Day 4: To GaoXiung

A river in TaiNan

I left Sandra’s house at about 2PM. Clear skies, sun ahead of me, guiding this solo biker. It amazed me how far I had come, and had not yet thought of stopping. It also amazed me how boring it can be to ride a bike for hours on end, never feeling like you’re getting anywhere, but going on the faith that if you keep on going, you will eventually get somewhere.

Road to GaoXiung

At some point, you forget your legs are moving, autonomous circles revolving around the hub again and again; there is no pain, only a dull numbness reminding you that your legs are still attached; thirst, like hunger, is relative, and food is no longer thought of as pleasure, but necessity. Like a car gets no joy when gas is added, so too, the body is no better off when food is consumed, excepting the caloric intake that keeps it going. Food is chosen not by taste, but by a careful balance of subconscious nutritional factors to keep the body and mind in a state of functionality and satiation. This seems parallel to the Buddhist thought towards food. In all simplicity, food is to fuel our bodies to barely stave off death. Once this is achieved, food serves no other purpose; no consideration of flavor, temperature, spice, appearance, presentation, balance, etc. that French chefs live by.

I don’t have a whole lot to say about GaoXiung, seeing as how I got lost in the outskirts of the city, passed the train station, which was my initial destination, and circled around back towards the city center, all under the veil of night. What I can say is that the streets are broad and roomy, sidewalks are actually made for walking (not parked cars), and the night market (I’m not sure which one) is packed at 10:00PM.

I arrived at a hotel, the front desk saying that they were full for the night, being New Years and all. Undaunted, I hit the streets and ran into a fellow biker who apparently knew the area well enough to direct me towards what would be my final resting spot. It was about 9PM by the time I actually got there and settled. It felt good to be out of the dark and into a hot bath. This was my first night alone and a bit lonely, but endurable.

My Room in GaoXiung

After the heat soak, I decided to walk about, albeit carefully, on my injured legs, and find some diversion to keep my mind off being alone. In the streets were throngs of people milling about, scuttling to and fro, buying/eating/drinking/watching/talking/standing/walking, an environment only a night market can create. I bought a cup of watermelon juice, a perfect invention for thirst on hot summer days, and waddled through the night market in search of something to eat. The night market, like most in Taiwan, was centered around shops and vendors selling clothes, jewelry, accessories, and the like. Food wasn’t much to be found. I eventually wound up in a foreign owned Mexican restaurant. And against my philosophical digression about food above, I enjoyed the hell out of it. This was some of the best Mexican food I’ve had in a while, and whether this was due to my uncommonly stressed system, recent increase in dosages of Taiwanese food, or was genuinely good, I couldn’t tell you. But I can tell you that the chicken enchilada I had with rice and beans all topped with cheese and what the chef said was a new experimental sauce, was a culinary highlight of my trip, if only for the fact that it was something I hadn’t tasted in a while. Screw esoteric food-haters. This food was pleasure. If I drank alcohol, an icy Corona would have made it so much greater—but substituted apple juice served well enough. I read Walden and reveled in the aftermath of an enchilada slaughter. I think he would have been disappointed in me for my attainment of gratuity from food. I don’t care.

Soon after, I headed back “home” and decided to call it a night. I would have another long ride to KenDing the next day.

Day 5: KenDing

Ipanema Beach House

I left GaoXiung at a fairly early 11AM, this being due to the fact that I had no company and was able to move unadulterated. Once again I was blessed with sunny weather, sparsely-trafficked roads, and long stretches of flat land. The weather would hold out, but the flat part turned hilly as I got closer to HengChun. I am always stupidly deceived by maps. The map always shows the road as being flat, but I as I found many a time, was far from. Even if I had a contour map, it wouldn’t have properly displayed the magnitude of riding up the smallest mountain or hill. Then again, accompanying every up is a down, which is rewarding but never seems long or fulfilling enough as the uphill part would make you believe.
I was headed to my friend Max’s place, the Ipanema Beach House. I had stayed at his place two years ago while hitchhiking around the island. I had met up with a friend George on that trip and we had met some of his friends and stayed at the beach house. It is in HengChun, often confused (also by myself) with KenDing.

