Karen's First Time up the Ramp!

Saturday, November 17, found Karen J., Gretchen, Carol, and me out for a sanguine Saturday ride. While waiting for people to show at TAS, this guy stopped to chat with one of our security guards. Since he had bikes in the back, I had to snap a shot. This is the pose he struck after I gestured to him that I wanted to take his picture.


We decided to head for Bali since Gretchen hadn't been there yet. Karen J. led out in fine fashion, and Gretchen, being still new to the paths, stayed close on Karen's pedals. I took up the rear with Carol. Karen and Gretchen didn't stop until they got to the old Guandu bike shop, and from there we decided to forgo the ride to Tanshui and the normal ferry ride, and instead, head directly to Bali over the Guandu Bridge. Karen J. put her gears low and made it up the ramp for the first time ever. Good going! Of course, on the other side, we had to stop for the ubiquitous celebratory photos. The first is of Carol, Karen, and Gretchen, and I got to be in the second!



While we were congratulating Karen on her climbing success, we noticed a nice young man who appeared to want to visit with us. We didn't take the time then, but after Karen (who once again rabbited ahead of all of us) stopped to wait, he and she exchanged pleasantries. Turns out he (Roger) was just finishing up a tour around the island of Taiwan, and had also recently completed five months of cycling in New Zealand. We really do meet some interesting people out on the bikes here.

Wind, Hills, and Walkers

Today was a solo Sunday, so I thought I'd head for the hills a bit. I rode up to Psycho Squirrel Bridge, back down to the National Palace Museum, then back up to Psycho Squirrel for a second time. The elevation gain to the bridge is about 850 feet. In about three miles. It's a decent climb and I breathe hard each time I climb it. The picture of the creek is past the National Palace Museum before the girl's school.
Once down to the National Palace, I headed over to the bike path (oops, atop Piglet Bridge I looked down and saw about 1,000 or so walkers enjoying walking day. Thanks for that, guys.) You have to look closely at the photo to see the snaking line of walkers.


Since the bike path was out of commission for bikers, I went out to WenLin Road with traffic, thought about heading up the hill to Peitou, changed my mind when the wind nearly blew me sideways, so back to Dexing, Chung Shan, Cheng Chung, Shidong (right at Takishamaya) u-turn and safely to the apartment. This was one of those days with high highs and low lows...highs from the climbs and descents, lows from the idjits and weather. Darn near kissed the ground when I reached the safety of my apartment.

Breakfast Ride

Although Saturday was AGAIN a windy day in Taipei, Carol joined Karen and I for a very leisurely ride, ending with breakfast at Wendel's German Backeri. We had originally planned on going to Jake's for pancakes, but Wendel's is easier to get to, plus we could sit outside and keep a close eye on the bikes.

These are my hash browns...look pretty nice decorated with fresh tomato and parsley, don't they? They were pretty tasty, and went quite well with fresh orange juice and a soft-boiled egg.


Karen's breakfast is beautiful and it's even healthy.



Uh, yep, this is my empty plate. Breakfast went down easily.



Wendel's is a nice place, the outdoor area was recently redone, and is filled with lush vegetation and has lots of places to sit and enjoy good food.

Dinner at Jesse's

Friday after school, Karen J. and I joined a large group of mostly new (and some from last year) young teachers for a "get out of Tienmu" night to Jesse's, a famous local establishment in the Yangminshan hills. I had been there once last year with Ralph and Joyce, and then, as now, the first course was a dish of pleasantly spiced peanuts, which tested one's chopstick dexterity. I was pleased to note, that although I rarely use chopsticks now, I dropped nary a peanut. These little morsels are habit forming and one tends to fill up before the rest of the courses start magically appearing.

Donna, smiling here as she holds a plate of sesame chicken, is a new upper school counselor this year. She has joined us on some of our Saturday morning biking expeditions, and usually DOES wear a smile like this. I found the sesame chicken to be flavorful, but the one piece I ate was tough and chewy. I wouldn't order this dish again.


Christine, a new substitute, and Karen are viewing the flaming beef. Yep, I know what you are thinking. It's shaped like a bird, it should be poultry of some sort. That's what I thought, too.


Anyway, this dish comes out with flaming salt packed on each side of the foil packet, and when the flame goes out, it is ready to open and enjoy. It was ok, spiced well, with thin slices of beef and vegetables.


Lynn, a lower school ESL teacher who has been here for seven years, is dishing up some of the remains of one of Jesse's signature dishes, spicy eggplant. My tablemates all enjoyed this dish, I tried it, but just couldn't get past the texture (can you say mush???) of the eggplant.


Finally, the fruit, signaling the end of dinner. In between the peanuts and this fruit, there was sesame chicken, pineapple shrimp, (my favorite) beef, two different fishes, a strange-looking tofu dish, and of course, rice. I had stopped eating long before the fruit, but nevertheless, it was a welcome sight.

