Lunch proved to be very interesting. On walking to the night market street I could hear a considerable amount of noise. Horns, cymbals, gongs, drums and fire crackers. Initially I thought it must be a funeral procession, but then I realised it was probably too long and the participants weren't dressed in white; the Chinese colour of mourning! Penny dropped! Probably the Keelung National Day Parade.
The millenniums participated in their boom boxes. Obviously a modern touch.
Each boot was full of speakers and amplifiers
The firecrackers were being ignited outside the temple I'd seen last night.
What to eat for lunch? I wasn't that hungry and opted for five small sausages with what I thought might be nuts. The nuts turned out to be garlic.
Cost me A$0.25. I was more thirsty than hungry and bought a fresh fruit juice drink. A mix of apple and pineapple. Again A$0.25.
Time for another look around the temple. This time I realised there was a decorative arch over the entrance.
From there I wandered down to the harbour and back along the canal to the arch above the alleyway to my hotel.
The hotel may not be much but the arch is interesting
And the entrance to the hotel
It started raining quite heavily at 6PM leading me to decide skipping dinner. Staying dry might be the preferred option. I ate one of the emergency muesli bars instead.
I suspected a second night on the brick bed might kill me and came up with a strategy. I would lay the two pillows in a line down the centre of the bed and sleep (I hope) on them. It was whilst doing this I heard a "sprong" sound. There must be at least one spring in this bed! There was… and it was broken. I know this because it was attempting to embed itself in my left kidney
People came and went throughout the night. Perhaps some of them were "resting" instead of "staying". It was a very broken night.
The weather for the next few days isn't looking great. Accordingly I've changed my travel plans. Rather than spend more time in this region I'm going to continue riding around the northern coastline and then go south down the middle of the island. There's a mountain range down the middle of the island and the wet weather is coming from the east. The forecast of the western side of the mountains is dryer. I'll attempt to visit the tourist areas on the east coast south of Keelung towards the end of my trip.
The other reason for the change in plan is accommodation, or lack there of. All I could find locally for Sunday night was a bunk bed in a mixed dormitory. I have my virtue to consider.
The weather to date has been better than I had anticipated. There has been rain. But not continuous rain. It has been cloudy, blustery and humid. Fortunately the humidity doesn't seem to bother me when cycling. The breeze is keeping me cool as long as I'm moving.
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