I know I’m supposed to be writing about the hike to the waterfall at Wuling, but I just can’t wait to share this one. Yesterday, Nok and I headed up to a little known forest recreation area called Dakeshan. We knew nothing about the place and could find no information about it on the web. But we spotted it on a map we have and knew it was within a 90 minute drive, so on Sunday morning we packed for the day and hit the road.

What we found was a spectacular, incredibly isolated hike up some of the most beautiful mountains I’ve yet seen in Taiwan. At the base, there was a little fish farm with some HUGE fish swimming in the little pools, along with a nice restaurant. There were a handful of cars there, but this wasn’t what interested us. On a map near the entrance, we saw what appeared to be a little hike up Dakeshan (Mt Dake). It didn’t look to be that far, so we headed up an old, narrow and winding road. The road was rocky and pretty much impassable by car in many places, so though it was occasionally paved it was still a nice walk.

After a couple of miles, we saw signs for “Dakeshan II” and “Dakeshan I.” Dakeshan I said only 50 meters, while Dakeshan II said 500 meters. We figured we’d hit both of them, but went for the 500 meter trail first. Well, apparently that sign was completely wrong. After passing through a beautiful, sunny valley surrounded by jagged outcroppings of rock, the old road soon turned into a tiny, largely overgrown trail that went straight up. It was incredibly steep, requiring ropes to get up many of the slippery (from the steady trickle of rain) parts.

Thinking there was only 500 meters to the top, we continued on for about an hour, straight up. Eventually, we topped a ridgeline and found a fork in the trail. Not being able to read Chinese, we headed right towards the sign with a 2. The trail followed the ridgeline through thick, almost impassable jungle. By this time we were also enveloped in a thick fog, and indeed we started to feel a bit concerned about where we were going. We had no map, no idea where the trail was really going or how long it was, and since the trail was so narrow and overgrown, getting lost seemed like a very real possibility.

Then suddenly, after climbing over a two meter tall rock outcropping, we came into a small clearing. The first thing my eyes noticed was the sheer rock wall not more than a few hundred meters across a valley. The next thing I noticed, with some fright, was the incredible drop off just in front of where I stood, with a forest-covered river passing far, far below. I almost lost my balance.

It was foggy at first, but eventually the clouds lifted for a few minutes, allowing us to glimpse a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains. The trail continued on, but having gone on the hike with the expectation of just a quick, 500 meter jaunt, we were by this time not in the mood to hike any further. We did glimpse the peak through the fog, but it would have been at least another hour (on top of the 2.5 hours we’d already done).

To top it off, we were soon shocked to find nasty little leeches crawling all over our feet and legs. We headed down the mountain with a jolt, but not before both of us were bitten by leeches. Still, it was a beautiful place without another soul on the trail, and I’m extremely pleased to know it’s just an hour away.

We saw this friendly lizard at the very start of the hike. He let me get just inches away to take this picture, but when I stuck out my hand to grab he bolted.

There were many waterfalls like this along the old road for the first couple of miles.

And this one.

This little spring had a ceramic pot built into it, indicating that it was safe to drink. Some tin cups on a wire were hung to the left.

Giant caterpillars like this were found all along the trail, probably responsible for the multitude of beautiful butterflies in the area.

After a mile or two, we came out into a pleasant valley with beautiful, rocky ridges on both sides.

From the valley, we also had a beautiful view of the mountains and plains stretching all the way back to the ocean, though it didn’t come out very well in this picture.

Scroggins took a break in this cozy bed of flowers while we stopped for water.

Soon afterwards, the old road ended and we headed into thick jungle on a tiny, overgrown trail. The trail went literally straight up. The big-leafed trees here are wild banana trees. At the entrance to this tiny trail, after 2 miles of hiking, the sign said something about 300 meters. We guessed it meant 300 meters to the top and expected a short hike, but we were in for a tiring surprise.

After a mile or so of climbing straight up, we came across this ancient tree shrouded in old rags. The tree must have been several hundred years old, and its vast, antiquated roots stretched across the mountainside. At this point we were certain we were just a few minutes from the top.

After another mile or so of wandering along a ridgeline through thick, fog-enclosed jungle, I was perplexed when I came into a small clearing and saw this view. It was a sheer vertical mountain wall not more than a few hundred meters away. How was this possible?

Then I looked left and saw this foggy view, though I was still a bit perplexed.

Then I looked down and saw the valley floor far, far below me, at least 1,000 feet away. And I realized that I was standing on the top of a sheer wall of mountain just like the one I’d seen across the valley. The trail was incredibly narrow at this point, and on both sides of the ridgeline the mountainsides plummeted straight down. Taking this in suddenly after coming out of the dark jungle, I had a pang of vertigo.

