Well, this morning I discovered another advantage to having staged myself 50 km from Sun Moon Lake. When I started to head out I realized it was raining. I headed back to my Airbnb to wait out the rain. I had plenty of time! I left about 9:30 am., picking up supplies from the nearby 7-11.
I caught up to the rain after about an hour of cycling, and stopped again to let it move on. That left me dry until I started to climb and entered the clouds. I gained about 650 meters of elevation today (~2000 feet). I spent a lot of time by the side of the road resting. By the last 10 km I feel like I stopped every 100 meters.
While my path into the mountains was along another national cycle route, there wasn’t a cycle lane. Still the traffic was polite, even through the 6 or so tunnels. Between the tunnels and the grey day I decided to wear my new blinky LED cycle vest.
Typhoons bring a lot of water to Taiwan. A LOT of water. You can see signs of that everywhere, from culverts to river beds.
I was glad for my first view of Sun Moon Lake!
I had some problems finding the hostel. It was right where it was supposed to be, but hard to find from the street.
I worried that the path out of here would be either a serious climb (like leaving the source of the Danube) or a retreat back from whence I came, but it looks like a 40 km descent in the direction I wish to head.
A few days from now the turn around at the south of the island is a steeper 450 meter climb I definitely need to plan for!
I had dinner at a nearby restaurant recommended by the hostel, and then spent the rest of the evening talking with Beck, an Australian woman traveling through Asia. It said that Americans count travel by days or weeks, Europeans count travel by weeks or months, and Australians track travel by years. She’s on her second year, headed home the end of March.
46 km today (+650m vertical!). Tomorrow I should be a “short” 30 km around the lake and return to the hostel. I’ve already made a reservation for two nights from now in Chiayi, which will put me back on National Cycle Route 1 as well.