Ride Over Yangmingshan

Yangminshan

Today I went on a crazy ride from my house, over Yangmingshan to Jingshan and then from Jingshan to Tamsui along highway 2 and finally home along the river. I tried to leave at 6:30am but when I looked outside it was raining pretty badly so I thought the ride wouldn't happen. After having tea with Queenie I looked out the window again at around 7:30am and saw the rain had stopped so decided to go. I went downstairs for breakfast and headed off at 8:00am. Despite the threat of rain all day it only drizzled a bit in some parts of the ride, but nothing serious, and I did manage to get home dry 117km later at 5:30am.

Starting Point

I started outside the Taipei Public library on Chienkuo South Road and headed North. Getting out of Taipei always takes time. There is always traffic and always red lights. Even though today was a semi-public holiday, there were still some cars on the road. I went down Chinekuo South & North road slowly & stopped to take a few pictures here and there and I was soon cruising along the road at the back of Songshan airport. I crossed the Dazhi bridge and headed along the North side of the river towards Yuanshan. Some of the structures for the Taipei flower show that just ended were still visible, but apart from that it was a pretty uneventful ride into Shilin.

Hsin Yi/Chienkuo Rd

Early Morning Taipei

Minzu East Road

Temple Behind the Airport

Behind Songshan Airport

View from Dazhi Bridge

Remains of the Flower Expo

Barge on the River

Once in Shilin the traffic and buses ramped up and it became quite a challenge to weave my way through the traffic to get Yangmingshan. Many of the buses were heading to the official residence of Chiang Kai Shek, but a fair number of them were also heading to Yangmingshan as the national park there is a big tourist attraction. I finally got to the bottom of Yangmingshan (the bottom of Yangming Boulevard) after riding for about 12km. It wasn't that hard and, apart from the traffic in Shilin, was a fairly pleasant ride.

Into Shilin

Directions

Hello Kitty House

Flowers in Shilin

Traffic in Shilin

As can be expected, the ride up Yangmingshan was a big challenge but even though riding up the mountain was difficult, I appreciated being there on a bike. I have been up Yangmingshan many times in a car but it is definitely different on a bike. I felt much closer to nature and really enjoyed smelling the vegetation (and yes this in spite of the occasional spurt of traffic). As can be expected, as I got higher onto the mountain, the traffic thinned out as people went their different ways. Another great advantage of being there on a bicycle was the flexibility. I could stop anywhere I wanted to take a picture or enjoy the view. Stopping randomly is not possible in a car as the traffic will get blocked up behind you. So there were definite advantages and, even though it was cloudy and misty, the greenery, as always was spectacular and riding through the sulphur fumes, although a bit smelly, was lots of fun. And do note, since my legs were pretty much exhausted after the first 2km, I had lots of mini-breaks along the route to enjoy the scenery!

Follow the 1717 Bus to Jingshan

Traffic in Yangmingshan

Trees in Yangmingshan

Riding Up Yangmingshan

Looking Down Yangmingshan

Chinese Culture University

Nearly at the Top of Yangmingshan

Some Directions

Looking up the Mountain

Beautiful Green Trees

Lush Vegetation in Yangmingshan

Taking a Break

New Friends

Of course, the best view of all was the view at the top of the mountain (although I couldn't see anything because of the mist). But still, I was happy to have finally made it to the peak. I spent a short time there to gloat (about 2 minutes) and then headed down the mountain towards Jingshan. This was the most thrillig part of the ride. There were some points along the descent where I was hitting 60km/h. I think that is the fastest I have ever been on a bike, and it felt awesome. Some cars did try and pass me but they couldn't as the road had many bends and they had to reduce their speed to go around them. I did stop on occasion to take pictures of some of the scenery and for my part, I felt that the scenery on the North side of the mountain was much better. The sad part was the rapid descent was over all too quickly and I soon found myself in Jingshan. At that point I stopped for a short rest and to get some more water and then turned my bike towards Tamsui on Highway 2.