The fog was shifting steadily, and after a while we were rewarded with some stunning views of the surrounding, absolutely gorgeous mountains.

Though the mountain we were on was high, the mountains beyond were enormous, and greatly surpassed our humble peak.

Eventually the fog lifted enough to see the top of the rock wall across the valley, and we surmised that this was the peak our trail was leading to. However, by this time we’d discovered the leeches so I wasn’t able to get a picture of the peak.

This was the view in the direction from which we’d come.

The hike back to the old road and the beautiful valley was a wet, nasty one with a steady rain and a horde of leeches. But when we finally made it back the sun came out and made for some wonderful views.

One of the most beautiful views I’ve ever seen.

After stopping to pull all of the leeches out of our shoes and socks, we took the opportunity to get some sunny photos of this mountain paradise.

Nok and I make a point of having a campfire every time we go hiking. We soon found this big old rock and set up to cook a late lunch before walking the remaining 2 miles back to the car.

On the walk back, we noticed this waterfall was much bigger than we had thought and was backed by a beautiful rock outcropping.

It was getting dark by the time we reached the car, but this is one hike I won’t soon forget.

I’m really falling behind in my blogging. Ever since I got the car I just don’t seem to have any spare time for it. And I’m afraid things will get much worse, since from next week I’ll be starting a distance learning program to finally finish my Bachelor’s Degree. So even though this trip was more than a month ago, the ‘rents are already back in the States and I have four newer outings to report, I present to you day two of the spectacular cross-Taiwan tour with the ‘rents.

After spending the morning in Sanxia looking at the old temple, we hit the road and headed east across the northern tip of Taiwan. Once over the mountains (or through, I should say, as there was an extensive tunnel system), we headed south and then west, curving back up into the mountains from the East coast.

It was a seven hour drive to our next stop, Wuling Farm. I didn’t really know what to expect at Wuling, but I knew it had a nice campground with stunning views and at least a few decent hikes in the area. The drive was pleasant, but we got socked in by fog after a few hours. Who knows what spectacular views we missed along the way.

Once in Wuling, we were appalled to see hordes of tourists and tour buses. However, even though for some strange reason the tour buses dropped the herds off at the campground for a quick look around, after their  fifteen minute stop the campground was largely empty. We rented little pre-set tents arrayed on a hillside surrounded by beautiful mountains.

We spent two nights there, using the days to walk around the surrounding area and take a short hike up to a waterfall. Wuling was a beautiful place, and I hope to be back in the future to go on some of the longer hikes.

Stopping for a rest on the drive to Wuling. The mountains here were still fairly small, but we would eventually hit 9,000+ feet.

Most of the drive followed along this wide riverbed, which was lined with strange, dusty farmland. We couldn’t figure out what they were trying to grow.

The “tents” at Wuling Campground. This shot looks back towards the office and parking lot. We stayed as far away as possible, at the end of the rows of 30 tents. Though it was cloudy for most of the stay, we were treated with this crystal clear view on our last morning.

Mom pokes her head out her tent. The ‘rents stayed in #27, and Nok and I stayed next door in 29. Crazily enough, renting these tents was more expensive than any hotel we stayed in during the entire trip.

When we woke up on the last morning and poked our heads out of the tent, this was our glorious view. This shot was literally taken from the entrance of the tent.

After arriving on the first night, we went for a walk around the campground. The campground is also the starting point for a two day hike up one of Taiwan’s tallest mountains, Snow Mountain. Obviously, we didn’t make it that far, but maybe next time.

Also on the first walk, we headed up this wooden walkway. The walkway was covered with what appeared to hordes of gobs of poop. Yet, the poop was all over the railings, too. What could possibly have done it?

We soon discovered the poop-culprits. Look closely at the trees beyond the fence, and you’ll see our very first Taiwan Monkey sighting. Actually, as we approached we’d seen at least four-five monkeys standing on this platform, but they ran away before we could get a picture.

Mom and Nok act out what will happen if a monkey attacks.

On the walk back to the campground. The whole time, Scroggins kept eating things he found on the trail. Little did we know, monkey poop is a tasty treat for dogs.

We came across a little pond during our walk with this sign of a guy enjoying a swim. But in spite of the Engrish, we eventually figured out that the sign was a warning and not an invitation to have a swim.

Dad and I came across this giant moth while walking to the camp store to buy some water. It was easily the size of my hand.

Later that night, we found this giant bug on the path to the bathroom. It was a good four inches long. Note the giant pinchers and fully functional wings. Imagine this beast flying at you from the dark!

