Under the scorching sun, an American cyclist from Alaska has just completed his solo, around-the-island cycling journey.
Robert Bloomfield had nearly been defeated by the high temperatures -- at times nearly 50?C -- on the road. Fortunately, he said, the hardship of riding was overridden by the people's warmheartedness and the natural beauty of eastern Taiwan.
Bloomfield said he came to Taiwan to take home his adult daughter -- a Taiwan-born Mormon missionary who has been preaching around the country by riding a bicycle over the past two years -- and decided to ride around the island because he wanted to experience what his daughter had on the nation's roads.
He said his aim was also to thank those who had helped his daughter, particularly to a bicycle shop owner in Taitung for his timely repair for free of her bicycle after she had an accident.
The 53-year-old Bloomfield embarked on his 15-day journey on July 3 from the home of his Taiwanese wife in Chunan. Cycling north, he passed through Taoyuan and Keelung in some of the hottest weather in recent decades.
Well aware that he might be defeated not by his age or by fatigue, but by high temperatures, Bloomfield soon changed his riding strategy.
He changed his initial "9-to-5" riding schedule to a "dawn and dusk" schedule, cycling in the early morning hours, then starting again in the late afternoon after taking a break between 10am and 4pm. During the break period, he rested in the shade under big trees or near temples, churches and schools.
From Keelung, Bloomfield cycled south, passing through Ilan, Hualien and Taitung, before turning toward Kaohsiung. From Kaohsiung, he headed north on the west coast highway to arrive back at his starting point of Chunan.
During his journey, he met up several times with his wife, who took buses roughly tracing his route. They came together at churches where they met with friends.
Bloomfield said cycling near Taroko Gorge was the best part of his journey. The scenery of the magnificent rocky gorge replaced all the riding hardships with pleasure and wonder, he said.
"Many people warned me about trucks passing on the road," Bloomfield said. But to his surprise, he said, he found that truck drivers on eastern highways were friendly and amusing.
"They would honk three times to say hello or to cheer me up. They even slowed down to make room for me and my bike," he recalled.
He recalled how on one occasion when he was looking for a place to eat and the sun was setting, a villager in Fengping, Hualien County, invited him to his home for dinner. The villager barbecued wild boar and served rice wine made by aboriginal people.
He said that as a Mormon, he declined the tempting offer of rice wine, but he spent a great and unforgettable night, with the host playing guitar and them taking turns belting out songs sung by people along the east coast and those sung by people in Alaska.
Bloomfield said he and his wife, who are the adoptive parents of four Taiwan-born children, together prepared for his round-the-island journey for more than a year. He said that by memorizing at least 10 Chinese words each day, he knew several thousand Chinese words and phrases by the time he was ready to set off on his trip.
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Heat advisories were in effect for nine administrative regions yesterday afternoon as warm southwesterly winds pushed temperatures above 38°C in parts of southern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 3:30pm yesterday, Tainan’s Yujing District (玉井) had recorded the day’s highest temperature of 39.7°C, though the measurement will not be included in Taiwan’s official heat records since Yujing is an automatic rather than manually operated weather station, the CWA said. Highs recorded in other areas were 38.7°C in Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門), 38.2°C in Chiayi City and 38.1°C in Pingtung’s Sandimen Township (三地門), CWA data showed. The spell of scorching