View of the Valley (near the top

Near the Top

The Top of Yangmingshan

Made it to the Top

Going Down

Waterfall

Lilies

Me Near the Lilies

Beautiful Garden

Beautiful Mountain

Bridge

Just to give some perspective of the different challenge of riding up Yangminhan, when I got to the bottom of Yangming Boulevard my speedometer said I had ridden 12.xkm. When I got to the top, the speedometer showed I had finished about 27.xkm. So the ride from the bottom to the top of Yangmingshan was about 15km. Those 15km took me about 3 hours. I stopped a lot and had a lot of leg cramps along the way so could only go slowly. I figure I could probably walk to the top in the same time (maybe not) but even though I plodded my way up the mountain, it was a great feeling when I got there. However, coming down the North side of the mountain, when I got to Jingshan my speedometer read 45.xkm. The 18km down the mountain took a mere 25 minutes - certainly a huge difference in pace (and trust me, I preferred going down).

Abandoned in Jingshan

Jingshan Stone Rhino

Jingshan Picturesque House

Getting back to the ride, after taking a short break in Jingshan I headed along highway 2 to Tamsui. I have ridden this road before (see Cycle Trip to Tamsui, Via Keelung) but that ride ended in disaster with the rear gear being ripped off the bike. This time I was able to end the ride by getting home with only one small glitch (that was easily rectified). My first view of the ocean was not the best but it certainly improved as I headed further down the coast. I enjoyed the coolness of the breeze blowing off the ocean and although it was a really gloomy day, it made for perfect riding conditions. Along the way I met another guy who was also riding the same route as me but he was super fit and left me in his dust. He suggested we ride together but I knew I would slow him down. Anyway, I followed the road to Shimen (saw the stone arch), went past Baishwan and San-Zhi and finally into Tamsui where I stopped for a quick bite. Along the way, at certain points along the coast, there were some couples taking their wedding pictures. I remember doing the same thing 9 years ago (taking wedding pics on the coast in cold and gloomy conditions). It was a great memory! I also saw a car that had been driven into a restaurant (see the picture below) but once again, apart from cramping legs, it was a pretty uneventful ride.

First View of the Ocean

The Coast

My Bike

Green Coast

Turbines

Coastal Map

Shell Beach in Hsimen

Snack Time

Stone Arch

Stone Arch

Road Side Temple

Kite Promotion Center

Wedding Pics

Wedding Pics

Wedding Pics

Crashed Car

Into Tamsui

After taking a short rest in Tamsui - and grabbing some food - I headed out to Taipei along the river. This is a well known route regularly ridden by weekend riders (and me) so there was nothing really new for me to see. I did see a guy riding a horse next to the path. As I took a picture the horse decided to take care of business. How apt! Also, going out from Guandu I saw the new bridge they were building near the incinerator. It is half finished and looked a bit odd. So anyway, after blasting my way past Guandu I rode to Dadaocheng where my chain fell of the bike. It was easy to put back on but I did have a nightmare flashback to when my whole gear rack was torn off the bike.

Tamsui MRT

Towards Taipei

Tree Overhang

The Cycling Routes

Guandu Bridge

Guandu River Boat

Horse Riding

Guandu Temple

Unfinished Bridge

Dadao Cheng

I suppose the biggest surprise of all was how low the river level was - it was terrifying. For some parts of the ride all I could see was the riverbed and no water whatsoever. That is frightening. Taipei really does need some rain and after seeing that I felt bad about bitching about the rain earlier. I have heard Taiwan is experiencing a drought and water shortages may be implemented but I was shocked to see how empty the rivers were. Hopefully we get some rain soon.

Anyway, it was a super awesome ride. It was tough, my legs were sore, and I know that I will do it again someday (just not too soon). It was a wonderful 117km! If you are fit enough, I highy recommend the ride. Thanks for reading, much appreciate it.

African Dream Pt 2: Zulu Dancing in Durban Botanical Gardens

Zulu dancing always inspires a sense of joy, awe and fear in me. The dancers are always happy and their voices always sing with joy, but the movements are aggressive and intimidating. The dancers are always passionate and it is always a pleasure to watch. Enjoy!

Queenie and the Dancers

Growing up in South Africa meant being exposed to a lot of the local traditional cultures. Now that I live half a world a way I only get to see or experience this culture on television or, more recently, at cultural events like South Africa Day and Africa Day (which are now annual events in Taipei). So in 2010 when we went back to visit my father in Durban, we were lucky enough to stumble upon a Zulu dance at the Durban Botanical Gardens, one of my favorite places in Durban. The dancers were amazing and the little girl was espeically cute.

