, and it was just as well, I’d been travelling for well over 4 hours and just wanted to ‘get going’. What I didn’t quite know what was the hike would entail and as we descended down a rocky embankment to a river I quickly realised I’d wore the wrong things.

We had to cross a river which was over boot level deep. Never mind, once isn’t so bad I thought, then I was told we’d be crossing many many more times. It left me pretty downhearted and feeling silly for wearing boots. With wet feet and most others in waterproof shoes I knew it was going to be a long walk. Added to my wet feet I had thick socks on which absolutely ensured I’d be uncomfortable for the duration.

The second river crossing was nearing waist deep and at this point I abandoned my frustrated demeanour in favour of a “let’s just enjoy it” attitude despite my reservations crossing the river. Going waist high in water was strangely fun but crossings themselves left me a bit worried, not necessarily the depth but the fact I’m usually clumsy especially when it comes to rocks and slippery rocks even more so. It didn’t take long for me to gain some confidence and this became an enjoyable hike within about 20 minutes.

One aspect that may have helped was the incredible scenery walking up the valley. I was simply in awe and I guess it took my mind from the wet feet and fast flowing current.

The worst crossing was the 7th, and even after taking the initiative with the pace (no surprises given my length) I stopped. The water was fast moving and it looked deep. It was a tricky crossing which required some teamwork but after that, it was fairly easy until the final two.

The last two crossings were quite deep and looked treacherous. This wasn’t so bad, what seemed to be was we’d been informed we were an hour short of the hot spring area. It was 1:15pm and there was a need to get back before 4 for the restaurant and to ensure the van got back to Kaohsiung by 7.

People stopped for 30 minutes for lunch and to rest whilst I idlely sat on a rock bored. It got too much for me and I slow set off back down the river now feeling confident to take on the river alone. It was the one downside to being with a group, a slow pace. Usually when I hike it’s at speed without much need to stop and rest. I made the first three crossings back with people in sight then spent about 45 minutes alone.

What I was oblivious to was many of the group were sat in a warm pool and I was missing out. That said with my boots as soaked as they were, taking them off would meant getting them on would have been almost impossible.

An Englishman by the name of John caught up as I slowed down. I had been helped across to river crossings by mountain bikers and I had some company right back towards the bridge at the start. Unfortunately we forgot where to make the last crossing and I ended up having to dive for the bank as I teetered backwards.

2 hours 10 after leaving the rest point me and two other members of the group were back. Most of the others were at least 15 minutes behind and it gave me chance to snap a few photos from the aboriginal painted bridge that spanned across the valley.

With the group back together about 20 minutes we headed for the aboriginal restaurant. What I didn’t realise was most had changed, whilst I sat in my base layer oblivious despite having brought a spare t shirt and trousers!

The view from the restaurant was superb and the food was even better. Aboriginal style pork was ordered as if catering for a small army and it became obvious why… It was smoky, tender and just a really really great cut of meat. Also ordered was sweet potato which found myself wanting more and more of, ome steamed vegetables and chicken. I could eaten far more and it was a crazy cheap NT$200 a head.

Around 5:30pm we moved on and back to Kaohsiung where we arrived back around 7. NT$450 for the van/fuel and I trudged along to Kaohsiung station for a train back north.

My bike was where I’d left it and after a tricky 6.5km cycle in boots that weighed twice what they usually do, got in around 9.

Excellent food, wonderful scenery and a fun hike. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday.

There are 35 districts in Tainan City, some are large such as Nanhua at 171km2, some are small such at West Central at just 6.2km2, some have many people like my own East District at 187,000 and some are just, out the way…one of which is the topic of today’s ride.

It’s fair to say many of Tainan’s 35 districts are infrequently visited by westerners with little of real interest. There are exceptions outside the Inner Tainan such as Baihe’s Guanziling Hot Spring and maybe Zuozhen’s Fossil Museum but I’m stretching it here. Most districts are rural, most agricultural areas with a smattering of industry thrown in for good measure. There is usually little to draw anyone and I’ve come to like that…

Beimen is one of those districts that falls into the category of rural, with a low population being located 35km north of Tainan City Centre. Being a geography nerd I have of course read the English Wikipedia page on every district in Tainan and Beimen has just always stuck out. It borders with Chiayi County and has two tourist attractions known to the locals, the Crystal Church and the salt fields.