Backside of Ipanema Beach House

Max was a surfer who had lived in Brazil and other places before he decided to settle down in HengChun and open a bed and breakfast (they are called so in Taiwan, but there is no breakfast). He had long dread-like locks and spoke with the energy of the waves he rides, playful and full of joy. Upon returning this time, he had a military cut, and an expecting wife, along with his surf-inspired personality. He said with the recent release of the movie, Cape No. 7, a Taiwanese film shot in the vicinity, business has been good. This area had been popular with the beach going crowds and surfers looking to get away from the smog-filled cities. The movie opened the area to many other kinds of people wanting to see some of the places in the movie.
My plan was to stay in HengChun for two days, this being the most southern part and a marker as the half-way point of my trip. I also wanted time for rest and relaxation on my trip. As I mentioned before, during this trip, I always felt rushed to get somewhere, meet someone, stay out of the dark, or get started. Now would be the time to forget about the schedule for a while and just chill on the beach.

Day 4: Morning in TaiNan

A recurring theme of my trip seemed to be: leave late, ride in the dark, arrive late. Not a very good way to see a country. I guess I am a procrastinator at heart, even with my vacation time.
I awake clear headed, the sun casting a warm glow from the balcony window. I hobble downstairs to see everyone having already eaten, going about the day in the relax mode that a vacation engenders. Fruit and coffee are had; I have a sandwich and milk tea. Throughout the morning I am in back and forth conversations with my friends who are supposed to come down from Taipei and meet me in GaoXiung. I can hear their hesitancy on the phone, as I try to convince them that the previous day's record breaking traffic jams won't continue today. I give them the guilt trip. Eventually, they give me the no trip. They say that they don't want to spend the day sitting in their car, and I agree with them, sorta.
Sandra must have mentioned my interest in her father's sculpting, so he offered to take us to the previously mentioned temple to show us his art. I accept gratefully. The temple, as with many Taiwanese temples, are a colorful explosion of reds, yellows, blues, greens and gold, intricate dragons gnarling their way through weaves of smoke, reverent statues guarded by depictions of gods, stories molded into the reliefs, shaped by the hands of masters as if they were the gods themselves. He explained to Sandra the history of the temple and she diligently translated it to me. The temple was a national treasure, due the fact that it housed to works of a world renown Taiwanese artist, his works also found at the Louvre in Paris. A tourist, I took the opportunity to snap some shots of the works that never seemed so important until now, taking in the great history that places like these emit. Her father being a master also, the curator (?) let us into a section that is usually gated off. We were allowed to see up close the statues of gods, one said to be about 800 years old. To point at one of them was considered rude and bad luck, so I quickly learned as I pointed out the 800 yr. old artifact.

Day 4: To GaoXiung

A river in TaiNan city (I think)

I left Sandra’s house at about 2PM. Clear skies, sun ahead, guiding this solo biker. It amazed me how far I had come, and had not yet thought of stopping. It also amazed me how boring it can be to ride a bike for hours on end, never feeling like you’re getting anywhere, but going on the faith that if you keep on going, you will eventually get somewhere.

Road to GaoXiung

At some point, you forget your legs are moving, autonomous circles revolving around the hub again and again; there is no pain, only a dull numbness reminding you that your legs are still attached; thirst, like hunger, is relative, and food is no longer thought of as pleasure, but necessity. Like a car gets no joy when gas is added, so too, the body is no better off when food is consumed, excepting the caloric intake that keeps it going. Food is chosen not by taste, but by a careful balance of subconscious nutritional factors to keep the body and mind in a state of functionality and satiation. This seems parallel to the Buddhist thought towards food. In all simplicity, food is to fuel our bodies to barely stave off death. Once this is achieved, food serves no other purpose; no consideration of flavor, temperature, spice, appearance, presentation, balance, etc. that French chefs live by.

I don’t have a whole lot to say about GaoXiung, seeing as how I got lost in the outskirts of the city, passed the train station which was my initial destination, and circled around back towards the city center, all under the veil of night. What I can say is that the streets are broad and roomy, sidewalks are actually made for walking (not parked cars), and the night market (I’m not sure which one) is packed at 10:00PM.

