Guguan with a twist

Fisherman cluster in front of a water gate above Dongshih on the river.

There are two rides I do just for the workout, the 125 km run down to the Chiayi HSR station, and the 115 km climb and return to Guguan. Today I wanted to do it to test my healing leg (verdict: leg is good). The Guguan ride is pretty enough, but the traffic makes it painful. Today we found an alternative that saves much pain. Click READ MORE for the story...

At Last: Back on the Bike + links

I haven't done a mountain ride in over two months, but today my friend Merican Teachr and I cut through the haze to climb up to Guguan. Pics below the Daily Links, click on READ MORE...
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Daily Links:

• FP annexes Taiwan to China. *sigh*
• Chinese fossil fakery. Amazing.
• Sunflower Power stalls trade pact. It's nice to see the mention, but when you look at the bottom, you realize why it is largely pro-government propaganda platitudes: her trip was with MOFA. It was good of the paper to put a public notice of that. Note that the Ma government is conveniently blaming the Sunflowers. In reality, his party couldn't force its own people to vote for that failure of a treaty. The Sunflowers make convenient whipping boys, but they aren't the whole issue. 
• China's hacker army assaults Taiwan
• Josh Ellis: Neidong Forest Park
• US Commission backs arms sales to Taiwan
• Did gangbangers beat up protesters?
• The invisible candidate in Taiwan's elections
• The Economist on the Nov 29 elections
• Ketalagan Media on Start Ups in Taiwan
• Lien Chan apologizes after ethnic chauvinist screed. O no, wait, not for that.
• KMT head of Taiwan Medical Association under fire after accusing Ko Wen-je of killing patients to harvest their organs. The accusation is absurd and the abuse deserved, but one thing the episode makes clear is how the KMT continues to keep a grip on society by installing its lackeys in key positions in social organizations like the Taiwan Medical Association. Cleaning Taiwan of this Leninist, authoritarian party will require more than just a change of parties, but a rooting out of this kind of influence at every level of society.
• Taiwan faces another periodic drought. These will only worsen over time.