Biking around
Today I decided to take the bike tour to the coast again. Last time I saw small eastern part of it and was not delighted, people said western part is better. Btw. somebody revealed to me in email it's 1st of May (I would forgot)-here I did not notice anything connected with the date. They seem not to go for it. I had ideal weather, around 30-35 cels, windy.
Few clean days-finally-and ocassion to see that Hsinchu is really surrounded by mountains:
Here is view (from behind) to the cemetary-yes, this simple. Usually some hill between industrial facilities or so. There must be something of karmic spirit in this, I mean, this place rather has spirit of some old jewish cemetary in Pariska ulica in Czech capital, Prague.
Following the road through the outskirts of the "18 Mountains Park", which is quite nice (and finally without crowd) I tried to find my way out of the city.
Notice dense packing of the plants...it is jungle. And here again some bamboo
(Yes Jacek, I know it is not very interesting, but, then, not everybody was driving the motorcycle like crazy through the jungles and heights of South Asia as you, so even this could give them some hint what's on here.) Today I understood the Chinese and Japanese obesession with bamboo and sounds: when it is windy sounds in the forest, produced by clinging of these fantastic rods are incredible! You could get scared when alone in the forest, sure! Sometimes it is as whispers, sometimes strong blows...anything alike I ever heard!
That we are in the land of Konfucius, we can see easily, as somebody is watching us-see the top of the hill! Figure must be quite high-I'll try to go closer there in some next tour. Impressive. In fact, Buddha or Confucius or..., I do not know, but seems rather Confucius-like.
Some exotic views just nearby the road:
After some hour-two of wandering (map did not help, I made at least 20 km too much, at the end even I had to climb quite steep hills to come to the shore), again quite disappointing view (it was low water):
Maybe after Pag I am too demanding? This was part of the "famous" (here in Taiwan, by the tourist folders) "The Coastline cycling trail", in some parts it looks as this:
But then, there are very unconvenient parts of it, or even complete missing of the road, path or so in some parts (where it should exist, by the map). It will be complete one day, I am sure, but it is not yet, believe me. Btw. I met nobody on bike there today.
View a bit right from the path...
More enlightened ones will recognize old-fashioned bunker. No, I did not invent teleport and shifted to Hoxha's Albania or Ceausescu's Rumunia. They have such 'defence line' along the coast towards China, probably since 50ies. No comments. Fields are rice fileds, yes.
Back to the city and some exotic again
I again witnessed one of usual processions through the streets-it was near the small temple from one of my previous posts. Petards, fantastic costumes, dancing with giant figures. Something to see, really! But it was too dark to make a pic, next time.
Streets are alive here, in a pleasant way. Here is one pic from the center of the city yesterday at 2PM or so (again beer-drinking meeting of Croatian fellow expat), scuter drivers are like this girl, usually with the mask on the face (pollution!).
Something about climate: 2 hours later a shower outside! Never I would say it could rain today. When I feel day after day that "it will rain, NOW" then there is no rain for the whole week. And today, when I'd give my leg for a bet that rain is impossible, water is just pouring like crazy outside. Completely different set of weather prediction 'signs'!
Few clean days-finally-and ocassion to see that Hsinchu is really surrounded by mountains:
Here is view (from behind) to the cemetary-yes, this simple. Usually some hill between industrial facilities or so. There must be something of karmic spirit in this, I mean, this place rather has spirit of some old jewish cemetary in Pariska ulica in Czech capital, Prague.
Following the road through the outskirts of the "18 Mountains Park", which is quite nice (and finally without crowd) I tried to find my way out of the city.
Notice dense packing of the plants...it is jungle. And here again some bamboo
(Yes Jacek, I know it is not very interesting, but, then, not everybody was driving the motorcycle like crazy through the jungles and heights of South Asia as you, so even this could give them some hint what's on here.) Today I understood the Chinese and Japanese obesession with bamboo and sounds: when it is windy sounds in the forest, produced by clinging of these fantastic rods are incredible! You could get scared when alone in the forest, sure! Sometimes it is as whispers, sometimes strong blows...anything alike I ever heard!
That we are in the land of Konfucius, we can see easily, as somebody is watching us-see the top of the hill! Figure must be quite high-I'll try to go closer there in some next tour. Impressive. In fact, Buddha or Confucius or..., I do not know, but seems rather Confucius-like.
Some exotic views just nearby the road:
After some hour-two of wandering (map did not help, I made at least 20 km too much, at the end even I had to climb quite steep hills to come to the shore), again quite disappointing view (it was low water):
Maybe after Pag I am too demanding? This was part of the "famous" (here in Taiwan, by the tourist folders) "The Coastline cycling trail", in some parts it looks as this:
But then, there are very unconvenient parts of it, or even complete missing of the road, path or so in some parts (where it should exist, by the map). It will be complete one day, I am sure, but it is not yet, believe me. Btw. I met nobody on bike there today.
View a bit right from the path...
More enlightened ones will recognize old-fashioned bunker. No, I did not invent teleport and shifted to Hoxha's Albania or Ceausescu's Rumunia. They have such 'defence line' along the coast towards China, probably since 50ies. No comments. Fields are rice fileds, yes.
Back to the city and some exotic again
I again witnessed one of usual processions through the streets-it was near the small temple from one of my previous posts. Petards, fantastic costumes, dancing with giant figures. Something to see, really! But it was too dark to make a pic, next time.
Streets are alive here, in a pleasant way. Here is one pic from the center of the city yesterday at 2PM or so (again beer-drinking meeting of Croatian fellow expat), scuter drivers are like this girl, usually with the mask on the face (pollution!).
Something about climate: 2 hours later a shower outside! Never I would say it could rain today. When I feel day after day that "it will rain, NOW" then there is no rain for the whole week. And today, when I'd give my leg for a bet that rain is impossible, water is just pouring like crazy outside. Completely different set of weather prediction 'signs'!
posted by mikidkolan at 9:10 PM
1 Comments:
Yes, bamboo.....I also have special feeling for this plant as our culture is related to bamboo more or less in forklore, music, drawing, foods...etc.
I wonder if there is similar story to "Taketori-Monogatari", which means "The Tale of the Bamboo-Cutter", in Taiwan too. It's a beautiful ancient story.
Btw, Miki, did you recently recognise any anti-Japanese movements there as well as in China ?
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