My previous Sunday’s ride had given me confidence about my ability to cycle distance and so on the face of it, 82km looked like a decent ride. The catch was, it was a Saturday as I had plans for Sunday so I didn’t get my usual sleep in till mid afternoon…

I set off at 2:07pm, acutely aware that I needed to be in Beimen by 5:10 for sunset. I’d initially planned to leave an hour before and get lunch in central Tainan but laziness kicked in…

I headed through the city centre onto Jhonghua West Road on Highway 17 and then took a left as the road split over the river and into Annan District. This area is known as the wetlands and from the bridge, it’s just one big flat expanse heading north. It was a 1km up the road things took a turn for the bizarre…

A scooter pulled up alongside and it was an older gentleman maybe mid 50s. He started talking in Chinese. I thought oh, he has noticed I’m a foreigner and wants to chat. Oh no, he stayed alongside me just rambling the same kind of thing not listening to me. For the first few minutes, I assumed nothing was untoward so I carried on with my earphones in but suddenly I started to get scared. Panic mode set in after about 5 minutes and I realised I had an issue.

The minutes and kilometres ticked by and I knew there was little I could do so I threatened to call the police in my best Chinese to try throw him off. He kept following and I made a plan. I needed water anyway and knew the next 7 Eleven was a few more km north. I just kept riding knowing I had to reach the 7 Eleven.

Finally I got around a corner and there it was! At least 20 minutes and at least 8km after I’d started to be followed, I’d reached the 7. I got off my bike, locked it and ran inside in distress. I asked the cashier for help in Chinese, told her I was being followed in English gesturing too. She quickly understood as he made his way to the door. I went into a total breakdown as for the first time in my years in Taiwan I’d feared for my safety.

I went to get some water as the cashier exchanged words with the man outside. I still have no idea what he wanted and he disappeared after about 5 minutes. A xenophobe? A drunk? A local lunatic? I will never know but it took me about 20 minutes to calm down. I’d lost a lot of valuable time and continued determined not to let the weirdo ruin my afternoon.

The wind was a huge factor and after crossing the Zengwen River going into Qigu the road was largely in poor condition. I had over 20km to do against the wind in about an hour and 10. It wasn’t pleasant to say the least.

It was a slow 14km up to the border of Jiangjun province but thankfully the road smoothed out and the traffic was non existent. For the first time since 2:30pm I was smiling and it was all new scenery to me. Jiangjun became the 29th district of Tainan I’d step foot in.

Things only better and it took me just 12 minutes to cycle through a deserted Jiangjun into Beimen. As I passed the Beimen sign there was a great feeling inside of me, I’d made it to this place I’d read about a lot before.

I pulled off to the left towards the visitor center and there was this feeling of desolation. The police station was closed, it was eeriely quiet until I pulled up at the visitor center.

One of the wonderful things I’ve found in Taiwan is even off the beaten track is written English can be found. It’s on street signs, there is almost always tourist information and Beimen was no exception. Food, yes is usually an exception but that wasn’t an issue here.

I walked down to the Crystal Church which in the late afternoon light looked splendid. 20NT admission for what most westerners would consider a basic attraction but it made for superb photos…

I got back on the bike in order to make sunset down at the salt fields. Beimen’s main street was basic. A few houses, one or two shops, some food stalls and the obligatory temple. This was the real rural Tainan, there wasn’t even a 7 Eleven.

The road down to the salt fields was smooth with water on either side. It appeared however that I’d arrived bit too late. The sunset had nearly passed and I really should have left Tainan earlier. That said I hadn’t expected a 2 hour 20 minute ride and a weirdo hinder my progress… Nonetheless I got a good impression.

There was information about salt and behind the tile paved salt fields, Beimen Lagoon which looked a tad dreary. With the sun almost gone I had to get all my photos and tourism done in a 25 minute window.

