Daily lessons from life 27-31 July 2013 - Bicycling trip in Taiwan and more ...

Landed in Taipei on 27 July 2013 in preparation for a 5 days bicycle ride in Hualian and Taidong area with some time ex-colleagues and friends from Motorola's days. Traveled cheap this time and had no ready access to wifi and had to scramble. Hence, the tardiness in updating the blog on a daily basis. Anyway, to make the long story short, here are some highlights and learning from the bicycles ride thus far. 1. Never say or even think "Never"! Never thought I would be one of those bicycle riders that passed through the famed Taroko Gouge highway linking the Eastern and Western sides of Taiwan island! I used to marvel at those bicyclists whom I saw on the same famous highway when I last traveled to Taiwan as a tourist on the tour coach! I was telling myself: these folks, while courageous and persistent and probably suckers for pains, are just crazy to be riding on such a treacherous highway! It WAS good to confirm that I DID it, though just part of it. The part that I visited in the past! The scenery are simply fantastic when you can stop anywhere you like and cycled anywhere you like lest those restricted areas for safety reasons. One word: Marvelous!!; 2. advance 'training' is essential as riding a bicycle uses different parts of your body muscles. The butt needs to be 'seasoned' for sure and I am glad that I had 4-5 40+km rides with my 2nd brother in the last 2 months before this trip. It definitely help! Though the terrains cannot be replicated in Singapore given that it is a very flat and tiny piece of Red Dot! The leg muscles were expecting something like these, and more! I managed!! It felt GREAT!; 3. riding with a bunch of long time friends added to the enjoyment of this trip. I am the oldest and the youngest is in the late 40s. The organizer, our Taiwanese buddy, did a wonderful job of planning it to the last minute details. Route, food, water, heat rub, sun screen, lodging, etc. It showed true professionalism and responsibilities. We are very fortunate to have him lead this trip. More perhaps in the next few days ...