Bike Trip from Xindian (新店) to Hsinchu (新竹)
2018/02/17-18, Part 7
Riding closer
to Hsinchu (新竹),
my final destination, I had to cross the Fengshan Creek Bridge (鳳山溪橋)
which
is obviously built over the Fengshan Creek (鳳山溪) and the Hsinchu
Port Big Bridge (竹港大橋) which crosses
the Touqian Creek (頭前溪). Both bridges are located right
where the creeks flow into the Taiwan Strait but unfortunately in the night
there was not a lot to see.
It was very
helpful that not many cars and trucks were on the road. I can only imagine how difficult
it will be to ride on these multi-lane bridges during rush hour with the
strong wind from the sea.
Talking about
the wind I have to note that the west coast of Taiwan has several windmills to produce
environmentally friendly energy. The most famous products of Hsinchu are the rice noodles which are mostly produced by the Hakka, a group within the Han
Chinese who are not united by a location but by their Hakka language. They have also a distinguished culture from other Han Chinese groups. Rice
noodles need to be dried after production and before packing; therefore the
wind plays an important part producing them...
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windmill
on the west coast of Taiwan
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After passing
the Hsinchu City limits I was looking for a place to camp for the night. Stealth
camping would be an overrated word as most Taiwanese are friendly to Tourist. On the
contrary, when you try to hide this only creates suspicion by the locals.
That evening I
was very happy that I found a totally empty park, with residents, in case of
emergency, just across the street. I did neither bring my tent nor a sleeping pad;
I just took out my sleeping bag and put it on the soft uncut grass. When I work
with my equipment or clothes I try to stay on top of
everything by being tidy. I pack my things before sleeping, I even put my cycling shoes
in the waterproof bag to avoid moisture which could blow over with the wind from he nearby
Taiwan Strait.
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my
camp for the night
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In windy areas
there are no mosquitoes, a common Taiwan enemy during summer time. Once I called
them in a joke the ‘national birds’ of Taiwan…
The night
supposed to be quiet. But it seemed that I camped between two temples which made
a war on ‘bad spirits’ and between each other by using a lot of firecrackers and fireworks for a long time during this night.
The
earliest documentation of fireworks dates back to 7th century medieval
Chinese Tang Dynasty, where they were
invented. The fireworks were used to accompany many festivities. It is thus a
part of the culture of China and had its origin there; eventually it spread to
other cultures and societies. The art and science of firework making has
developed into an independent profession. Chinese people originally believed
that the fireworks could expel evil spirits and bring about
luck and happiness (wikipedia).
It
is strange how simple it is to be happy and satisfied at the same time. Most
people have a bike at home and when you add a rough plan, a map, some basic equipment and a good mood the
adventure can right start in front of your door. On this evening I also had a
sense of achievement even if 85 km does not seem a long journey.
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adventure
right in front of your door
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With
my wife and daughter in my mind I fell asleep…
(to be continued)
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