biking in danshui

I'm going to miss the seemingly endless biking space in Taiwan. Biking is fun in and of itself, but having long, well-kept biking paths that quite often follow gorgeous scenery is fantastic.

Last weekend my friend Katie and I met up with a friend of hers in Danshui to go biking. It was really hot when we got there--like soak-your-shirt-in-five-minutes hot. It was humid, too. Danshui was packed, with most people buying ice cream or cold drinks and then taking refuge in the shade. I was not a little worried that the combination of heat and exercise would give me heat exhaustion or make me pass out. I'm pretty sure I didn't shut up about this fear for twenty minutes.

Fortunately, Katie's friend (and a friend of his) arrived and distracted me from bemoaning my weak constitution. We rented bikes from a nearby facility, and then waited for Katie's friend's other friend to arrive. This was fine with me, as I'd brought my camera and had plenty to photograph.

Once our group finally numbered five, we set off. Pleasantly, when you're biking you're creating a wind against yourself, so the heat wasn't overwhelming. A lot of other people had had the same biking idea, though, so the streets were flooded with people of all ages. We had to stop multiple times to walk our bikes up small hills or around corners where it was too crowded to keep moving. Eventually we found wide roads that let us go at a decent pace. I have no idea how far we went. Danshui is endless. We passed temples, markets, houses, a bamboo farm, and men building a billboard sign frame from bamboo (badass). We went over bridges and followed rivers and streams. We stopped a few times because although I didn't want to hold us up, I wanted to take pictures, too.

We saw two men fishing at a riverside, and an ocean bird standing by watching them, likely waiting for tidbits. It was hilarious.

Shortly after the moocher bird, we came upon a roadside oasis for bikers, which sold drinks and food. We decided it was as good a time as any to take a rest.

This was about the time we realized it was getting dark, and the only way home was back the way we'd come. Although my legs weren't hurting from all the biking (at all, which was amazing, I was very impressed with my strong little legs!) Katie and I had both been feeling the pain of our hard bike seats for the past hour. I think I could feel my lower pelvis bones bruising the whole way back.

The nice thing about the popularity of bike trails around here is that even after the sun set, we were never without light from street lamps. We only stopped for a breather once, and I ended up with some awesome pictures of the view.

Finally, at long last, we made it back and returned our bikes. The guys went out for dinner at Danshui, while Katie and I opted to have dinner at a location a bit closer to home on the MRT line since it was already a bit late on a Sunday night and we both had work the next day. We went to Sushi Express, a sushi chain restaurant. In each restaurant there's a conveyor belt that goes around a large bar. You sit down at one of the chairs and grab whatever dishes look tasty. Katie and I shared two plates of edamame (a bean that is now possibly my favorite thing ever) and a small plate of bamboo (also one of my new favorite things) in addition to plenty of rice and fish.

I didn't realize how tired I was that night but I slept very soundly. The best part was that I had absolutely no leg paint he next day. None. Usually a hard workout lets itself be known the following day, but I think my legs are strong enough at this point that even a long bike ride doesn't bother them. I hope I can keep walking and biking to stay in shape even after I go back to the States.

I can't believe I'm going home in a month.