This is Greg and Christine. As said earier, Christine is a substitute, who has recently taken over the middle school "School Within a School" program. Her husband, Greg, is participating in intensive Mandarin classes, and will be working at our psuedo-embassy when those are completed. All in all, it was a nice enough evening, but I don't plan another foray with a group that large for a long, long time.

Take a Look

I can't believe the comments I get about the "Take a Look" mirror that is attached to my sunglasses. People on scooters, people on foot, and especially people on bikes constantly stop me and want to see what it is.

Last Saturday found me surprisingly all alone for a bike ride since Karen P. was on her way to the states for Space Camp, Gretchen was on her way to Taryoko Gorge, Donna was proctoring SAT's, Chen Li was recovering from eye surgery, Claire was helping movers pack up Mary Biss' apartment, (definitely NOT a fun day for her) Karen J. had overslept, Jeanne and Craig went out for a car ride (huh??) and the rest of our sometimes Saturday riders were busy or sleeping.

I decided I would head toward the zoo, and just go as far as I felt like going. Before I set out, I did come home to grab my iPod so I could enjoy some uplifting music. So, off I went, fighting cross and head winds, but it is Taiwindywan, so what was new? As I reached the end of the Jingfu Bike Path (about 23 miles from my starting point) I had to get off the bike for two reasons. One, there was a teeming crowd of youngsters and adult chaperones so thick that I couldn't make my way through to the exit.

And two, the entrance/exit is made in such a way that you have to get off the bike to maneuver it through. Instead of going all the way to the zoo, once I got off the path and onto the streets, sanity prevailed and I turned around and went back to the bike path. The streets in Muzha were insane with scooters and buses. One bus came too close even for me!

So, back on the path, I went left for a change instead of right, so I came out just behind a group of three bikers. Said hello, then went on past them. At one point I had a nice descent, so I got up a bit of speed...and so did one of the previously mentioned bikers. He got a good guffaw out of the fact that he caught up with me. That didn't last, though, as I soon left him in my dust. I stopped at Dadaocheng Wharf for a break and to stretch because my knee was wailing a bit, and who showed up and wanted to chat? The three bikers, of course. They were curious about the mirror (see I did get back to my original topic) and each wanted to take a look at it. Then of course, the ubiquitous cameras all came out and shots were taken in all manner of groupings. They promised to email me photos, but I have yet to receive any.

Saturday proved to be a nice riding day, with a total of 50 miles. I decided to be a friend on Sunday and not ride, since Mary (Ian's sister) came back from the states that morning, and Ange and I took her out to breakfast. An American breakfast. Well, sort of. Don't ever ask for poached eggs at Round Table in Tienmu, Taiwan...although edible, they came out overdone and partially submerged in tepid water. The toast was pale white, with not a speck of whole grain goodness anywhere to be found. And the bacon? Limp, greasy, with a teensy bit of flavor. Oh well, I didn't come here for the food.

Scenes from various rides

My weekend mornings are usually spent on a bike. Saturdays I usually ride with a group of ladies who meet at TAS and then head out to one of the bike paths. Sundays will usually find me riding solo...sometimes up the hills, sometimes on the paths, depending on my mood and energy level. Taipei is actually a very nice place to ride, if you survive the traffic on some of the roads.

This first picture is of the car wash guy who took pity on me and soaped down the bike after my "after Typhoon Krosa" ride.



And here we have a very necessary stop for me, also on the Krosa ride. I kept thinking I could make it to a "good" potty, but common sense told me to stop here, no matter what it looked or smelled like. Yes, it does look like a men's urinal, but really it is just a typical Chinese squat toilet.



One of our favorite things to do is ride out to Tanshui, then hop aboard the ferry to Bali, where frozen mango drinks and fresh donuts await. Enjoying the ferry this morning were Elise, Karen J., Brenda, Gretchen, Claire, and Karen P. Mary Y. was the photographer, so missed having her smiling face here.



This is a store near the Taipei Bridge. I did a double take when I saw the "fat boy" mannequin because the store isn't in an area that is frequented by expats. Rarely do I see any Chinese men who would wear something this large.

Photos from a Recent Ride

If memory serves me correctly (and the older I get, the less I trust my memory) these photos were from a ride to Bali two weeks ago with the two Karens, Donna, and myself.



One of our favorite stops is a stand with a fantastic frozen mango drink. Karen, Karen, and Donna are counting their NT to make sure they have the right amount.



While Karen J. led the group along the river, I spotted this guy and had to detour to see what it was. It seems to me that it might be a statue to protect the fishermen along the river...who knows for sure?



I've seen these strange fold-up bikes before, but this is the first time I've seen them all folded and lined up in a row. Can't say as I would like to ride one...can't imagine being very comfortable for too long.