Around the Island and Back Again - Day 2

The next morning after waking up I stroll down to the seawall and look back at the hostel, a non-discript building in the cityscape. Getting packed and ready to head out to breakfast, I find out that overnight the battery has finally died, having the to start a 150cc engine with a battery only rated for a 100cc bike has its consequences. So we get on the other bike and head out for a bite to eat, Almond milk, a Chinese donut and a steamed bun. After breakfast, I push my bike a little under a mile to a near by bike mechanic shop, we find out that the starter motor is drawing too much power from a battery not design to power it, and since the bike is modded we can't get a replacement part in any reasonable time frame. The mechanic calls up his contact and gets the starter motor disassembled and cleaned out by hand on special order! Had this been in the US, this would have cost as least a round trip plane ticket back to Taipei. We get out for under 50. AKA if your ever down in the area this is the place to go.

After a slow start to the day we head out and ride along the coast, there are clam & fish farms and so for lunch we stop at the edge of town at a seafood restaurant and have a bite to eat. With the smell of salt brine in the air we press on toward one of the notable temples in the southwest. The temple and adjacent garden are huge and in the background is a multistory hotel under construction to be run by the temple to accommodate visitor and pilgrims during holidays. My favorite feature is a the stair case for one of the watchtowers.

With the afternoon upon us we make a stop at the famous "Salt Mountain" a former salt farm, where sea salt was harvested, the place is now a theme park of sorts. The central building sells many salt inspired novelties, from salt toothpaste (which as expected tastes like a mouthful of sea water) to the famous salt ice cream bars. Being a fan of dessert tofu I couldn't pass up try a cup.

Late afternoon just outside the city we make a stop to check the prices at a temple hotel, unfortunately being a relatively new facility the prices are comparable to hotels, So we press on. In Tainan we settle down with a bowl of beef noodle, priced at only 50NTD, only to find that a buffet at a department/mall was only 199NTD remarkably well priced. Too bad we were already full. After checking out the night scene we turn in for the night at a youth hostel. [On a side quest I find out that while 7-11 the local get everything store does not stock ear plugs! In fact had to pick them up at a domestic store, what would look like a Japanese/Taiwanese themed "dollar store" in the US except they sell all domestic items.]

Pictures after update.

Around the Island and Back Again - Day 1

After nearly 15 hours on the road we finally reach our rest stop for the night, a temple hostel. Basically it is a hostel that is free to stay, with a suggested donation to help keep them running, definitely a worthy cause. The temple hostel mostly plays host to traveling students, backpackers, and bicycle tour groups.

On a note about the last group, it is a popular pass time for those in shape to get a group together and circumnavigate the island riding along the coastal highway, it has become such a popular pass time that many city and countys are building bike lanes or boardwalks off the main road just for the bikers, and for those in not quite that great shape its by scooter. Breakfast today started with cleaning out the last of the bread in the fridge so it didn't go bad while we were out traveling. After a fuel stop we started to roll, about an hour and a half in we passed a park with a beautiful forest of mangrove trees and a nice boardwalk making its way though the park . . . a good time for a picture break.

At about 10:30 we were hungry already, but then again thats what you get for eating at 5 something in the morning. Therefore we made a stop at a local restaurant that was funny enough just getting things set up for the lunch hour rush, so while we had to wait a little for our food, it doesn't get any more fresh.

Two hours later we stopped again for a road side snack, hmmmm there seems to be a lot of eating going on here . . . basically a fired leek and oyster pastry. Later at a traditional market we picked up a cup of watermelon juice (yes they have juiced a watermelon) and a “cow lick” which is a sweet pastry named so because of the way they are cooked and thus come out looking like a cow's tongue.

Finally for dinner steak and eggs with noodle on the side!

TSA & EWB

Just got back from Taiwanesse Student Association or TSA and the Taiwanese Night Market event, it was a lot of fun but rather hectic.

Unfortunately, I did not get any homework done this weekend, and since next week the EWB@WSU club is going to the international conference in Seattle at UW it means that we need to get homework done early, well I guess that just means more last minute cramming before we leave, so it just means who ever is the least tired is going to end up driving.