Leaving the lagoon I picked my route back, heading out the way I came, back onto Highway 17 but then took the 174 to Xuejia. I knew Highway 19 was a faster, smoother road and this proved true I absolutely blitzed my way back to Tainan City ring road in no time. I had no problem regularly hitting 37kmh and was back home by 7 15pm.

The day got better as it went on and it was one of those rides I simply had to write about!

I’m back on the bike this week so I’ll be bringing another cycle post soon.

Tom

There are 35 districts in Tainan City, some are large such as Nanhua at 171km2, some are small such at West Central at just 6.2km2, some have many people like my own East District at 187,000 and some are just, out the way…one of which is the topic of today’s ride.

It’s fair to say many of Tainan’s 35 districts are infrequently visited by westerners with little of real interest. There are exceptions outside the Inner Tainan such as Baihe’s Guanziling Hot Spring and maybe Zuozhen’s Fossil Museum but I’m stretching it here. Most districts are rural, most agricultural areas with a smattering of industry thrown in for good measure. There is usually little to draw anyone and I’ve come to like that…

Beimen is one of those districts that falls into the category of rural, with a low population being located 35km north of Tainan City Centre. Being a geography nerd I have of course read the English Wikipedia page on every district in Tainan and Beimen has just always stuck out. It borders with Chiayi County and has two tourist attractions known to the locals, the Crystal Church and the salt fields.

My previous Sunday’s ride had given me confidence about my ability to cycle distance and so on the face of it, 82km looked like a decent ride. The catch was, it was a Saturday as I had plans for Sunday so I didn’t get my usual sleep in till mid afternoon…

I set off at 2:07pm, acutely aware that I needed to be in Beimen by 5:10 for sunset. I’d initially planned to leave an hour before and get lunch in central Tainan but laziness kicked in…

I headed through the city centre onto Jhonghua West Road on Highway 17 and then took a left as the road split over the river and into Annan District. This area is known as the wetlands and from the bridge, it’s just one big flat expanse heading north. It was a 1km up the road things took a turn for the bizarre…

A scooter pulled up alongside and it was an older gentleman maybe mid 50s. He started talking in Chinese. I thought oh, he has noticed I’m a foreigner and wants to chat. Oh no, he stayed alongside me just rambling the same kind of thing not listening to me. For the first few minutes, I assumed nothing was untoward so I carried on with my earphones in but suddenly I started to get scared. Panic mode set in after about 5 minutes and I realised I had an issue.

The minutes and kilometres ticked by and I knew there was little I could do so I threatened to call the police in my best Chinese to try throw him off. He kept following and I made a plan. I needed water anyway and knew the next 7 Eleven was a few more km north. I just kept riding knowing I had to reach the 7 Eleven.

Finally I got around a corner and there it was! At least 20 minutes and at least 8km after I’d started to be followed, I’d reached the 7. I got off my bike, locked it and ran inside in distress. I asked the cashier for help in Chinese, told her I was being followed in English gesturing too. She quickly understood as he made his way to the door. I went into a total breakdown as for the first time in my years in Taiwan I’d feared for my safety.

I went to get some water as the cashier exchanged words with the man outside. I still have no idea what he wanted and he disappeared after about 5 minutes. A xenophobe? A drunk? A local lunatic? I will never know but it took me about 20 minutes to calm down. I’d lost a lot of valuable time and continued determined not to let the weirdo ruin my afternoon.

The wind was a huge factor and after crossing the Zengwen River going into Qigu the road was largely in poor condition. I had over 20km to do against the wind in about an hour and 10. It wasn’t pleasant to say the least.

It was a slow 14km up to the border of Jiangjun province but thankfully the road smoothed out and the traffic was non existent. For the first time since 2:30pm I was smiling and it was all new scenery to me. Jiangjun became the 29th district of Tainan I’d step foot in.

Things only better and it took me just 12 minutes to cycle through a deserted Jiangjun into Beimen. As I passed the Beimen sign there was a great feeling inside of me, I’d made it to this place I’d read about a lot before.

