Garmin Activity: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/835577604
113km, 4h26, elevation 837m
I had a job interview at the Birzman company in Changhua today. I had already visited them once a few weeks ago and Lawrence, the company owner, invited me for a second talk. I agreed with him on today, as I would start a ride around Taiwan the next day.
Luckily I still remembered the road from the previous ride. However, there was a tiny little new aspect: From my place at Beishi Dong Road, I descended immediately and went left at the end of that descent. This road would eventually connect to 136 which would then again connect to Hwy 1 in Longjing. It got me on track for going south via Dadu and Wuri. I crossed the Dadu bridge and entered Changhua city, there I kept following Hwy 1 for some ten km more, until route 146 popped up. This section of the hwy is where all the big car dealers are located. I saw BMW and other brands here.
I took a right at 146 and crossed the railroad tracks. After a few km I made it to that 7-11 where I last time had some trouble finding the road. I took a moment to research the map a little.
The map of Dacun township, where the Birzman company was located
I saw that the road I was looking for was actually quite easy to find. I just had to continue following the road where the 7-11 was located and eventually I would be on that road. I would definitely recognize the company building.
My plan worked! I found the Birzman company with ease and I was on time for my interview. Rickie was already waiting for me.
Working here would also get me a company car, which would be a nice asset for cycling trips.
The job interview went well. It was more about what kind of person I was and what the company was looking for. It was a relaxed sphere. We concluded by officially shaking hands. I was on board and all that needed to be done was paperwork. It felt good to have a new place to go to, after the trouble I ran into at the school. It would surely make my trip around the island a lot more fun, now that this was covered.
When I left the company, I decided to go to Fengyuan. I could still be there in the early afternoon with plenty of time for tea talks. My good buddy Liao Shi-jie had told me that I could go to Fengyuan by just connecting to the Han river. There was no need to take Hwy 3 which runs through every stopping sign in the city center. I wanted to check out this alternative...
The first section was the same, taking Hwy 1 north and connecting to Hwy 74, which runs over Bagua mountain and crosses routes 137 and 139, eventually leading back to Taichung city, going over the Wu river. There, I took Huanhe road (the road that runs around the river). Huanhe road led to Wufeng and eventually Hwy 3. This is exactly what I did last time.
What would be different was that I would not connect to Hwy 3, but I would continue cycling along this Han river, which also ran north. Honestly, this section still runs through Taichung city and there were a lot of red lights and bridges. It was a little better than Hwy 3 but not all that good. I was riding on the left bank of the river mainly until I had to go to the right edge because of road works. This is where I crossed the Songzhu road, a name that was well known by me.
After crossing Songzhu road I found myself on the right edge of the Han river. Skies were getting dark and it would be raining soon enough. Traffic was low over here and there was some cycling infrastructure.
Going to Fengyuan via the Han river.
I cycled through Tanzi and eventually on to Fengyuan. There were some signs that indicated a cycle around Taiwan bike path.
Going for Fengyuan on a bad weather day. I was spending two hours and 50km on the section from Changhua to Fengyuan.
Cycling trails along the Han river.
Riding on disc brakes with wider tires is so much fun. Will never go back again...
The Han river, today's lesson in geography. It is the river that runs all the way through Taichung city.
Eventually I made it to the Liancun community where Liao Shi-jie lives. It was nice to make it to Fengyuan from another perspective. I joined my friends for tea and talked about my job interview in Changhua. They were happy that a new chance had popped up for me. I also told them that I would be cycling around the island as of tomorrow and that I would keep in touch.
No comments:
Post a Comment