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A Dream Come True Circumnavigating Taiwan via Bicycle by Dudley Henderson (Aug 4-11, 2012) |
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Day 5 Fulong ~ Tamsui |
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Day 5 was a great ride across the Northern tip of Taiwan on Highway 2. The look of the coast seems to change as you go west across the Northern tip. It has a lot to do with the fact that you begin to see high-rise buildings, larger cities, as you approach the influence of Taipei. You leave behind the small towns and fishing villages. But the beauty of the coast continued to awe me. I would ride the day alone, although I did meet my friends from day 4 briefly in Keelung, but soon lost them, only to find them for a short time in Tamsui. I'm still hoping to get an email with pictures and names that I was promised. I think the highlight of the day would be a very short side trip to see the Fuguei Cape Lighthouse. Such a beautiful landmark and I doubt that it is operational as GPS technology has no doubt taken its place. I used my phone's GPS to find my way to it. I still wondered if it would have the light on at night. |
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The Route |
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..I know, another 7-11, but it is hard to start the days ride without a little protein..and tea eggs fit the bill |
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..I say goodbye to Fulong and hello to a beutiful morning.. |
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..and more beautiful green scenery.. |
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..it does not take long before I find a nice place to rest and enjoy the view.. |
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..if you don't have a boat, there is still a way to fish.. |
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..one of the nice things about being on a bicycle is being able to stop and enjoy scenes like this..there are few places for cars to stop and some of the best views are only seen out the window while passing.. |
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..in Texas there are signs that read, "Share the Road", I sometimes felt that while sharing a tunnel with a truck or bus that I did not get my fair share.. |
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..beautiful small deep water harbor and fishing village.. |
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..wish I could have joined them! |
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Wow! |
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..neat little village on the side of the hill?..guess again..it's a cemetery.. |
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..Keelung will be just around the bend.. |
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Keelung It seems there was a shortcut through Keelung that joined Highway 2 contiuing on up the east coast. I missed it and had a nice tour of the city, often looking at my phone's GPS to help find my way to Highway 2. But, that is when one can enjoy some scenery that otherwise would have been missed. |
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The Fuguei Cape Lighthouse (on the Northern most tip of Taiwan) After trying a couple of small roads that led to a dead end in a fishing village, I came to what I thought was another dead end. While turning around I noticed that a lady selling fresh seafood was watching me. I shouted, Lighthouse. Evidently so many tourists get lost in that area looking for the lighthouse that she understood what I was trying to do. She pointed back towards the dead end and said, "you can! 可以啊 " I went back to what I thought was the dead end and noticed an opening through a fence that led to a trail. I walked and pushed my bike up the trail until I got to some steep steps. There were two Taiwanese couples there and they agreed to take my picture with the lighthouse in the background. It took a while for them to figure out how to use the camera, but they did a good job. I wanted to go to the lighthouse, but did not want to leave my bike and sure did not want to carry it up those stairs. |
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..a beach on the Northern coast..does not compare with the Southwest near Kenting.. |
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..beautiful park area with walking bridge in Tamsui.. |
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..I was looking for a hotel in Tamsui and this looked like just the place, but, I was afraid my wife would check our credit card statement.. |
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..across the street from my hotel was a 5 story McDonalds..I did not go in, but wondered if there was an elevator..I would not like to carry a tray of food to the 5th floor.. |
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..the streets of Tamsui on arrival, and later after dark..I love to walk the streets at night, so colorful.. |
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..7-11 food will keep you going, but I found a neat little Italian restaurant close to my hotel..probably the most enjoyable meal of the trip..cream of mushroom soup..salad..penne pasta with red sauce, clams and shrimp..a good way to end a busy 105 kilometer day of riding.. |
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Auto show all pictures ~ Fulong to Tamsui ~ HERE |
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Comments questions to: dudley@moreearnestheed.org |
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