Toufen to Sanyi

The later after part of yesterday's cycle ride wasn't as enjoyable as I might have wished.  Too many people and one long urban or industrial sprawl.

Let's try something different today.  I'll use Google Maps instead of OSMAND for navigation and select the alternate route.  Hopefully I'll travel through more rural and interesting countryside.  Time wasn't an issue as I was only planning on riding 40-50km.

 

The plan worked; although Google Maps led me astray several times.

This is rural and interesting

Google sent me in the wrong direction.  Fortunately the detour took me past these.

No Google… I'm not riding down that path.  Find an alterative!

Oh look…. A wide flat and smooth road… to cycle under

The a long slog I a steep hill.  But what goes up must come down.  Only for me to later realise I was supposed to turn right at the summit.  Back up I go!

After the summit turn the road became even steeper.  I sneaked in a rest by convincing myself a photo was necessary.

Another rest at the top where I noticed this carved rock.  Walking down the overgrown track (I was recovering after the ride)

I came upon these

Now I could coast down the opposite side.  Except Google decided I needed to turn off and follow a winding path which led to this

An old railway carriage?????

Then it dawned on me.  I was going in the wrong direction.  Traveling in the reverse direction took me along a bike path formed from an old railway alignment.

By now I was feeling rather dehydrated.  Fortunately kind people had left old sofa chairs in the shade under a bridge.

Eventually I reached my destination for the night, Sanyi.  I started looking for accommodation whilst eating a late lunch in the local 7Eleven.  The Sanyi Mountain View Resort had a cheap room available.  Mountain View implied another hill to cycle.  This one was VERY STEEP.

The room is very basic and smells slightly musty, as if it hasn't been aired for some time.  The aircon doesn't produce cold air either.  However it will do for the night.

Tomorrow I will aim to reach Puli.  It's about 80km and will likely be hilly.  I'm now working to a weather timetable.  The forecast for 16 and 17 Oct is sunny for Wuling Pass and I would like to repeat the crossing from my last trip.  But this time see something other than the inside of damp cloud.