I arrived at a hotel, the front desk saying that they were full for the night, being New Years and all. Undaunted, I hit the streets and ran into a fellow biker who apparently knew the area well enough to direct me towards what would be my final resting spot. It was about 9PM by the time I actually got there and settled. It felt good to be out of the dark and into a hot bath. This was my first night alone and a bit lonely, but endurable.

My room in GaoXiung

After the heat soak, I decided to walk about, albeit carefully, on my injured legs, and find some diversion to keep my mind off being alone. In the streets were throngs of people milling about, scuttling to and fro, buying/eating/drinking/watching/talking/standing/walking, an environment only a night market can create. I bought a cup of watermelon juice, a perfect invention for thirst on hot summer days, and waddled through the night market in search of something to eat. The night market, like most in Taiwan, was centered around shops and vendors selling clothes, jewelry, accessories, and the like. Food wasn’t much to be found. I eventually wound up in a foreign owned Mexican restaurant. And against my philosophical digression about food above, I enjoyed the hell out of it. This was some of the best Mexican food I’ve had in a while, and whether this was due to my uncommonly stressed system, recent increase in dosages of Taiwanese food, or was genuinely good, I couldn’t tell you. But I can tell you that the chicken enchilada I had with rice and beans all topped with cheese and what the chef said was a new experimental sauce, was a culinary highlight of my trip, if only for the fact that it was something I hadn’t tasted in a while. Screw esoteric food-haters. This food was pleasure. If I drank alcohol, an icy Corona would have made it so much greater—but substituted apple juice served well enough. I read Walden and reveled in the aftermath of an enchilada slaughter. I think he would have been disappointed in me for my attainment of gratuity from food. I don’t care.

Soon after, I headed back “home” and decided to call it a night. I would have another long ride to KenDing the next day.

Day 3: Sandras House in TaiNan

lf to rt: son Bruce, daughter Sophia, Sandra, niece, sister

I awake to the bustle of their family. 8 people, 6 being female, can create quite a commotion. At 11AM, Ija offers to take me to her favorite place, the ChiaYi park. We ride off on her scooter and we spend a good time at the park. It is a historical park with buildings, artwork and statues scattered throughout. Many people populate the park as the day was sunny and warm. By the time we get back to eat lunch, it's already 2PM. I ice my achilles and take a rest. I pack and get ready to go. I say my goodbyes and thank you's to her entire family. I am very grateful to have been a guest of such a wholesome family. Ija offers to take me to the #1. It's 4:30PM as we head out the door.
From ChiaYi to TaiNan I knew it would be a quick sprint. The actual destination was XueJia in Tainan County, a little ways from TaiNan city. I'm not sure what I averaged, but it felt like 27-28km/hr. That road, fairly straighforward, though I had to whip out the map once or twice, passed some beautiful towns and fields. The south of Taiwan is full of crops of various weight. Rice is a major product, but I saw field after field of onion, corn, fruit trees, garlic, sunflowers, and smaller interspersed fields filled with vegetables of all kinds. I arrived at about 7PM, approximately 2hrs later. I call Sandra and she says to meet at the large temple in town, and gives me directions. She comes a few minutes later on a motorcycle, brother at the helm. I am guided just down the street to their house.
When I arrived, and similarly with Ija's house, her family had already eaten. And again I was graciously welcomed by a large family. They were now about their post meal celebrations of Mahjhong and Wii. They set me up on the 2nd floor, I showered, washed my clothes and went downstairs. Sandra helped me get settled and I ate. She accompanied my as I ate, the victuals being quite similar in type and deliciousness as the previous night. I ate methodically and slowly. After finishing, I joined the rest of the party partaking of the evenings pasttimes. I am not too familiar with Mahjhong and know people who know people who get upset with incompetent players so I was a spectator. I did have my hand at a little Wii action, and did okay in bowling.
Sandra, the eldest, has two sisters and two brothers. Also present were her husband and two children, mother, father, and niece. 12 people all together, including myself.
I spent some time talking to her lively husband, who seemed to love to talk. His energy is childlike in its capacity and lightheartedness. He is from GaoXiung, and, with the aide of a map, elaborated on places I should see.
He mentioned that Sandra's father is a master sculptor, or was, and some of his works were in temples around Taiwan. He also said the he once asked her father to teach him and he declined, saying he didn't think he would be serious about it.
I told Sandra about this and she laughed. She also mentioned that her father owned a very valuable teapot. It was worth a lot of money because it was the product of a teapot master. I later learned that it was given to him by a friend and someone had offered $200,000NT (about US $6000) for it! I was amazed that a teapot could call such a price tag.