I pulled off to the left towards the visitor center and there was this feeling of desolation. The police station was closed, it was eeriely quiet until I pulled up at the visitor center.

One of the wonderful things I’ve found in Taiwan is even off the beaten track is written English can be found. It’s on street signs, there is almost always tourist information and Beimen was no exception. Food, yes is usually an exception but that wasn’t an issue here.

I walked down to the Crystal Church which in the late afternoon light looked splendid. 20NT admission for what most westerners would consider a basic attraction but it made for superb photos…

I got back on the bike in order to make sunset down at the salt fields. Beimen’s main street was basic. A few houses, one or two shops, some food stalls and the obligatory temple. This was the real rural Tainan, there wasn’t even a 7 Eleven.

The road down to the salt fields was smooth with water on either side. It appeared however that I’d arrived bit too late. The sunset had nearly passed and I really should have left Tainan earlier. That said I hadn’t expected a 2 hour 20 minute ride and a weirdo hinder my progress… Nonetheless I got a good impression.

There was information about salt and behind the tile paved salt fields, Beimen Lagoon which looked a tad dreary. With the sun almost gone I had to get all my photos and tourism done in a 25 minute window.

Leaving the lagoon I picked my route back, heading out the way I came, back onto Highway 17 but then took the 174 to Xuejia. I knew Highway 19 was a faster, smoother road and this proved true I absolutely blitzed my way back to Tainan City ring road in no time. I had no problem regularly hitting 37kmh and was back home by 7 15pm.

The day got better as it went on and it was one of those rides I simply had to write about!

I’m back on the bike this week so I’ll be bringing another cycle post soon.

Tom

It’s been three weeks since I blogged about starting to cycle and it’s fair to say I’ve really been enjoying it. It has opened up the ability to visit parts of Tainan that I wouldn’t usually be able to. Sods law would have it though, that in the midst of 10 days off having overdone things last week.

In between my Qigu, Madou ride on 1st December and 15th, things didn’t go well. I did a few night rides between 5th and 12th and struggled, they were nothing crazy (25km-50km) but it felt like my fitness wasn’t improving at all. A dip in temperatures and not feeling well may well have had something to do with it though. It may seem odd then that on 14th December I decided to push things and do Wanpi Zoo the next day, an 80km ride.

My plan from 1st Dec onwards had been to do a few more km each Sunday, 70-75km on 8th, 75-80km on 15th so I was trying to get back on track. Wanpi almost didn’t happen, I went to bed at a ridiculous 5am but, at 8 I almost leaped out of bed with great enthusiasm.

Wanpi Zoo is somewhere my students had told me about, located in Tainan’s Xuejia District (學甲區) just off Provincial Highway 19. I have a somewhat ethical objection to zoos but I read a few reviews and thought “Ok, let’s do it”. Unlike most rides then, there was something to aim for rather than just cycling to see new towns and villages.

I set off up Tainan’s Jhonghua Road (the city ring road) and then took a right onto Highway 19, and over the first of two rivers that brought me into Annan District. I stopped off for water and carried on north in a headwind through Anding, then over the huge Zengwen River into Xigang.

From Xigang the road smoothed out, I crossed into Jiali then Xuejia. I had a little break as I bypassed the town thinking I’d got 5-6km to do at most. I didn’t…

I crossed over a huge bridge north of Expressway 84 and the views were spectacular but by now, I’d been riding for 1 hour 45 and wanted to just reach the zoo.

I had to take a left onto a small somewhat rutted country road and despite cramp, I felt excellent being so far out the city. It was getting more rural and after a final right, reached Wanpi after 2 hours 1 minute on the bike.

The zoo cost NT$480 to enter which I knew in advance but felt excessive. Thankfully with it being mid winter it wasn’t particularly busy.

I started to make an anti clockwise loop around fully intending to make the most of my day with no worries about time.

The first two animals were the flamingos and capybara’s neither of which I recall seeing, at least in the previous 20 years!

Next up was the petting zoo area, rabbits, goats, mini horses but also… Sheep-Pigs?

