When we began cycling, two things were immediately apparent. Firstly, the sun was gone, hidden behind cloud. This was a kind of blessing as it made the day a lot cooler. However, it also meant that sometime later in the week, the rain would come.
And secondly, we were riding into the wind, and we would be riding into it all the way north. We knew before we began the trip that the wind on the east coast would be against us, but I don't think none of us realised how hard it would be.
So, with the wind pushing against us and tired muscles that hadn't fully recovered from the previous day's cycle, we were only able to cycle a measly 30km. We reached Taidong city and gave up for the day.
We stayed in a hotel that we had stayed in the previous year. We all got showered and changed, found a curry restaurant, did some fruit shopping, and then headed back to the hotel to rest up.
These two pictures are photos of the destruction caused by Typhoon Morakot. The river had burst its banks and destroyed or swept away homes and part of a bridge. It is easy to forget that although the typhoon is over, the clean up operation takes months to complete.
This fruit is a mystery to me, the translation of it is 'Buddha head', but it kind of resembles chirimoya/custard apple. Whatever it is, it's delicious, and they are a local speciality in Taidong County.
Taidong city
Taidong is famous for producing the best fruit in Taiwan. A walk down 'Fruit street' is something to be seen, countless varieties of tropical fruits on sale.
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