Ever southwards.

Hualien to Taitung

The weather was still looking dodgy inland, so I stuck to the coastal route south. Again, a largely dry day despite the overly pessimistic weather forecast. The clouds did look angry over the mountains though.

It was another great road: looping it's way down the coast. Perfect tarmac, light traffic, fantastic curves.........I weakened! I decided to ride at the locals speed. Slowing down for the well signposted speed cameras and in the villages.The roads were too inviting to crawl along. I reached the dizzying speed of 44 mph at one point......wildman!! 

I plugged in my new Chinese "iPod" for the first time on this trip. Great fun to ride such wonderful roads with good music. 
 

The Tropic of Cancer marker suddenly appeared (I had no idea). A group of "mature" foreigners on scooters were parked up at the monument. They steadfastly ignored me though; obviously didn't want to interact with a youngster like myself. 🤪

My lunch stop was another triumph! (pictured above). Basic, cheap, convenient and surprisingly tasty! More money to spend on beer.

The clouds over the mountains here did look ominous; but I'm sure they'll clear in a couple of days or so when I get up there.

There were 2 or 3 times today when other bikers actually waved or gave a thumbs up. The first time, I was so surprised I nearly fell off in my rush to return the greeting!

The V-Strom continues to impress. It was made for roads like these. It just yearns for the throttle to be twisted a bit more. Wouldn't want to take it off tarmac, but on road it is a gem of a bike.

As I approached Taitung, several fighter jets screamed low across the sky. Hopefully the Taiwanese air force doing some training and not the Chinese air force as a prelude to an invasion.

After the megacities in China, the scale of the Taiwanese cities (Taipei excluded) are tiny. Taitung is a small, relaxed place. Again with a sort of Japanese vibe about it.

Only about 100 miles today, so the early arrival gave me a chance to do some laundry. DIY coin operated. Washed and dried for about £2. Oooh, the glamour of biking! More money to spend on beer.

Fantastic feed at a Chinese dumpling place. Cheap and very tasty. More money to spend on beer (I'm a man of simple tastes; as long as that taste is fermented from yeast).

Soundtrack: "Corners" - iQ