Unfortunately I wasn’t happy with the conditions that were kept in and I moved on swiftly towards the porcupines and llamas.

From the llamas there were lots of sheep like looking animals with horns, donkeys, camels and some sad looking ostriches which I absolutely hate.

The next thing of interest looked like mini kangaroos…

It was inside to the rodents, hedgehogs, guinea pigs, hamsters etc before moving down the left side of the zoo. Unfortunately the giraffes were far away from the fence and the zebras were close to it, but the view was poor.

Despite this, it was good to get close to the Komodo Dragons which I don’t think I’d ever seen previously…

My time at Wanpi was wrapped up with a trip inside to the reptile house. Snakes, turtles, tortoises nothing too exciting except some huge pythons…

And of course one of my favourites… MEERKATS!

I began one last little walk but came away exactly how I felt beforehand. A good selection of animals to see, some new ones but from an ethical point of view, a lot of animals could have been kept better. It was obvious, some animals were unhappy. 3 hours used up and it was time to make my way south back to Tainan.

These were excellent wide, lightly traffic cycling roads and the views were pleasant. I diverted into Xuejia town on the way back with it’s impressive temple and I always find it fascinating to see these towns like Jiali, Xuejia, Madou. From an administrative point of view here in Taiwan, things are different but for all intents and purposes, we still have towns and villages even if they are organised differently.

Back on Highway 19 and it was a fast, fast road heading south with the tailwind as I reached up to 42kmh and cruised around 36km. There was another nice little temple in Jialixiang which was worth a look at…

From Jialixiang I pushed on back into Tainan, choosing to divert in Annan onto Beian Road and got a little lost at one point. I’d done over 70km and was cramming and sore. It turned out it was a good decision to divert as I ended up on the west side of the city centre.

I popped into Tu Xiao Yueh for some Dan Zai Mian and contemplated what to do next… I’d done 78km and ultimately made the decision to push for 100 but how?

Anping. I rode down in some discomfort to the beach for a couple of photos but still had 16km to do. I got on Google Maps and tried to create that with only 12km back home. I usually a couple of route extensions via the air force base and set off back…

There was painful moments but incredibly despite thinking I’d planned for 100, got 500m from home and still had over 1km to do. I pushed the route a bit more and to a 7 Eleven home near home. Finally got gone 5:30pm with 32 days to spare I had my 100km day!

A good solid 9 hour day out and Wanpi Zoo, well, make your own mind up on it. From a public transport perspective it’s train to Xinying and a rare bus to Wanpi Zoo or bus to Jiali, Xuejia and then Wanpi. It’s quicker and easier to cycle it!

Stay tuned for more posts like this one.

Tom

It’s been a while since my last post but as ever  there hasn’t been a great to say recently.. until now!

7 weeks. At the time of writing I will be in the United States of America in 46 days. All my hostels are booked, most internal travel inside the US is sorted, ESTA, and most research. The only part of my trip I’m lagging behind on is LA. About 90% of the research on this 18 day trip has been focused on my 5 days in New York. I think deep down I want to get off to good start on my holiday, and then will plan more in depth about the other cities as I travel.

I’m really excited of course about all 5 of these cities, although NYC for me is iconic. This coming from the man who once said he’d never step foot in the US as recently as 2-3 years ago and is now investing about 2 months worth of wages into a trip there…

27. I turned 27 on 21^st November and it was a fine occasion. Despite being on a Thursday, it was quiz night and so drinks were always going to flow. I co-hosted the Artful Dodger quiz, and my good friends ensured I didn’t have to pay anything on the night. It was a really nice gesture indeed and after 4 years in Taiwan, I’ve become part of the family so to speak. Definitely my best birthday for a number of years.

Cycling. Last year, I had a bike stolen during an October weekend which was a wonderful surprise, arriving back from Tainan at 2:30am after a Lions away weekend in Taoyuan. I ended up walking for a month before I was kindly gifted a bike for birthday. This one speed lasted until September when it started to have a few problems…

In the mood for a new bike, I purchased this:

A Giant bicycle for NT$9900 on October 9^th.

