Month: August 2011

  • Strange encounters of the in-law kind

    The Red Lions were all set for the much anticipated beach cricket/beach football/fiendishly difficult beach quiz day at Fulong. After having talked about doing something on the beach for quite some time, we finally got around to organising it. Expecting 15 to 20 people, the trip was organised, some of the guys deciding also to camp down overnight – obviously not going to happen for Joanne and Noodle, but in my excessively energetic mood, I decided to ride down on the mountain bike. 

     

    Paddy decided he wanted to do the same, and so it was arranged. The event was arranged at the Fu Bar, where my best man Et is head chef and owner, with lots of beer and meaty goodness (doesn’t quite sound right coming from a vegetarian!) and veggie stuff sorted out. Everything was looking perfect.

     

    Until a typhoon started to head in Taiwan’s direction. On the Tuesday I was checking 4 different sites to check the expected path of the typhoon, and it looked as though, despite changing direction three or four times, it would miss us. On the Friday night though, it was still heading in our direction, and so there was confusion about whether or not it would hit. A direct hit on the east coast would mess up our plans completely, and one of the Lions – one of the gayer variety – tried to get the event cancelled. I was having none of it – but would send out updates early on the Saturday morning to let everyone know what was going on.

     

    There were also a couple of cancellations – some children were sick, some other issues came up, so we were down to around 15 people in total, which was still a decent number. Paddy also had something come up, so it looked like I was riding alone. I figured on 5 hours door to door. It may only be 85km, but I am not as fit as I once was. And the last time I did the ride to Fulong, it took me about 5 hours. It was a good guesstimate.

     

    Saturday came, and there was not a cloud in the sky. The typhoon had changed to a northerly direction and was not going to be a threat to the island, so I sent out a confirmation mail to let the boys know it was on. At 10:30 I was on the mountain bike enjoying a nice tail wind as I headed along the river, south towards Taipei city, then across to Muzha and the zoo, then out to Shenkung. At the intersection where the 106 heads off in different directions, I took a break for some Pocari, getting a couple more bottles for the climb ahead. I was on schedule, in fact ahead by about 20 minutes, and refreshed – as much as I could be given the searing heat – I started the climb up towards Ping Xi. Twenty minutes up and a Mitsubishi whizzes past me, then brakes and pulls over. I’m thinking, must be someone I know – who is it? Then out of the back seat comes the wirey figure of a man I know very well – my father-in-law. So I stop to say hi – being the polite guy I am! :)  Turns out, he was on the way to Shifen for a run along the railway tracks.

     

    “Are you going to Shifen?” asked my father in law.

     

    “No – Fulong,” I replied.

     

    Not very often I get to impress the father in law, but this was one of those times. He may not have said anything, but his eyes and a small nod of approval said that he reckoned that to be a suitable distance. He said bye, jumped back in to the car, and we went our separate ways. At the highest road point I took a quick breather, the legs starting to feel the heat and distance and the incline, before cruising down in to Ping Xi, and then past the Cafe Monet, and a short while later I was turning off to the right along the road which would take me to the coast. 

     

    Heading up once more, I stopped to take some photos of so may butterflies pollenating the colourful flowers that were in abundance on the side of the road. By now I was just 25 km away from Fulong, the worst over, but still if I had a head wind I knew it would be a major challenge – my legs were aching and I wanted a beer. I got to the top, through the tunnel and then it was downhill, the Giant XTC tonking down, hitting some serious speeds, and then it was a relatively easy ride along, the wind easing, as I followed the railway and river down towards the coast, in to Shuangxi, and then the final kilometres down to Fulong.

     

    In Shuangxi I saw the first sign of Fulong, and it gave me hope, and I thought there were just a few km left, but then I got to a tiny village and realised there were 4 or 5 more km than I had thought. Slightly demoralised, I dug deep, knowing that those ice cold beers might have to wait an extra 15 to 20 minutes, but I pedaled on, finding the energy from the last remnants of Pocari in my bottle. With the benefit of hindsight I should have stopped at the only mom n pop shop that I saw, to pick up a bottle of water or another Pocari, but I was not – strangely enough – in the mood to stop any more, and I carried on, pausing only to take more photos of the river.

     

    And then I got to the point where – a couple of years ago, on the other time I rode the same journey – Etienne had caught me up in his car, the day it was pissing down with rain, and I smiled with the memories. I was only a few minutes, a few kilometres away now and somehow I found I some additional energy and got to the intersection with the number 2 highway, turned right, and hit Fulong head on. Through the tiny village to the southern edge, left towards the temple, and I had made it.

     

    Waiting were Etienne – deep in interview mode – alongside Brigitte and Kevin, and sitting at the table, beers in the cooler, Chancy, Mirko and his woman. Nice one.

     

    Shortly after, other Red Lions arrived, Joanne drove in with Lyndon, and food was eaten, beers were drunk, and an afternoon turned in to evening, the sun setting behind the mountains, no sign of the typhoon, no signs even of clouds.

     

    And after enjoying the fantastic spread laid on by the Fu Bar, we put the bike in the back of the car and headed home. 

     

    As my mucker Markie Boy would say, what a ride!