Little Dancing Girl

The dance was performed as part of the fesitivities for a company relaunch as is explained by the lady in the beginning of the video below and therefore we were lucky enoug to see it for free. However, since it was a company relaunch the dancers were all dressed in the colors of the company and with the exception of one boy, nobody wore any traditional dress. The only dancer in traditional dress is shown below.

Dancer in Traditional Dress

The dancers really got into it and there was a lot of intensity shown by all of them. Apart from the seriousness and intensity which they put into the dance, they all seemed to have a lot of fun doing it. This made it extra special.

Having Fun

Zulu dancing is very intense and, as per Queenie, can be a little scary. I remember years ago when I first took Queenie back to South Africa, we met a white South African man who grew up with the Zulu and knew how to dance as well as any Zulu. He explained that when he was a young man they would dance so hard in the hostels on the weekend that they would "piss blood". The reason being their legs crash down from behind their head onto concrete floors. At this event the dancers were dancing on grass and were not as aggressive but still the raising of the leg behind the head and crashing it down onto the ground requires a remarkable level of flexibility. I have tried to do this before (I am sure it was comical for those watching) and it is tough.

Leg Over Head


Remarkable Flexibility

The other impressive element of this dancing was the collective movement of the group. They seemed to remain in relatively good time without deviating too much.

Moving Together


Moving Together

Of course a Zulu dance wouldn't be a Zulu dance without the beat of a drummer. There was single drummer for this group of dancers and she helped the dancers keep their beat.

Lone Drummer

The dance went on for quite a while and after a while the dancers started to challenge me by coming up really close and kicking their legs up at me. I just stood my ground and filmed. They loved it! Queenie and I had an awesome time watching them. For Queenie it was a very special experience. She has seen this type of dancing before but not with so many people together at once. Anyway, enjoy the video below.

We had an awesome time watching this dance and I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the video above. Look forward to your comments as always.

About this Series:

During Chinese New Year 2010, we headed off to South Africa to visit friends and family. These blog posts are short accounts of some of the things we did and appear in random, not chronological order. We are doing these blogs a year later and they seem like a distant wonderful dream. We had an awesome time and hope to go back as soon as possible.

Turkish Delight Pt. 1: Clear Water of Gokova

Gokova is a small town at the head of the Gulf of Gokova, a narrow gulf of the Aagean sea nestled between the Datca and Bodrum penninsulas. The town is a one hour drive from Marmaris (where we were staying) and is another popular summer resort in the South of Turkey.

A River Runs Through Gokova

Gokova is famous for a crystal clear river that runs through it. It certainly was one of the more transparent rivers we have ever seen. We went there on a Saturday and decided to share a boat with another family. We split the cost at 30 lira each (boat hire was 60 lira). The boat takes you a couple of km upriver and the wonders of the river bed are easily seen (unfortunately not so easily seen on the video camera). My sister has been there many times and when I asked her why she liked going there, she replied she was fascinated by the world beneath the water. In addition to the views of the river bed, we were treated to picturesque views of the surrounding country side and mountains, and of course the ever-present ducks that were fed by our boat companions (we didn't think to take bread). Below is a short video of the boat trip. Enjoy!

The river we were told is very cold and, because it was so transparent, we could easily see that at some parts it got pretty deep too. We enjoyed hanging over the side of the boat and seeing the long underwater plants stretched out between the boat in the direction of the river current. It was an interesting view of the world and, as my sister said, an interesting perspective of another world. Below are some pictures of the river, the boat trip and the surrounding area.

Clear Water of Gokova


Boat in Gokova


The River in Gokova


Paul, Judith and Queenie on the boat


Ducks in Gokova


Bridge in Gokova

As you can see, the boat trip was relaxing and enjoyable and a good time was had by all.

About this Series:

During Chinese New Year 2011, we headed off to the South of Turkey to visit my sister. These blog posts are short accounts of some of the things we did and appear in random, not chronological order, hence the title of the series: "Turkish Delight." We hope you enjoy the South of Turkey with us in this series.

