adventures in biking

Today was fantabulous. Two girlfriends and I had, about a month ago, attempted to go on a biking excursion. We'd had to cancel it because I'd been sick, and the weather went sour. We were determined to make up for it, and this Sunday we were finally able to do it!

Sarah, Katie and I met up at Taipower Station, which is south of Taipei City and east of where I live in Xinjhaung. Because biking is so popular, there are bike rental shops with decent rates. We stopped at one and each rented a bike (the total for 3 hours was about $120 NT which is incredibly cheap) and then biked the short way to the main path that follows the big river that goes through Taipei.

It wasn't the sunniest of days, but that was just as well; it was actually great weather for biking, not too warm but not at all cold. There were quite a few people outside. Some were fishing, some were playing with kids, some were walking dogs. We passed what looked like a music stage going up (or being taken down), a marshy area with photographers wearing camouflage and presumably taking pictures of various duck species living there. (Signs with the species of waterfowl were posted along this area, hence my assumption.) We passed baseball diamonds with games in progress. We chatted, avoided hitting people and other bikers, and just generally enjoyed the journey and the view.

Sarah gets credit for most of these pictures. She asked if she could borrow my camera to take pictures of Katie and me biking, and I didn't realize how many other great pics she took.

After biking for about an hour and a half, we decided to turn around to ensure we were back in time to return the bikes. Almost as soon as we did so, it started to drizzle. Then the wind started to blow, and the drizzle became half-hearted rain. We got reasonably wet and had to bike against the wind, but it was refreshing, not irritating. Along the way we spotted various packs of street dogs taking shelter under trees and bridges. There are quite a few stray dogs in Taiwan, and they often form packs for company and protection. They aren't aggressive, at least not in my experience. Generally they just ignore you. It's sad to see them. They're not horribly thin, since there's a lot of eating out here and henceforth plenty of leftovers for the dogs to eat, but many of them are good-looking dogs with bright eyes who seem like they'd make wonderful pets if given a trip to the vet, a bath, and a good home.

At last we made it back to the bike shop, with plenty of time to spare. After returning the bikes, we found a restaurant and had lunch. Katie and I had spaghetti with pesto sauce and smoked duck (AMAZING) while Sarah had pasta with salmon.

There is no picture of the food because I was too busy eating it.

I'm back home and it's hours later, and I'm feeling the bike ride in my muscles, particularly my calves. I had a lot of fun, though, and I hope we go again!