Taoyuan

After several days of sickness, finally starting to feel better. Flew out of Chiang Mai Wednesday afternoon, and arrived here in Taiwan (Taoyuan City) in the evening. Getting through the airport was super easy and fast, and then we had a short 30 min taxi to the hotel. We were both feeling a bit hungry, and Jo suggested we get some sushi. Luck was in our favor, there was a sushi bar a half a block from our hotel. Even better, I was expecting it would probably be expensive, but it was ($1 per plate), so after a full dinner, it came to only 420 TWD ($14 US). A beer and a movie back at the hotel finished off the evening, and a good night's sleep.

AU Red Dress Run - We wandered down to the venue in the morning, to register and get our goodie bags (they were plentiful, with backpack, shirt, patch, hat, dish, utensils, and various other unsundries) and met up with a few old friends. Since there is no hash scheduled for Friday, we decided to join in on the Red Dress Run. With all our new stuff in tow, we dragged it all back to the hotel, had some lunch, got some more medicine, and then made our way back to the venue for the RDR. Trail was no better than expected, basically a conga line through the streets, dodging cars and scooters, visited one temple, and then finally turned right and made our way into a local brewery for beer check number one. After about 30 minutes, we finally got moving again, and dodged a few more cars and scooters before finally popping out into an inner city park for beer check number two. This one actually had live entertainment, as a young female drum player rocked the party as we drank a wide selection of juicy beers. After about 45 minutes, we made a break for it and finished trail on our own. Back at the venue, once the pack finally arrived, we were entertained by the best dressed pageant, and dined on some local dinner delights. Circled finished just about the time the drizzle started, so after one more beer . . . we made our way back to the hotel for a hot shower, a movie, and more sleep. https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4271…

Day 1 - We selected a long trail, just to see what we were going to expect for the weekend, and get in a good workout. We did trail one, for 10 Kms, and I was expecting 90 minutes, may 2 hours . . . but it was some serious climbing and ended up taking nearly 3 hours. But an awesome trail in the jungle, with several views . . . just a bit overcast though. Some of the climbs were so sharp, that they actually appear to overlap on the map below. It was a long bus ride, almost 2 hours, so we were about the last ones to return to the venue. It was packed by the time we arrived, but there was still plenty of food, and the beer flowed freely. The entertainment was good, but we did not hang around to long . . . need a hot shower and some sleep. https://www.relive.cc/view/vmqX1BjV4Lv

Day 2 - We selected trail 2 for a rebound, it was billed as an 8 or 11 Kms optional trail. Jo went on the 11, while I opted for the 8 Kms as it had a bit less climbing. It was a beautiful trail, with a hearty climb at the start for the first 2 Kms, then the split. Soon after the split, I passed a small cafe, where a gent was singing Karaoke, pretty funny. After a bit more climbing, we finally topped out at 3.2 Kms, then we had a cool long downhill section along a streambed. At the bottom, we turned left and back up for a bit, soon leveled off. We passed an old gazebo that had an excellent over view of the reservoir. From there, it was down some old stairs to the road, then a zig zag on a continuous downhill run to the finish. Very nice. At the On In, we had several choices of food, all delicious, and plenty of refreshing beverages. The circle was also super fun, as we played some games and sang some songs. I won a t-shirt by throwing my shoe closest to it, and Jo came in second on the beer mile. :) We then went back to the venue for the closing ceremony and more fun and games. Jo won the flour blowing peanut counting contest (she'll have to explain that one to you). :) What a finish to a superb event here in Taiwan. Now we have a day of rest before flying over to Bangkok. https://www.relive.cc/view/vZqNN7zzX3q
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