June 1, 2015: A visit to Taipei because Central Taiwanese downpours

The weather forecast said it would be raining, so I made use of the day for a quick visit to Taipei. I headed out early in the morning and I took the BRT to the Tonglian bus station

The BRT in Shalu

Providence University

I did not like the fact that I was not cycling today. Especially since it was not raining at this moment

After a two-hour ride to Taipei, I arrived at the Taipei Main Station. That's where I met Ke Menghan. We would be hanging out together today.

First, we went to a local basket court and shot some hoops. We even did 2 on 2 with some other players. Good that I was doing some sports here!

Then we walked around in the city center. It had again been a long time since I came to Taipei.

The weather started getting worse, maybe I was right after all...

Zhongxiao Dong road, one of the main roads in Taipei city. This is where provincial highway 5 runs. It runs all the way to Keelung.

This is the street where the Ministry of Education is. I have been here a few times in the past.

Obviously, since I had come to Taipei, I wanted to check out the Specialized store. There could not be a day without at least some element related to cycling, now could there?

I had a nice chat with the staff of this shop. I talked about how I wanted to cycle from Belgium to Taiwan, we discussed the Specialized Diverge. I also bought a discounted pair of MTB shoes, exactly the same ones I had bought in Belgium. They only cost 3700 NT. Now that is a bargain. The previous pair lasted more than twenty thousand km. 

Expensive top quality bike materials. Still do not get how Taiwanese can afford this brand.

Fatboy, a monster bike.

After my visit to the Specialized store, we had lunch in a nearby restaurant. Ke Menghan ordered way too much food. I ate too much that meal

My newly bought shoes

Hopefully they will last as long as their predecessors

Interesting book I saw in a local book store. In the end I decided not to buy it. Today, I regret this.

Criminal Police, not really my place to be

Republic of China institutions, seriously outdated and out of touch with reality

Later that afternoon, we met up with Chen Baoling for tea. It was good to see him again after so long. Too bad Ke Menghan as usual was acting like an idiot. I should not have brought him there

Nice view over Taipei with the 101.

He even had a little viewing deck. Pretty neat!

In the early evening, he drove us back to the Main Station by car. There were some serious traffic jams here. Driving in Taipei is just insane. Who would like driving a car here? 

This is at the Taipei Main Station. You can see exactly what I mean. Imagine doing this everyday for work! What a disaster!

I took the Tonglian back to Taichung. I just made it in time for the last BRT back to Shalu. I did not cycle, but at least I did something useful today.