December 29, 2023 - Checheng to (Anshuo Tribe)Daren - 53 kms - Lao Fan Home December 30, 2023 - Daren to Taitung - 65 kms - Home Rest Hotel Gordon: Yesterday we had an excellent ride from the west to the east coast on Highway 199. After climbing a few hundred metres from the dryer west coast, we cruised through the jungle on a meandering ...
December 25, 2023 - Liuqiu Island - Checheng - Hotel with Chinese Name - 65 kms December 26, 2023 - Checheng - Eluanbi - Kenting Sands Hostel - 47 kms December 27, 2023 - Eluanbi - Kenting Sands Hostel - Day ride to Kenting Forest Recreation Area - 19 kms Gordon: We are spending a couple of nights in Kenting National Park, less than two ...
December 17-20 Tainan (Fuward Hotel) - 71 km day ride Gordon: We are spending three nights in Tainan, the oldest city in Taiwan. It was a Dutch colony for a few decades in the 17th century before falling under Chinese control. Tainan was the capital of Taiwan for more than 200 years, until 1885. It contains the oldest temples and the oldest equivalent of a ...
December 15 - Sun Moon Lake - Doulin (Grand Earl Hotel) - 63 kms December 16 - Doulin - Dongshan (Xiang Yang Tianyuan Ju Homestay) - 72 kms Gordon: As we were cycling along the Number 1 cycle route south of Chiayi we passed a young woman cycling with a backpack. We passed each other repeatedly with the frequent stops at traffic lights, and finally ...
December 11,2023 - Taichung - Puli - 61kms - Puli Town B&B December 12, 2023 - Puli - Renai - Puli - 56 kms - Puli Own B&B Gordon: “You know,” Larry said, “I’m the thoroughbred in the Bike Friday stable. Grandma Friday has fat tires, a heavy frame and some sort of weird geriatric handlebar arrangement. I’m lightly built, with racing handlebars and 28 ...
December 6 - Shimen to Hsinchu - 38 kms - H & M Hotel December 7 - Hsinchu to Hudong - 45 kms - Pomelo Homestay Gordon: A sign on the coastal bike trail told us that we were on The Smile Seaside and we were inclined to agree. After six days of cloud and rain we finally saw the sun this morning. And the ...
Three days ago we passed our first lavender field. The mountains were becoming more rounded, the style of the houses was changing, and we began to hear cicadas. The city of Sisteron, self-described as the gateway to Provence, made it official: we have entered that justifiably famous region. Starting with Sisteron we have been treated to a series of beautiful cities and villages in the ...
On a daily basis, across four countries, Ruth and I have had agitated dogs barking at us as we pass. The dogs are almost always chained up or behind a fence, so they are rarely a real threat, though we do occasionally get a shot of adrenaline when they materialize from nowhere in a burst of noise and dog saliva.I’m not sure why Europeans feel ...
We arrived in Torino early yesterday afternoon after a 30 km walk in pleasantly cooler temperatures. Following a nap I pulled out my electronic map to have a look at the Wikipedia points in the city. “Damn,” I thought, “We screwed up, we need several days to see the sights in this city.”We have not had a rest day since Slovenia, more than a month ...
For a few days, from Piacenza to Vercelli, we were on a functioning pilgrimage route, though we were moving counter to the flow. The Via Francigena from Canterbury to Rome has become more active than when we walked and cycled it in 2012 and 2013. Years ago we met nine pilgrims on the entire 2000 km route, but there are now perhaps four to six ...