bentontaiwan: Oct 15, 2012

Today Distance : 31.4 km
Today's Temp : 20 - 28 C sunny
Average Speed : 11.7 km max: 50.5
Time On Bike : 2 hr 40 min
Average Climb : 4 % max: 11 %
Total Altitude : 512 m max: 819 m
Today's Spending : NTD 718
Total Spending : NTD 8417

After staying 2 nights in Da Tou Mu 's Hotel ,well rested and bikes serviced, we were back on our ride again at almost 9 am after taken the complimentary tapau breakfast of pancake and soya bean drink.Thank you and bidding farewell to Da Tou Mu,who were so helpful to provide assist with just one call.Three years ago,he is the one who rode together with me to Sun Moon Lake and came back alone while i camped.This time he is not able to ride with us due to health concern. So we rely heavily on the road signs to direct us to Sun Moon Lake.The signs looks pretty easy to follow on route 21,but the traffic were too much for our comfort.To make riding on route 21 worse,is the long uphill where all the traffics were speeding up and never slow down,we were push to the limit. Soon we arrived at a place somewhat of a tribe village with a restaurant, culture house with many colourful painting on wood sculptures,more of a tourist spot. We continues our ride,feeling a a little bit hungry,we stop at the Wenwu Temple for a bowl of pork rib noodle NTD 60 and a coke NTD 30, We cycled around the ring road around the lake until the Cable car station and also the campground where i also camped 3 years ago.The campground have a new owner and the fee also went up from NTD 150 to NTD 300. We went for a walk to the Ita Thao pier after setting up our tents next to the lake and bathed clean. The street is full of tourists with many souvenir shops,foods and Taiwan special drinks stalls manned by the Ita Thao tribe,one of the minority tribe in Taiwan.There is a free cultural show where we watched with a group of tourist from Germany.By 6 pm, we walked back to our campsite,and surprised that we are the only 2 tents on the whole campground.