Date:  Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Day 98 of 180

Hello all!  I'm back.  Well I didn't necessarily go anywhere, but as a result of the Taiwanese Independence Day (a.k.a. 10/10) last week I wasn't able to get a blog post up.  The Bilingual Zone Group decided to go to Dali, Taiwan.  Basically, if you have the map of Taiwan up, Dali is located about two stops from Hualien.  Basically it goes, Hualien, Dali, Pingxi, Wulai, Taipei.  Located at Dali is a very famous hiking trail, almost 130 years old; and a very common vacation destination during 10/10.  This year, however, it wasn't too bad; though because of the holiday, the train we took was packed--standing room only!  Needless to say, the train ride up was the most tiring aspect of the whole trip; as we had to stand for almost 2 hours straight.  Once we arrived at Dali and disembarked from the train, the plan is to hike to the summit of a mountain along the famous Dali hiking trail then meet up at the next train stop to head back.  We began the hike after lunch and eventually ended that night around 6:30 pm.

After 10/10, life has been pretty normal.  Well, as normal as it can get in a tropical nation in Southeast Pacific.  So basically pretty fantastic.  The average weather now, since it is late fall early winter, is hovering around 76 F, with most days appearing partly cloudy.  I really can't complain about the weather; it really is perfect.  No bugs, No humidity, Sunny, and a cool breeze; this might be the best weather to facilitate my weekly shenanigans.  As have become the norm, Joe, Hannah, and I have formed a pseudo-"biker" gang.  This time we've taken our mission statement to the max.  Since our joining, we've made it a point to bike Taiwan-nothing, no matter how far, is restricted to a biker in Taiwan.  With this in mind we decided to bike to Shifen Waterfall, in the Pingxi District of New Taipei City, Taiwan.  Just to give you a perspective of the challenge that lay ahead, Wulai is about 15 KM outside Taipei.  Pingxi is twice that distance and even more mountainous.  Shifen our final destination?  Is an additional 5 KM from Taipei, for a total of 40 KM of very mountainous roads, though because of the distance and difficulty of the trip most people don't drive out there--they take the train.  The only other people willing to tackle these treacherous roads in a motor vehicle are motorcyclists and student drivers (what a set of roads to learn to drive on!).

As a result, the trip really wasn't that dangerous as we first thought it was going to be due to the fact that for the majority of the trip we were the only ones on the roads.  Furthermore, the roads we not as steep as we had first planned on it being.  However, the lack of noticeable grades added to the burden of biking to our destination.  From the time we left Xindian, Taipei (southern Taipei), to the moment arrived at Shifen, We were traveling steadily upwards.  Even the seemingly flat areas of road had a slight grade to it, but because it was so small we ended taking fewer rest stops than when we were traveling to Wulai, which was much steeper in comparison.  The distance, almost 40 KM, coupled with the constant upward climb served to tire us all out, much more than we expected.  Thope that motivated our physical exertion, swimming at Shifen Falls; this, however, would turn out a disappointment.

Having biked 40 KM in the hope of swimming and enjoying the famous Shifen Falls, the thought never crossed our minds that it might be closed to swimming.  This turned out to be heartbreaking.  The setting was perfect, we were hot and sweaty, the weather was warm, and the sun shining, the only thing missing was the feeling of a cold, refreshing dip in a waterfall after a hard day's work.  But we managed to enjoy ourselves nevertheless, visiting Shifen and Jinglong night markets before heading back to an amazing curry dinner.  To be honest, the trip there was much more enjoyable than the destination; though it would have been nice to swim in the river.  Though I understand the merits of driving or using another form of motorized travel and some may even say I obsess  over the joy of driving, the intimacy and feel of exhilaration that you gain through tackling a particularly difficult road on a bicycle is one that is not easily matched.  Slow down, take your time, and enjoy people, scenery, smells, and experience the world.  View the countryside as a resource to be cherished not an obstacle to be conquered.  Don't you want to experience the world for yourself, instead of reading and watching about it?  Would life be more exciting if we all spent more time out in nature, hiking, biking, and swimming?  Don't be content with watching reality T.V. shows about having experiences that you, yourself, could be having if you weren't so lazy and noncommittal. Stop complaining and do something about it and exercise your right to have free fun.