I left Chiayi about 7:30 am, and followed National Route 1 the entire way to Tainan. Straight, direct, lots of sun and highway. I wore my rain jacket most of the day to give the sunburn on my arms a chance to recover. Almost but not quite too warm.
I crossed the Tropic of Cancer on the way out of Chiayi. The tropic of Cancer separates the tropical and the subtropical zone.
Not much else to the ride. Passed a tourist attraction at a sugar factory.
Which had a military display adjacent.
The last 10 km were all Tainan city with the associated traffic.
Only 73 km today. I arrived in Taiwan before Reception opened at the hostel, so grabbed a bite to eat.
Once checked in I wandered out. Usually I’d get a shower first, but I didn’t have a lot of day left to go see things.
So I asked at Reception, and picked up a map of the city with highlighted recommendations. I walked to the art museum (all modern, not interesting).
Across the street was a large Confucian Temple from the 1600 – less garish than the other temples.
I next went to view the Chikkan Tower. From there I headed back, only to realize that the historic Goshun Street (another market) would have been nearby had I realized it at the Tower, but now wasn’t. So I turned around and explored there as well.
Now late enough that attractions were closing, I returned to the hostel. While sitting on the common area I met Alex, who introduced himself by asking if the bicycle was mine. He too is cycling around Taiwan. This is his last stop of a six-month backpacking trip around Asia, and he decided to end his trip with cycling (boosting his overall distances with judicious trains).
We both got cleaned up before walking to the not nearby Dedong Night Market.
After dinner we collaborated on each of our routes for the next few days, and determined our paths should cross again on the 16th (in three days). We’re now both booked at the same place then; if things align we’ll see each other again!