Dinner time!  We had mistakenly planned on the campground having a restaurant, and as a result we brought no food on the trip. Not only did the campground not have a restaurant, but in addition the shop only sold instant noodles and canned mystery meats. Still, Nok did her best with the available supplies and managed to cook up a pretty tasty feast complete with what we later learned to be canned eel.

After dinner, Dad and I talked while Nok tried to make a fire. Unfortunately, because of the day’s rain she was not successful. Next up: the hike to the waterfall.

Probably the least interesting part of our trip was the first night and day. Since the ‘rents had arrived in the evening, I thought it would be best to spend the first night somewhere near the airport. Actually, originally I had planned on returning to my home in Fengyuan, then heading straight across the mountains on the Central Cross-Mountain Highway to Wuling and Taroko.

Sadly, I discovered the day before they arrived that the highway has been closed for nearly 10 years. It was closed after the major 921 Earthquake in 1999, and though they attempted to rebuild it, they finally gave up a few years ago. Too many typhoons and earthquakes to keep that treacherous road operable.

So in the end, I settled on a different route that included stopping in the small city of Sanxia for the first night. I knew nothing about Sanxia, only that it had been recommended by some other expats as a good first night stop. It is apparently famous for its “old street,” a stretch of road lined with hundreds of really old, brick buildings and shops. When we arrived in the evening, everything was already closed on the street, and then again the next morning when we came back for a second look.

The second main attraction in Sanxia is a big, old temple that has been under construction for 60 years and is still at least 10 years from completion. It was an interesting temple, but I have to say nothing special for Taiwan. There are temples like it everywhere.

Still, Sanxia was an okay place to spend one night before we headed to the beautiful mountains.

The Old Street at night. In spite of the blurriness, I think this is a great picture. Mom, Nok and I can be seen on the left.

After walking through the old street, we stopped for dinner at this little restaurant. Nok and I really don’t care for most Taiwanese food, but this place is one of the only exceptions. We just call it “boiled food,” because we don’t know what else to say. But it consists of choosing meat, vegetables and tofu from an open cooler, which is then boiled and served in a tasty sauce. Sadly, we have no pictures of the feast.

The old street by day, but too early for anything to be open.

A market popped up on the street below Mom and Dad’s hotel room the next morning. Actually, it was a pretty grimy neighborhood and I’m sorry it had to be the ‘rents’ first impression of Taiwan.

These strange beasts were for sale in the market. I think they are eels. Actually, we may have inadvertently eaten eel later in the trip, but that’s another story.

On a foot bridge near the old temple. I guess Mom loves taking pictures of bridges.

The old temple. It was pretty big. Once inside, we met an old man who claimed to be the son-in-law of the architect. He showed us around and pointed out the intricate woodworking inside. At the end, he produced a paper that read in bold letters, “Support Taiwan for the UN.” We thought he was after cash, but turns out he was just a nice old man who loved his country.

The beautifully carved and painted roof of the temple was also lined with a lovely green moss.

Though difficult to see in this picture, the inside of the temple was covered with elaborately carved wooden spirals and images.

The smoky temple was also filled with strange little shrines like this. I don’t really know what it was for, but I don’t think this temple was Buddhist.

From the second floor of the temple.

Dad leaves the temple. From here it was a seven hour drive up into the mountains, to the beautiful Wuling Farm Campground.

It’s been a long time since my last post, but that’s because I’ve been extremely busy these last two weeks.  On April 30 the ‘Rents flew in from Singapore, and we spent six sweet days driving around the beautiful mountains of Taiwan.

Our trip topped 1,000 kilometers through some incredibly rugged, mountainous terrain.  We went from the sea to a peak elevation of nearly 10,000 feet, and enjoyed the narrow, windy mountain roads along the way.

From Fengyuan, Nok and I made the drive up to the international airport just outside of Taipei.  We picked up Mom and Dad at the airport, then headed to a small city called Sansia which was just an hour south.  After a night in Sansia and a morning spent seeing a big temple and “the Old Street,” we headed east and then south, down a windy mountain road to a place called Wuling Farm.

At Wuling, we spent two nights in a beautiful campground with a spectacular view (and even a few monkeys), before heading to over the mountains again to Taroko Gorge National Park.  After a day in Taroko, we headed up the scenic East Coast of Taiwan along some superb cliff-side roads, before spending the night in Suao and enjoying its rather strange “cold springs.”

The next day it was back to the airport, but first we made a quick stop in Taipei to head to the top of the world’s tallest building, Taipei 101.  Sadly, the ‘rents left soon after, but it was an excellent trip that we won’t soon forget.

