First proper day of bike touring in Taiwan and I’m spent. We’re going about half the speed we hoped for or what is displayed on maps. So 5.5h turned into a 12h day (with stops and food). It’s gonna be brutal, but I still think it’s feasible. Maybe my sore body will disagree tomorrow. I guess we underestimated the difficulty of the trip. And I don’t remember last time I actually seriously exercised. The good thing is that Taiwan is the most convenient place ever. 711s with food and bathrooms about every 20 mins, and we can take an emergency train back anytime. So we’ll keep going and hopefully make better time by the end of it. Got a good fortune at the temple that was very positive - that my life is on the “up and up”. I didn’t think it meant hills!
We’re splitting hotel rooms, and it’s between 15-25$ per night per person. Not fancy but solid on the essential amenities like showers. Convenience stores are everywhere with surprisingly decent food and space to eat and bathrooms. So far, not very hilly but we’re only 1/4 done. I think the more hilly part is up ahead but since we’re not going inland we’re avoiding the big mountains. Cut out sunmoon lake because after our first few days it seemed too hard. It’s not easy, but probably the easiest bike touring possible, perfect for a first trip.