20101018 Day 02 - Joe's Cycling around Taiwan (Sih-jhong-si 四重溪 to Jin-lun 金崙)

Last night’s TV news reported that a very severe Typhoon Megi, top on the typhoon severity scale, was hitting directly at the Philippines.  The southern tip of Taiwan, where I was, was within this typhoon’s wide sphere of influence.  Gusty wind and heavy rainfall were expected throughout the day.  My original plan for today was to visit the southernmost tip of the peninsula and spend another night on its eastern shore.  After learning about the dreadful weather conditions, I decided not to linger around the peninsula.  I needed to fast-forward my plan and go directly to the East Coast (東海岸).

My original plan was to start from Sih-Jhong-Si and to end at Syu-Hai (旭海).  The following map shows my original plan in blue highlight.  My actual journey for the day, which started from Sih-Jhong-Si and ended at Jin-Lun, is in red highlight.


The Clear Spring Hotel offered free breakfast.  It was a typical Taiwanese breakfast of steaming hot rice congee, paired with small side dishes of bamboo shoots, cabbage, tofu, peanuts, scrambled eggs, etc.


This is County Road 199 (屏199), a road less traveled.  There hardly was any traffic, and the lush green on both sides of the road was very beautiful and soothing.  If not for the strong wind blowing against me, the ride would have been a pleasant jaunt in the countryside.


Very soon, the road started to inch upward.  The incline seemed to be non-stop for the next 32 kilometers.  This required lots of effort even for a person who thought he was prepared.  Before this trip, I had trained myself to climbe over steep hills.  I have ridden my bicycle from San Fernando Valley (elevation 750 ft) to Santa Monica (elevation sea level) and back, over the Sepulveda Pass (elevation 1200 ft), multiple times.  For the climb today, those training certainly had helped but I wish I had trained myself harder.


This section of the country road sits between two tall hills and next to a rapidly running stream.  The wind was so strong and the guardrail so low, that I ended up walking my bike so that I wouldn’t get blown off the bike and fell into the stream down below.


Along County Road 199, there are many Paiwan aboriginal tribes.  Here is an elaborate entrance to a tribal village.


A bridge with intricate Paiwan totems sits at the bottom of the Mudan Reservoir (牡丹水庫).


After Mudan Reservoir, the incline turns very steep and sharp.  Very soon, I was at a high altitude overlooking the reservoir.


A new housing complex is being built to relocate a tribal village facing a potential hazard of mudslides.  The project is funded by public and private funds and villagers I talked to were very grateful.


County Road 199 becomes single-lane.  It was deserted but the scenery was pristine.


Inside a tribal village. I was told before I got here that the sharp incline became less steep at a place called Upper Mudan.  Tribesman here told me this village was called Lower Mudan. That meant I needed to go further up and pedal more and harder.


The following picture is for anyone who follows politics in Taiwan.  The banners said “Taiwan Nation Party”, but what’s with the flag?  How come it has stars and stripes as in the US flag?  What’s the connection?


A very well-situated elementary school, or middle school, with a striking mural on the wall.


A road sign with Paiwan caricature.  I turned left to go to the East Coast.  Notice the panniers on the bike were outfitted with rain protection cover because of the pending rain.


I ran into a young couple at the road sign.  They too were cycling around Taiwan but in the opposite direction.  They started from the city of Taichung (台中), a city in the middle of Taiwan, and were headed toward Kenting.


Immediately after the road sign the rain started to fall and didn’t stop for the rest of the day.  In between the mountain ranges at a distance is the Pacific Ocean.


County Road 199 finally ends and meets Highway 9 (台9).  This juncture is called Shou-Ka (壽卡), the highest point along the route of cycling around Taiwan.  The elevation is 475 meters.  The building in the picture was a police station, which has long been closed.


On the side of the police station is a bulletin board where cyclists mark their accomplishment of climbing atop Shou-Ka.


After Shou-Ka, it is all going downhill for several kilometers.  But because of the rain, the road was slippery and it wasn’t easy sliding down.  Due to the rain, I had to hide away the camera before it got wet.  I was only able to take pictures when there was a slight break in the rain.


A big section of Highway 9 was under repair.  The road surface was very rough and full of mud and gravel.  Riding through this section was very treacherous.


Another colorful entrance to a tribal village.


After riding through the road repair area, the bicycle got very dirty.  I stopped by a roadside Family Mart and hosed the mud off.


Although Typhoon Megi didn’t hit Taiwan directly, the coastal areas in Taiwan still felt its force.



I ran into two motorcyclists in full rain gear.  The young couple was traveling around the island on a motorcycle.


A fully soaked cyclist.  The wetness came from sweat, rain, and seawater from crashing waves.


Another view of the intensity and fury of Typhoon Megi.


By late afternoon, I reached a small hot spring village called Jin-Lun (金崙).  I found a hostel, Mt. Fuji (富之山), which provided a room with a bed and a private bath for NTD $600 (USD $20).  At this hostel, I met four other cyclists who were in various stages of cycling around the island. L-to-R: Joe, Mr. Peng, Mr. Hsu, Mr. Chang, and Mr. Tsao.  None of us knew each other before today and we soon became fast friends.


Dinner was a very simple affair for today.  Mr. Peng and I had dumplings for dinner together from a small restaurant near the hostel.  They were not bad.

The first map shows the full island of Taiwan.  My bike ride for the day is from 6 o’clock position to 5 o’clock position.  The second map gives a closer view of my ride.


Vertical profile of today’s ride.  The first 32 kilometers were mostly upward incline, followed by flat coastlines with occasional rolling hills.


Summary of today’s ride.  Note that the distance traveled was 80 kilometers, and the elevation gain was 949 meters.


-Joe


Next: 20101019 Day 03 - Joe's Cycling around Taiwan (Jin-lun 金崙 to Taidong 台東)