valuable teapot

I had the opportunity to see it and from my untrained eye, looked just like the teapots you can by from the $10NT store.
I retired at about 12:30, planning on leaving early the next afternoon, and expecting to meet up with friends in GaoXiung.

lf to rt: Bruce, Sophia, niece

Day 2: Ija's House in ChiaYi

lf to rt: Ann, mother, Ann's daughter, sister, Ija

I wake up at 10PM and say to myself, "There's no way I'm making it to TaiNan (about 150km) today. Too tired." I call my friend Knight who is staying in YunLin with girlfriend Kim, only about an hours ride away. I see about staying there tonight. Negative. They're heading back to Taipei today. I search for options and think of my friend, Ija, in ChiaYi, about 100km away. She says cool. I ask her to help me to kind a hotel so when I get there I won't have to search for one. I also call Sandra, my friend, who lives in TaiNan county. I make arrangements to stay at her family's house the following night (Day 3).
I say my goodbyes and thanks to Timmy, who had been a great host, and set off for Chiayi at 2:20PM.
This ride was easier than the first leg in that it was shorter and pretty well flat. On the way out of the city, I ask a father/son duo, for directions to provincial road #1. They guide me and are very nice, as has been everybody I've yet encountered. It always adds time and distance getting into and out of cities.
Back on the 1, I feel at ease again. Straight forward and smooth. I break several times to rest, eat, stretch and take some pics. The sun starts to fall, then slowly fades under the horizon. I still have several hours of riding, now in the dark. I don't mind I guess. I have no choice. During this ride, I begin to have pains in my Achilles tendon, which would stick with me for the rest of the trip.
There are several advantages to riding at night. There are less cars, it's quieter, and cool. I also feel like I'm going faster. But it can be dangerous as cars may not see me. I align myself towards the specs of light in the distance and use the ubiquitous white line as my guide. My little lamp only providing enough light to have known what I fell into, after falling into it.
I get to ChiaYi about 4 hours later, after several calls and confirmations with Ija. She invites me to her house, where her family just finished a New Years dinner. The food still sits out when I arrive, for me I presume.
In enter to a lively welcome. A cozy living room deceivingly embraces many smiling faces and lots of love. I only know Ija and her entire family is present, mother, father, three sisters, father-in-law, baby, and now me. They all welcome me to sit and have some food. The traditional Taiwanese New Year fare is spread on the table: steamed and fried fish, rice noodles, just caught shrimp, wonderful chicken soup, and much more sit and wait for me to eat it. I am a light eater, even after riding for hours, and take my time picking every now and then. I feel a little awkward at first as one always does in such situations, but it quickly melts into a wet comfort from the warmth of her family. They are very nice. I eat slowly, chatting with her family. Kung Fu Panda is on the set. I shower and feel much better, then get to know everyone better. Their house has a very relaxing affect, I feel like I had been there my whole life. Her father leaves to go play Mahjhong at a friends house. Mother retires to her room. I stay up until 3AM reading, taking picutres and talking with the four sisters. I mainly talk with Ija about hiking, camping and outdoor stuff. I allowed myself a late night because I knew the next day would be a shorter ride. But 3AM was late enough, so I pack it in.

Distance: TaiChung to ChiaYi 106km
Time: 4hrs. 40min.

Day 1: Timmys House in TaiChung

Timmy with Savanna

I feel tired but in a state of euphoria at his place. I have never done physical exercise (besides breathing) for such a long time before. I am amazed that I did it and reached my destination. I settle down. Timmy says he's going to a friends place and I am invited. I decline saying that I'm pretty tired. He sets me up on his computer and I watch a great movie called Slumdog Millionaire, as I eat my dinner. Superb movie enhanced by an equally astounding soundtrack. After the 2 hour movie, I get ready for bed.