African Dream Pt 1: Rhinos in Cape Vidal

Mother and Baby Rhino in Cape Vidal

In February 2010 we visited South Africa for 18 days. We took a trip up to Cape Vidal Game Reserve in KwaZulu Natal (just north of St. Lucia). It was a beautiful day and as we were driving along we came accross this female Rhino and her baby. Of course the baby was very cute. It was such a privelege to be able to get so close to the baby rhino and the mother didn't seem to mind too much. Although we stayed in the car, we were within meters of both mother and baby. There is no commentary in the attached video. Nature can speak enough for itself. Enjoy!

It was truly a magical moment. We couldn't have asked for more!

Rain Riding to Fulong and Back

All pictures @ Rain Riding to Fulong - Please do excuse the picture quality, it was raining and difficult tot ake pictures.

On the Way to Pingxi

I chose to ride to Fulong today. Queenie was busy so I was free and decided to get on the bike and see how far I could go. It was an awesome ride and I made many new and wonderful friends along the way. The only trouble was, it rained most of the way and I was filthy by the end of the ride (no mudguard on the rear wheel threw all the crap in the puddles onto my back). It was a great ride and I had a tremendous sense of achievement at the end of it. It wasn't the longest ride anyone has done, but for me it was challenging and I am super pleased I got to the end. I left in the morning at around 10:15am and I got home at around 8:00pm: a full 10 hours on the seat of my bike.

The Route

The Beginning

My friend Peter has posted an approximate map of the route I took here (thanks Peter). The basic route is easy to follow. I headed straight down Hoping East Road until it changes into Wolong Street and then onto Jun Gong Road. From there I turned left onto Mucha Road Section 4 and followed the road until it became Route 106. From there I followed Route 106 all the way to Fulong going through Shenkeng, Shiding, Pingxi and Shi Fen. In She Fen I turned right onto Route 2 South towards Shuang Shi and Gong Lia0 township. From there I connected with Highway Route 2 for the final 500 meters into Fulong. From there I turned around and followed Route 5 all the way up to Keelung and then turned left onto Route 5 through Badu, Chidu, Shi Zhr, Nangang and finally home. It was an absolutely brilliant ride.

Not Quite the End - Still needed to ride to Taipei

Starting Out

I knew Queenie would be busy on this Saturday for a long time and so in my mind I had planned a long trip on my bike. Although the preceding week started with some beautiful weather, as we got closer to the weekend the weather started to turn sour and by Friday night it was pouring with rain. I thought I would forget the ride. I had remembered my last disasterous attempt of riding in the rain that ended in failure in Tamsui (Cycle Trip to Tamsui, Via Keelung). By the time Saturday morning came around there was a slight drizzle which cleared up around 10:00am. I planned on going on a short bike ride in the beginning and just head out to the zoo. Once I got down to Mucha I pushed on to Shenkeng and saw the 106 and decided to follow it to Shiding. Once in Shiding it had already started to pour with rain and I was completely drenched so decided to push through to Fulong and back home through Keelung. What a beautiful day it turned out to be.

Near the Zoo


Shengkeng


Shenkeng


Election Posters were all along the route

Rain Riding: Advantages & Disadvantages

Empty Tunnel from Pingxi

The huge advantage of rain riding is that the road is your own which makes it surprisingly safe. At least through the mountains. Traffic was minimal, there were few other cyclists on the road and it was very peaceful. It gave me the opportunity to enjoy nature without much disturbance and allowed me to be alone with my thoughts. Of course the views of the mountains in the middle of the route were outstanding in the rain. The low lying clouds made the views magical and mysterious: absolutely beautiful. The vegetation was a lush green and one could breathe all the fresh air in the world, which can only be good for you. The other advantage is that you don't get sunburn and don't dehydrate as quickly. The disadvantages are obvious: you get wet, the road is slippery, you cannot ride as fast and because of the wind, I started to get severe cramps towards the end of the ride in Shi Zhr in both legs. It was hard to carry on pushing on the pedals but I just breathed through the pain and made sure I got through to the end.

