Taiwan trip - 2007 (part deux) - the bike ride.

Bike Ride:

I found out that Zoe's cousin worked for a bike rental place along one of the many scenic bike paths near Feng Yuan.
(Hou Feng)

To the left is Zoe's friend Amanda (about to be married).


I did not know that their were so many well maintained paths, nor that biking was such a popular weekend recreation in that area. Wow. There were literally dozens of rental places along the 30K or so that we road. Weekends can get crowded. And since some places rent electric bikes and do not require the riders to know how to operate the dang things, it can be dangerous. I saw 3 accidents on our ride. If you see a woman in high heels with her feet up on a electric bike, watch out. Amazing.

Most of our route was along a closed railway route and passed byseveral decommissioned stations and stops. Most were well maintained and a couple even had old rail cars and rest area like amenities. We stopped at a few. We stopped to get fresh squeezed sugar cane juice at this one. 0 dan platform!! Yeah baby. Zoe took pics of the juice stand, but I have didn't get a copy yet.
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We saw a petting zoo type of place with all kinds of birds including peacocks, turkeys and more. Cool.
On the downside, we also saw a gocart track just off the path.
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We saw some family farms and a couple of old style homes ( 三合院 )
All along the route's we took there was a plethora of stands and cafe's selling all types of snacks and drinks.





Blue Ocean:
One of the more unique rest areas was a lot with some chairs and
table with a pristine classic VW bus refitted to be a coffee/tea stand.
I did not try the coffee, cause I was not in the mood, but it was spotlessly clean and under some shady trees. Looked worth a stop for tea coffee or little snacks.
Note the pooh bear in the passenger seat. I asked about it and the wife (husband wife team) told me he was the security guard.
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Here is the back view of the bus. I thought they did a nice job on the coffee bar. The wood work and the storage area looks nice.
Very clean design.
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Lunch in the Mountains:
OK. I am not putting this in the food section 'cause it was part of the ride, sort of. Just after the ride, Zoe's friend Amanda (who is getting married soon) wanted to take us for lunch in the mountains near the bike path.
I forgot the name of the place. It was her second choice, actually. The first choice was not open that day. Although Zoe is a strict vegetarian and I am like Samuel Jackson's character in pulp fiction (vegetarian by association), we had a good time at this beautiful yet not overtly vegetarian friendly restaurant. Their specialty is a stewed pork dish with lots of yummy fat on top. We loved the rice, which was packed with sweet potatoes. It was great getting together with Amanda. I am sorry I won't be there for the wedding. But, I am sure she will be happy even without my presence.
Well... That's it for this post. My next post will go over our day viewing the flowers blooming in Hsin She.
ADG