During the Rugby World Cup, I didn’t get much time/motivation to head out riding but that changed last week.. I’d only done 2 decent rides, then suddenly last Sunday as I once sat in my apartment feeling sorry for myself went for a salad. I came back 3 hours later, having done a 50km ride, It was my first 50km in a long time, and it felt bloody awesome.

Monday came along and I’ve now made it my mission to ride at 4 days a week/100km a week, and do a 100km ride before I got to the US in 46 days time. It gives me 6 weekends more, including my 1.5km of commuting of each day, I clocked up 94km before I took on what I called the Grand Loop, up Highway 19 from the east side of Tainan to Xigang, over to Madou, then west to Jiali and Cigu before re-entering the city via Highway 17. 63km plus another 6km achieved, as I’d stopped for lunch at 63km. 

It felt great to 13km on the previous Sunday’s ride and I know I can push on, and hit that 100km barrier. Next week, I’ll up it to a 70km ride and take a little easier in midweek if needs be. I’ve never done 70km before, but I want to. Cycling makes me feel so free, so alive and it’s great to see new places. I went through 9 separate districts of Tainan today, including 4 I’d never been to before (Xigang, Madou, Jiali and Qigu) although I’ve passed through Madou by bus before.

I’m having fun and let’s see how it goes

Tom!

It’s been a while since my last post but as ever there hasn’t been a great to say recently.. until now!

7 weeks. At the time of writing I will be in the United States of America in 46 days. All my hostels are booked, most internal travel inside the US is sorted, ESTA, and most research. The only part of my trip I’m lagging behind on is LA. About 90% of the research on this 18 day trip has been focused on my 5 days in New York. I think deep down I want to get off to good start on my holiday, and then will plan more in depth about the other cities as I travel.

I’m really excited of course about all 5 of these cities, although NYC for me is iconic. This coming from the man who once said he’d never step foot in the US as recently as 2-3 years ago and is now investing about 2 months worth of wages into a trip there…

27. I turned 27 on 21st November and it was a fine occasion. Despite being on a Thursday, it was quiz night and so drinks were always going to flow. I co-hosted the Artful Dodger quiz, and my good friends ensured I didn’t have to pay anything on the night. It was a really nice gesture indeed and after 4 years in Taiwan, I’ve become part of the family so to speak. Definitely my best birthday for a number of years.

Cycling. Last year, I had a bike stolen during an October weekend which was a wonderful surprise, arriving back from Tainan at 2:30am after a Lions away weekend in Taoyuan. I ended up walking for a month before I was kindly gifted a bike for birthday. This one speed lasted until September when it started to have a few problems…
In the mood for a new bike, I purchased this:

A Giant bicycle for NT$9900 on October 9th.

During the Rugby World Cup, I didn’t get much time/motivation to head out riding but that changed last week.. I’d only done 2 decent rides, then suddenly last Sunday as I once sat in my apartment feeling sorry for myself went for a salad. I came back 3 hours later, having done a 50km ride, It was my first 50km in a long time, and it felt bloody awesome.

Monday came along and I’ve now made it my mission to ride at 4 days a week/100km a week, and do a 100km ride before I got to the US in 46 days time. It gives me 6 weekends more, including my 1.5km of commuting of each day, I clocked up 94km before I took on what I called the Grand Loop, up Highway 19 from the east side of Tainan to Xigang, over to Madou, then west to Jiali and Cigu before re-entering the city via Highway 17. 63km plus another 6km achieved, as I’d stopped for lunch at 63km.

It felt great to 13km on the previous Sunday’s ride and I know I can push on, and hit that 100km barrier. Next week, I’ll up it to a 70km ride and take a little easier in midweek if needs be. I’ve never done 70km before, but I want to. Cycling makes me feel so free, so alive and it’s great to see new places. I went through 9 separate districts of Tainan today, including 4 I’d never been to before (Xigang, Madou, Jiali and Qigu) although I’ve passed through Madou by bus before.

So far so good! I’m enjoying the feeling and for once taking pride in something I own.

Let’s see how it goes!

Tom