Bike Trip from Xindian (新店) to Hsinchu (新竹)
2018/02/17-18, Part 1
During
the holidays of the Chinese New Year I made a two day tour by bike from my home
in Xindian (新店),
in the Taipei suburbs, to Hsinchu (新竹) and back.
Contrary
to popular believe the Chinese New Year is a good time to spend in Taipei or
ride bike because there are actually a few people on the road. Taipei is very
deserted as most Taiwanese visit their families out of Taipei. The roads to
Hsinchu (新竹)
were very empty as even the notorious violent truck drivers enjoyed their
holidays…
I
did the bike tour by myself for several reasons:
a.
My wife and daughter both are not into sports and do not ride bikes.
b.
The tradition in Taiwan and China is that the children visit their parents.
After my father-in-law passed away the family union was gone. Basically in my
wife’s family I sense a kind of aversion from each member against this one
foreigner from Germany so after many senseless arguments I have decided rather
to keep my dignity than facing outright hostilities against my existence. It’s
sad but I have to face the truth…
Preparation
For this trip I prepared two bags which I’ve fixed on my bike: a front bag and a rear bag.
- Front bag: wallet, smartphone & charger, basic bike tools (multi-tool, tire levers), two inner tubes, toothbrush and snacks
- Rear bag: sleeping bag, bike shorts, socks, tripod.
On the bike I have two water bottles:
- 1 plastic bottle because of the convenience and the lighter weight
- 1 thermos stainless bottle because it keeps hot/cold contents longer at its temperature but, more important, it keeps the contents fresher for a longer time.
I always carry a pocket pump in case of a flat which is mounted on the frame under the front bottle cage.
Preparation
For this trip I prepared two bags which I’ve fixed on my bike: a front bag and a rear bag.
- Front bag: wallet, smartphone & charger, basic bike tools (multi-tool, tire levers), two inner tubes, toothbrush and snacks
- Rear bag: sleeping bag, bike shorts, socks, tripod.
On the bike I have two water bottles:
- 1 plastic bottle because of the convenience and the lighter weight
- 1 thermos stainless bottle because it keeps hot/cold contents longer at its temperature but, more important, it keeps the contents fresher for a longer time.
I always carry a pocket pump in case of a flat which is mounted on the frame under the front bottle cage.
 | |
|
Road to Hsinchu
I started after a hearty breakfast at 9:00 in the morning. Much rain the weeks before the Chinese New Year holidays lead to a surprisingly sunny start of the day.
I rode to the Sunshine Sports Park (陽光運動公園) in Xindian (新店) and crossed the Sunshine Bridge (陽光橋) from which you have a wonderful view to the mountains in the direction of Wulai (烏來), a popular hot spring and aboriginal culture getaway from Taipei.
Right after the bridge starts the popular Bitan (碧潭)→Danshuei (淡水) bike path which is separated from the cars and motorcycles. It is a mainly flat and easy to path but might be overcrowded on weekends or holidays. As most people left Taipei for the holidays I was very lucky to among the few chosen.
On a nice spot I asked elderly gentlemen if he could take a picture of me and my bike. Talking to him he revealed that he plays saxophone for one year, up to 5 hours every day! During my time in Taiwan I met several saxophone players with similar stories…
 |
Let’s go! (出發吧!)
|
I followed the bike path beside the Danshuei River (淡水河) up to the Guandu Nature Park from which the orange painted Guandu Big Bridge (關渡大橋) can be seen from far away. Here I’ve crossed the Danshuei River (淡水河) to follow the bike path on the other side of the shore to the town of Bali (八里) right across Danshuei (淡水).
 |
Danshuei River (淡水河)
|
 |
Coffee Shop beside the Danshuei River
(咖啡店在淡水河旁)
|
 |
Guandu Bridge (關渡大橋)
|
There is a boat from Bali (八里) to Danshuei (淡水) or vice versa but currently the sand or mud filled up of the waterbed let some boats stuck in the soil. This led to cancellation of most deep water boats and therefore had a great impact on the water traffic between these two tourist destinations.
In Bali (八里) were many people so I had to walk my bike through the crowds. But it was not before long that I headed to the Shihsanhang Museum (十三行博物館). It serves as an museum of northern Taiwan which does not only display original artifacts of an archaeological site but also serves as an educational center for prehistoric culture and the history of the Aborigines of Taiwan.
The 2nd part will follow soon...
Comments are welcome, have a great day!
Gerhard
No comments:
Post a Comment