This crude map shows the approximate route we took.  I will write in detail later about each of the stops along the way, but since my camera batteries died I’ll need to wait for pictures from Mom and Dad before I can get to everything.

Even with six days and 1,000 kilometers, you can see we only touched a fraction of the island.  Guess we’ll have to plan another trip soon.  And sadly, no, we didn’t almost die.

Yesterday afternoon Nok and I took the chance to head to a place called Taian that we’d heard a bit about. Taian is home to the Taian Hot Spring Scenic Area, which supposedly has some of the best natural hotsprings in Taiwan. It is also home to some beautiful mountains and has a dozen decent hiking trails in the area.

On the train, Taian is just two stops away, maybe 15 minutes. I incorrectly assumed that it would be just a quick drive, but we ended up driving about 65 kilometers each way, spending more than three hours total in the car. Taiwanese traffic is terrible!

Another thing we discovered during the drive is that Scroggins is not a good car dog. For the first hour, he was riding in the front seat with Nok. After a while, Nok asked me if I smelled something nasty. I replied that no, I couldn’t smell anything. It was a second later that I heard Nok exclaim, “Oh no! He pooped!”

Sure enough, Scroggins had managed to poop on the floor of our car. Luckily, even though he was sitting on the seat with Nok, none of it got on her or the seat.

So we stopped by the road and cleaned up his business, then off we went again. Well, it wasn’t more than 15 minutes later that we heard a disgusting hacking sound coming from the backseat. Seems old Scroggins had gotten a little carsick and vomited all over the backseat. I had the pleasure of cleaning up after him this time, with nothing but a plastic garbage bag and a little bit of water.

But when we finally arrived, Scroggins was great. The place itself was a minor disappointment in that it was a bit of a tourist trap and no springs were available to the public. A bunch of resorts have moved in and started charging like $10 a head just to enjoy the privilege of a natural hot spring. So we didn’t get to go to any hot springs, but we did follow a trail up a large river in search of a waterfall. And even though the trailhead was pretty crowded and parts of the trail had some people, once we got upstream a bit we were all alone in paradise.

It was a beautiful place, and I’m looking forward to getting to some of the more remote parts of Taiwan this week when the ‘rents come.

On the road to Taian. This road was called “Country Road No. 62.” It was windy and often very narrow, following the river as it climbed up into the mountains.

After we parked the car and walked a couple of kilometers up the river, we were completely alone and surrounded by beautiful mountains.

Another shot from further up the river. I was extremely tempted to go for a swim, but the icy cold water got the best of me.

We came across this little waterfall a bit further upstream. We had headed up the trail in search of a waterfall, but I don’t think this is the one we were meant to find. Anyway, it was nice and a bit bigger than it may appear in the photo.

We climbed about halfway up the waterfall to get a better look. Scroggins proved to be a pretty good rock scrambler.

From halfway up the waterfall. I’m pretty bad about estimating heights, but this quite tall.

Nok wades through the icy, crystal clear water.

Scroggins sat and watched as we walked through the river. At first he was afraid of the water, but he soon learned to cope. We had to cross the river to get back, and I didn’t feel like carrying him, so soon enough he was swimming.

On the way back, Nok and I headed down a different trail. We soon came across this knotted rope leading down a 20 foot cliff. Nok waited at the top while I went down to have a look around. This really was straight down.

These impressive cliffs were the view I was greeted with when I got to the bottom of the rope..

From the bottom of the rope I also found that I was very near to this footbridge.

And back up the rope…

I stopped to take this shot of the sunset from halfway up the rope.

We stopped for a quick break on this excellent suspension bridge before we headed back to the car. From here, it was still another kilometer or so to the parking lot.

It’s been a long time coming, but I finally, finally have a car.  Oh man, that’s sweet just to type.  After a last minute scare regarding a mandatory inspection for cars older than 10 years, I finally went up to Maoli City late Thursday night to pick up my old (very old!) new car.  At 250,000 kilometers, some might say this ‘92 Ford Telstar is way past its prime.  I disagree.  This is one beater that still has some glory days to come.

Anyway, I’m still working seven days a week so we haven’t had much time to venture very far yet.  But we did head into the hills a bit on Saturday afternoon and it was great.  I haven’t had this much freedom in ages.  Even with a motorbike in Bangkok, I never felt safe enough to really venture too far from home.  But with a car, I can go anywhere.  Here are the highlights from our Saturday afternoon drive.

I had envisioned this picture since long before I bought the beast.  This was taken on a quiet country road in the hills just beyond Fengyuan City.