Temple outside Pingxi


Looking Back into the Valley


Lush Vegetation


Misty Mountains

New Friends

New Friends in Pingxi

Along the route I managed to meet a lot of new friends. I bumped into a group of riders in Pingxi and stopped to chat with them and take some pictures. They had also come from Taipei but refused my invitation to ride on to the North East Coast and back home through Keelung. We took pictures together, handed out facebook addresses (some of us are now connected) and I headed off on my own pushing for Fulong.

From Tainan to Fulong in Five Days

In Fulong I met two guys who had ridden up from Tainan over 5 days. They were soaked and where overnighting in Fulong. They felt sorry for me all drenched in rain and mud and offered me their raincoat which I politely rejected arguing I was already soaked and it wouldn't make much of a difference anyway. They told me to get my ass down to Tainan as some of the best riding in Taiwan they believed was in the South. I might just do that and get my buddy Peter to ride with me. It would be a joy to ride with Peter again.

AMD Green Team - Day 15/16 Around Taiwan

As I was heading back to Keelung I ran into a bunch of round island riders. They were on day 15 of day 16. They were heading for Keelung and asked me to join them. Since the North East road was really busy and they had three cars driving with them with one in the front and two in the back forming a safety pocket for the riders, it seemed sensible. They too offered a rain coat which I refused (since I was already wet) and we rode together all the way to Keelung. The only problem with riding with these folks was that they were really fast and I struggled to keep up with them and, very often, landed up behind them. In the end all was good and we managed to ride into Keelung together which is where I took my leave, turned my bike onto the road by myself again and headed along the No. 5 Road back to Taipei.

Abalone Farm


Wild Coast


Fishing Boats

The Last Stretch

This part was tough. I had already been riding for 8.5 hours, I hadn't had anything to eat since I 11:00am in the morning and only a cup of coffee to drink in Fulong. It was cold, I had been wet for most of the day and when I was going up the final incline from Chidu to Shi Zhr both my legs started cramping badly. I knew I needed to eat and drink something. I finally made it to Shi Zhr and stopped at a McDonald's for something to fill me up. After that it was a pretty uneventful, but painful ride back into Taipei and home. All in all the ride took 9 hours and 45 minutes to complete.

Some Additional Thoughts

Dead Lotuses in a Pond

When I got back home everyone thought I was stupid to ride in the rain. I also thought it was a bit dumb but whatever. Was I cold? Yes! Was I wet? Of course! Was I tired? Yes! Was it dangerous? No! Why ride in the rain? Because I can! When I was out there on the road in the rain, especially on Route 106 in the mountains, there were hardly any cars, trucks, motorcycles or bicycles. It was very very peaceful. And I loved it. The mountains in the rain and low lying clouds are beautiful. The vegetation is so lush and green and reminds me of how beautiful Taiwan is. It reminds of how beautiful God's bountiful nature is. It reminds of where I grew up (the climates and vegetation is similar). But most of all it is peaceful and beautiful. When you want to stop, you stop! When you want to ride fast, you ride fast. And when you want to slow down, you slow down! It was fantastic and at the end of the ride I had a real feeling of accomplishment. As I said at the beginning, it is certainly not the most challenging ride one can do in Taiwan, but it was challenging enough for me given the conditions. That does beg the question: would I deliberately ride in rain like that again? Probably not. But if on the road the rain came, it wouldn't deter me: I would just carry on going.

One last thought: Over the past two months I have been doing a committed excercise program. I noticed on this journey my endurance was much better on the bike than before and pushing 10kg less up a mountain road with more muscles in the legs certainly makes things easier. When my speedometer was working I noticed on some mild grade inclines I was able to sustain 30km/hr speeds for significant periods of time. Of course, the steeper inclines made that impossible. Still, being fitter helped the riding and I am happy for that. The leg cramps at the end I believe were my fault for not hydrating and eating properly on the way. Next time I will prepare better.

The Final Damage

My odometer only worked intermittently: the final damage was 114km. But I believe it might have been closer to between 135 ~ 140km (maybe more). My legs were definitely sore the next day and my bike needs some maintenance (the chain kept slipping). Other than that, a brilliant ride and one that would be super amazing in the right, rainless, clear-day conditions. So get on your bikes and start pedaling.

All pictures @ Rain Riding to Fulong - Please do excuse the picture quality, it was raining and difficult tot ake pictures.