Day 30 - Walking South Along The Golden Coast Of Tainan, and Some Thoughts, The Long Walk South In Taiwan
Day 30 - Walking South Along The Golden Coast Of Tainan, and Some Thoughts, The Long Walk South In Taiwan
There are many roads that go south from the city of Tainan to the city of Kaohsiung.
Because we have been walking for so long along the main streets of many cities and towns, we wanted to walk along the seaside, in an area that is called the Golden Coast.
Just getting to the Golden Coast from our hotel in the city center took us nearly two hours, and we needed to cross many busy roads.
But when we got there, we had a long stretch of boardwalk to walk on, which was a wonderful change from walking by the side of the city roads.
The boardwalk is part of a cycling route that runs around Taiwan, and there were even clean toilets along the way and areas with benches to rest on.
We knew that there were no vendors on the path, so we carried with us as much water as we could, which was nowhere near enough water we would need for the day.
But I saw on the map that there are sections of the path that parallel the car roads, where we could veer into shops to get some water,
We didn’t carry any food or snacks with us, because we haven’t been eating any snacks on the hotter days.
Most of the day was very sunny, and we only had short stretches where we had some shade provided by the trees.
In one location, three Doberman dogs ran growling up to the path and started barking at me.
It was a scary moment and I didn’t know what to do.
On an instinct, I growled back at them and stomped my feet, which miraculously did the trick of keeping them at bay.
I think that the dogs were living with some homeless people who were camping in the woods by the shore, because they seemed very territorial.
Luckily those were the only wild dogs we encountered on the path today.
Later in the day our friend Wendy joined us for part of the walk, and she will be walking with us for a few more days.
When she got to Tainan, she sent me a text message and I texted her our location on the path.
She showed up along our path, wearing shorts and carrying her water bottle, looking like a school girl on a day trip.
She arrived in a taxi from Tainan, and the taxi driver agreed to wait for us at the fish market farther down the road, and to take us back to our hotel in Tainan.
Together we walked along the coast for the rest of the day, until we reached the Xingda Harbor Fish Market.
There were plenty of tourists at the fish market, buying fresh seafood and snacks.
I was so thirsty that I bought a large cup of raw unsweetened passion fruit juice and Longan fruit iced tea.
We also tasted the local ice cream crepe, that is made with fresh cilantro and sprinkled with shaved peanuts.
We returned to Tainan and showered and rested.
I put on my bathrobe and a face mask and promptly fell asleep until evening.
For dinner, we ate at an Italian vegetarian restaurant near the hotel.
I was thinking about the fact that I see so few people walking around the city.
Most people drive cars or ride scooters.
They only walk from their parking spaces to the restaurant or shop they are visiting.
I understand that it is slow, hot and hard to walk, but we must learn to do hard things until they become easy for us to do.
For me, walking five kilometers used to be hard, now it is really easy.
The more we do things, the easier it becomes for us to do them.
This is actually a scientific fact.
The Human brain rewires itself after learning any task.
Neurons are nerve cells that send messages all over your body, to allow you to do everything from breathing to talking, eating, walking, and thinking.
The brain’s Neurons improve by constant repetition.
The more you perform a task, the more the neurons’ pathways to perform that task are reinforced.
This is why you can learn new languages, new sports, new arts and music, at any age.
It is not a matter of talent, but of constant repetition and practice.
I have read a story about a man who started dancing ballet at the age of 70.
He might not be a world class performer, but he is good at dancing, and having a great time.
Another example is a woman who started practicing yoga at the age of 69.
She is 100 now and she does an amazing hand stand and awe inspiring stretches.
Her body is flexible and strong because she has been doing yoga daily for 31 years.
Repetition and practice really do make us better….
With love,
Tali
Today’s Stats:
Steps - 25,881
Daily Distance - 18 km.
Total Distance To Date - 473 km
