Taiwan

One of the first tasks on returning from New Zealand has been to clean and check used equipment and clothing.   My boots were looking very sad after their five day walk around the mountain.  Before leaving NZ I bought a scrubbing brush and thoroughly cleaned them.  I knew I'd have to declare I'd been in a wilderness on my return to Australia and the authorities might want to inspect the boots.

After their scrubbing

Before and after three applications of dubbin.  This was followed by drying in a warm cupboard and then a polish.  All set for the next walk.

This morning I booked my return flight to Taiwan.  Yesterday I did some online research on fares and then went to the local travel agent to see if they could do better.  They couldn't!  When I informed them of the price I had found the representative told me they (travel agents) no longer receive a discount from airlines and their price would always include a $175 commission.

After thinking about it I didn't book the cheapest fare.  Still Economy; but I opted for a "flex" fare which gave me two 23kg hold bags, seat selection and the ability to change flights should I need to return early.

This gives me a total of 46kg of hold baggage for the bike, trailer and gear.  My electronics (pc, camera, phone, Zoleo, etc. will go into my cabin bag.  Hopefully that will reduce the cost of excess baggage.

Later this morning I'll go to the shop where I bought the bike and ask if they have a cardboard bike box they can give me for the trip.

Yesterday evening was spent reviewing my cycling route.  Taiwan has a mountainous spine with some of the highest peaks in eastern Asia and I plan to cycle over them.  I wanted to know what the route elevation would look like each day.  My free navigation software (OSMAND) doesn't provide this, however I was able to gain the information via a convoluted method.

The route data in OSMAND is in gpx format.  I converted to to Google kml format using a program (free) named GPSBabel.  The kml files were then imported into Google Earth which has an option to view elevation.  Using this data I was able to identify the high points on the route and mark them as waypoints in Google Earth.  The saved waypoints were then converted back to gpx format using GPSBabel and imported into OSMAND. 

Knowing where I'm going to ride some steep terrain will enable me to plan my days more accurately.

I've been in communication with a small B&B in Taipei who have agreed to store my cardboard bike box whilst I'm cycling.  They have also agreed to accept delivery of my bike battery.

I'll need to buy a second lithium battery from China and have to sent to Taiwan.  airlines wont carry bike batteries (Dangerous Goods) hence the need for a second battery.  At the end of the ride I'll ship the battery back to Perth by sea.

In two weeks I'll be on my way.  Meantime,  I need to improve my cycling fitness.