I hate mosquitoes. It's not their bite (which is rather irritating), nor their alien-esque form. What I can't stand is their insistent buzzing in my ear when I'm trying to sleep.
While at Timmy's house in Taichung, the mosquitoes had a Pearl Harbor on me. Zzzz! I flick on the light. Where are they? Five mosquitoes perched for attack on the wall above my head. I'm slapping, flailing, smacking and killing, thinking, it's gonna be a long night. After I quell the barrage, I turn off the light and get back to sleep.
Zzzz, zzzzz. Damn! Lights on. And then there were three... new ones, like ninjas packing deadly megaphones of buzz that is my kryptonite. They're after my blood, literally, and I hate them. I get my pink indoor slipper to gain swifter killing velocity, thinking I'll leave the dead on the wall as a warning. No dice. These buggars are smart and deftly flit out of the way as I approach, disappearing into the vast air of the room. After mastering round 2, I hope for no more. In vain, I turn out the lights and try to get some rest. Round 3 quickly ensues and I patiently create a mosquito graveyard around my bunker. They are cold-blooded persuers, taking no notice of their fallen brethren.
I finally devise a way to keep them at bay. I grab a shirt and wrap it around my head third-grade ninja style. I use the sleeve as a breathing hole, hoping that mosquitoes are smart enough not to try to bite my teeth. I can still hear them outside my force field and it works to keep me up for a while more, but I effectively put an end to their red bombs of itch. Now I can get to sleep... at 5AM.

Day 1 is the purple section.

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Ride success!

My third "first" day of my trip was a success.

I set out at bright and early at 6:40AM. Well I wouldn't say it was bright. In fact it teased rain for my entire journey, even managing to sprinkle a little on the way. Initially, I was going to stop at Miaoli, only (only) 108km from my house in Banqiao. But on Sunday I decided to go for it all. At least all of the way to Taichung.
The ride started out smooth. Cool, hovering between 15-16C, and overcast. Passed through Xinzhuang, Guishan, Taoyuan, Jhongli, PingJhen, Yangmei, Hukou... and on and on and on. I thought the trip would never end. After riding for 5 hours, I pulled over to piss. Legs and knees, aching, I pulled over and took a break. Step over step, km after km, I pushed on. I often found myself saying mundane things like, "I'm halfway up this hill, just keep going," or. "If I stop moving, I won't move again." Green signs, blue signs, white lines, over and over and over.
I noticed that Taiwan has a lot of red lights for no reason. The traffic would be sitting at a red, waiting for noone and nothing.
So I continued on my way 5, 6, 7 hours. Fortunately I had company along the way. Bikers also riding around woulg ride along side me and we would chat. "Where you goin?" Where did you start?" and the like. I would ask about distances and road conditions from them that seemed more knowledgeable. All the cyclers were very friendly, waving as they passed, or shouting some words of encouragement. This biking group is like a secret society, flashing the signs of recognition.
After finally reaching Taichung city, I headed to my friends place, who I had contacted the day before. Going to his house added another hour to my trip at least.

Final stats for day 1 Taipei(BanQiao) to Taichung:
Riding Time: 8hrs 51min
Total Time: 11hrs
Distance: 187km

Tomorrow will be even harder, not because the distance is further, but because my legs and ass hurt very much. The Trip is about 172km. Roughly the same distance. I hope I can do it. It is now 10:30PM and I should rest.
Wish me luck

Foiled Again!

