A bicyle trip to remember

Saturday Nov 24
Another new adventure. Linda borrowed a bike for me. We pack our bags last night, pre flight. Zero hour was seven AM ... at the main gate. Jersey joined us and the three of us were off. I had my new back pack filled. Camera, three lenses, five bottles of frozen H2O, and other goodies.

We headed out for the old bridge. There are two bridges next to each other crossing to Xiamen Island. This one has two lanes going onto the island, a railway and narrow path for walking / bikes / motorcycles. The other, newer bridge has four lanes with a divider down the middle. They have two lanes going off the island, one going on, and one which can be used for either, depending on demand. The bridges are 5 km long.

We start down the path, and there is tons of traffic coming at us. First time, I wobble a bit, reach out, and scrape my hand on the concrete hand rail. We cross the rest of the way with out incident, but not a good start for the old fat bald man.
After crossing, we join up with the main road, coming off the other bridge, past the airport, and head north, into new territory for me. We go along the side of the airport, then head to a new highway being built. Fresh pavement!!! NO CARS! We cross a barrier, and cycle on the new back asphalt. We ride a little, and come across a paving machine. TWO LANES WIDE! Stop, take pictures, then double back. After leaving the new highway, we cut through some older part, past a wall of pallets and toward the ocean.

We get to the ocean near a bridge, on which the highway goes out into the ocean to bypass little towns. There are two of these on the island. A rather neat solution to a problem of traffic, passing through old towns with mountains on one side and ocean on the other. I start counting the building cranes. I get to 50, and know there are only a few more in sight. Imagine, FIFTY high rises just in view. Must be two hundred high rises being built on the island at one time. PLUS two huge bridges, and a rapid transit line across the island. We walk, take pictures, and plan the next part of our journey. We cross a little bay, and head along the shoreline.

Eventually we come to the a place with a beautiful view, and I want to stop and take more pictures. I man come over and asks us if we want to look at Taiwan through his binoculars. There are mounted with tape on a hollow tube, and mounted on a tripod. I look briefly, then pull out my 150 -500 mm lens. I have a better view then he does, and I can look at mine today. Linda PAYS him for the view. A nice way to make a living I guess.

We continue on for about 1 KM and come to the International Center. Here we have lunch, sit on the grass, and play with a couple of kids and their mother. After our rest, we are off again.

A few km down the road, I spot a small amusement park on the beach. There are a few rides for kids, a couple of restaurants, and lots of beautiful beach. We take off our shoes and socks, and find a nice place to sit. I stand guard over the bikes while Linda and Jersey walk down to the water’s edge. I realise this is a game everyone plays. Go near the water with your clothes on, go out as far as your dare, then run in to shore in front of a big wave and try not to get wet. Everyone is playing. The waves play tricks. Not like little Lake Ontario with constant waves. The is the PACIFIC OCEAN. Waves vary from an inch to a foot, then back to an inch. Linda is having a great time, but Jersey is too cautious.

They return, and I start to take off my watch, empty my pockets, and get ready for the fun. Linda and I got back to the water while Jersey stands watch. We play and laugh, trying to get the other one caught in a big wave while we make our escape unscathed. On one wave I catch a mouth full of water. It tastes salty ... Hmmmm.

Fashion is interesting. I see all kinds of clothes being worn here. The fashion seems to be, but western standards, trashy or slutty... take you pick. One is wearing a common fashion. A skirt, and cowboy boots. I also see knee high leather boots with a skirt. I also saw one lady wearing GREEN high heals on the beach. I have pictures, but you will have to wait.

We give up on that game and watch a group of three young men in a bubble. This is a big bubble, about 6 feet in diameter, filled with air, sealed, and put out into the ocean. I talk Linda into going into one with me. It costs 20 ¥ per person. Well worth the investment. (40 ¥ = 5 dollars!)

First we must wash our feet, then climb into the bubble when it is flat. The operator attaches a hose and fills the bubble with air. Then the zipper is closed and a sealer pulled across the zipper. We then stand and walk towards the ocean. As we reach the edge, the operator has to helps us. It does not take long for the waves to knock us flat. We are in the ocean, inside a big bubble, tied to a tether. We try to stand, but not a chance,. We roll around, laughing, bumping into each other. Each wave is a new experience in helplessness and laughter. I finally figure it out! I CRAWL away from shore. A big wave comes in and rolls us head over teakettle. We are finally rescued by the operator who tows us ashore and helps us out.

Off we go, looking far a tunnel through a mountain back to our side of the island. We get there, but there is a guard. NO bikes or pedestrians allowed. Linda and Jersey are disappointed. It is a long ride around the mountains back to our home. And it is getting late. It is three o’clock now, and if we ride around, we will have to go fast to back before sun set. I, on the other hand, am a little crazy. I tell Linda to flag a truck down, and ask them to carry us and our bikes through the tunnel. Now she knows I am nuts. Reluctantly she tries. The first trucks she stops agrees. We load our bikes into the back of a one ton truck, climb in the back and sit down. Ten minutes later, we are on the other side of the mountain.

Now we have enough time for another stop before we get home. We find a nice park not to far away, and sit and rest. The bubble took a lot out of us. A drink, bite to eat, a few pictures, and it is 3:30. Figure we are 1½ hours from home. Sun will set around 5:30.

We head back toward home. When we get to the end of the street we are on we are at the airport. We turn right and head for the bridges. We want to go on the other, newer bridge this time. And what do we find there? Another guard. . NO bikes or pedestrians allowed on the bridge. I point out there are sidewalks on either side of the road. Linda talks to the guard, and he agrees to let us ride on the sidewalk. Part way across, we stop for pictures of Jimei. It is a beautiful little town. I also get pictures of the two new bridges being built.

Our trip was over 50 KM according to GOOGLE EARTH, started at 7 AM and ended at 5 PM. Me on a bicycle. It is Sunday night, and my legs, butt, back and arms are still aching from the adventure. Can’t wait to do it all over again.