Early this morning, while sleeplessly laying in bed, I read a message from Damon saying that he was again, backing out of our trip. Can't this guy make up his mind? Wants to go, doesn't want to go, wants to go, doesn't want to go... Jeezus. I laid in bed - this annoyment left to fester and make me angry. I called him to share with him my disgust, but (knowingly) he didn't answer his phone. I care not to write here what I wished to tell him. I am familiar with his mood and temperament, which actually should have been a clue to what he was capable of. I even told my girlfriend that I had a feeling that he didn't sound wholeheartedly into this trip, and that if he didn't want to go, he would find some way of getting out. But instead of listening to my intuition, I believed his false words and empty excuses, in the hope that he might actually surprise me. In my naivete, I was greatly let down by this so called friend. He made me change my plans several times, inconveniencing me (to say the least).
So now, I sit at my computer writing this rant while I should be riding my bike around Taiwan. I could have spent a nice long time riding (two weeks), enjoying the sights Taiwan had to offer. That was my initial plan. Then when Damon signed on, he said he only had 9 days for his Chinese New Year vacation, so I rearranged my plans for him, which was fine at the time.
Now, I've wasted more than a week on his ass... What a let down. Maybe I am more disgusted than I should be, but I can't help it. If he would have just told me he didn't want to go, that would have been fine, but the excuses! Please! I try not to speak lowly of people and I hope I later regret writing this, but this is how I feel right now.

Final (tentative) plan is:

Day 1: TaiPei to TaiChung 175km
Day 2: TaiChung to TaiNan
Day 3: TaiNan to GaoXiung
Day 4: GaoXiung
Day 5: GaoXiung to KenDing (HengChun)
Day 6: KenDing to TaiDong
Day 7: TaiDong to Hualien
Day 8: Hualien to YiLan
Day 9: YiLan to Taipei

Trip Around Taiwan Day 1

Today was supposed to be day 1 of my bicycle trip around Taiwan. However, yesterday, my partner Damon messaged me saying that he might be backing out. The day before our scheduled departure. This was a let down. But then I thought of the advantages of going alone. I could take my time, take different routes and see things he might not want to.
I called him this morning and sounded like he stayed up late. He said that he was back in, but we would be starting a day later. This made me relieved because going alone also has many disadvantages. Going as a team will be much safer and enjoyable to have someone to converse with.
All in all, I don't mind going a day late. It gives me a little more time to prepare and ready myself to the long trip ahead.

Here is the map and route I plan to take.

Itinerary:

D1: Taipei(Banqiao) to Miaoli
D2: Miaoli to ChangHua
D3: ChangHua to TaiNan
D4: TaiNan to GaoXiung
D5: GaoXiung to KenDing
D6: KenDing to TaiDong
D7: TaiDong to HuaLien
D8: HuaLien to YiLan
D9: YiLan to Taipei

Last Day of Work

This past Friday, I had my last day at HengYee Middle School in XinZhuang. As the day came to an end, I realized that my time in Taiwan, was also soon at an end. My time has come to move on and leave this place that I've called home for almost 4 years. It was a sad revelation, the lifting of my foot to take the next step.
I've had good jobs, and really bad jobs. I've had good food and gut wrenchingly gross food. I've been healthy and had fluids come out of both ends simultaneously. I've made friends and antagonists to my life story here. I've reenforced previous friendships, and had a great time along the way.
There are things I love about Taiwan. Beautiful girls. Hands down the best place I've ever been for that (although admittedly, I haven't been to all that many places). Relatively cheap experiences, food, taxis, crazy taxis,
My last hurrah will be my bike trip around Taiwan. I will spend nine days with a friend to bike the nearly 1000km route from Taipei to Kending and back.
As in life, I really don't know what lays in store. I have prepared, but not adequately, and hope for the best.

My Trip Around Taiwan

A friend and I are planning a trip around Taiwan on our bicycles. From what I hear, many people do it, so its nothing new. But for me, it will be a very long tour. Our time frame is Chinese New Year's vacation. We will try to do as much as we can in 9 days. I hope the weather holds up for us. This will be a stretch for me, as the furthest I've ever ridden my bike is about 70km in a day. The first day alone is set for 130km, twice the amount I've done before. I will be posting here daily during our trip, providing I have access to a computer. Stay tuned. Two weeks and counting...

Why I Do What (I plan) To Do

I came across an interesting website called Food Declaration. It speaks to the need for agriculture to overhaul its oil driven, large external input past, and move onto and into more efficient methods. Haven't read the entire article, but just the introduction reminded me of why I want to begin permaculture and gardening. In my humble opinion, it seems like the way to do things.