And another one for good measure.  As you can see, the beast is not so bad for 900 bucks.  You can see the head of a little old man zipping by on a scooter in the background.

Scroggins wanders ahead on one of the many little trails we found around the road.  This one, like so many others, wound through an orange orchard.  We eventually had to turn back when we came across a pack of angry, wild dogs.

We came across this little temple further down the road.

This little trail was just across from the temple.  While seemingly well-groomed and even lined with little benches such as this one, it soon fizzled out into impassable jungle.

Jasmine flowers like these lined the trails and roads.

An old, long-forgotten tomb sits in the middle of a bamboo forest.

Scroggins running down another trail we found.  In the city, he’s the most timid dog you’ll ever see.  But once he gets into the hills, he’s a fearless ball of energy.

Taking a break at a little rest area.

Later in the afternoon, Nok and I drove aimlessly further into the hills, and eventually found this temple about 20km from home.  Another pack of dogs came roaring out to greet us, and the leader can be seen here.

The other dogs that tried to scare us away from the temple.  They acted fierce, but ran away as soon as we walked towards them.

On the drive home, we came across this massive Taiwanese cemetery.  It was really eerie to see all these ancient, miniature mausoleums crammed so closely together.  And the cemetery was enormous.  This picture covers just a fraction of it, but I didn’t feel comfortable taking any more.

This big temple was just next to the cemetery.

To end on a lighter note, here’s a shot of our new kitten sprawling out comfortably on my pillow.  I have decided to call her “Hagatha Christie,” aka “Haggy” aka “Hags Mcgee,” in honor of the original Hagatha Christie.  You know who you are.

Well, I mentioned before that Nok and I were suckers for animals. Nok seems to be more so than me, but I’m not far behind. Last night when I came home from work, I was shocked to see a tiny little kitten come strolling out of the bathroom. I shouted in surprise. Seems Nok found the little thing next to the dumpsters behind our building. There was a kid playing with the cat at the time who told Nok that the kitten needed a home. Nok snatched it up and took it home.

Now, actually the kitten is very clean and a bit fat, which makes me think she had a home before. Looks like the previous owners let her get a little bigger and stronger then sent her out in the world alone. At first, I emphatically said we had to put the cat back on the street. But, I’m a sucker too, and it wasn’t long before I was thinking about keeping her.

The biggest issue is that we would need to find a home for her in a year when we leave Taiwan. I’ve contacted the people who gave us Scroggins, and if they say they can help out, then we will most likely keep the kitten.

On another note, I was able to get store credit for that crappy bicycle that attacked me a few weeks ago. Rather than buying another crappy bicycle, Nok and I bought a little oven. So we’ve been baking away the last week. Last night I made my first chocolate cake in about four years! Oh man, it was sweet. Mmmm… Chocolate cake….

The kitten is absolutely fearless, and quickly made himself at home on the desk.

The tasty chocolate cake. If the frosting looks a bit sickly, that’s because it’s impossible to find vanilla or cocoa here in Taiwan.

That’s some tasty cake.

The countdown has begun until I have a car at last.  From this moment, there are just 9 days and approximately four hours left to the time when I will become the proud of owner of a beastly 1992 Ford Telstar.  The car itself is incredibly cheap.  However, the extra expenses just keep piling on… taxes, insurance, parking and on and on…

Combine this with my recent misfortune on the bicycle and you will see why for the last couple of weeks Nok and I have barely ventured outside of our apartment.  I’ve gone into ultra stingy lazy mode, awaiting the day when I will finally have wheels of my own.

So last Friday, a national holiday (Tomb-Sweeping Day), instead of heading out to the hills like we usually do, Nok and I spent the day walking around Fengyuan with our new dog Scroggins.  Fengyuan is actually a nice little city.  There are a few main roads which are packed with people, shops and cars.  But as soon as you duck into one of the quiet back streets, you find an entirely different world.  The little alleys and lanes of the quiet neighborhoods of Fengyuan never disappoint in giving unexpected surprises, and are always rather enjoyable to walk through.

Nok and I find new parks, temples and canals almost every time we venture out.

Scroggins looks out over one of the many small rivers that criss-cross Fengyuan City.

A small bridge crosses the river downstream from where Scroggins was standing.

Little shrines like this are found all throughout Taiwan’s alleys and along every stream and river.

Nok and Scroggins stand next to an incense stand across from the little shrine.

Further on, we came across this weird little statue of two naked dwarfs throwing their naked child into the air.

This little park followed along one of the many rivers.

A shot of the river next to the park.  A quiet neighborhood can be seen on the other side.

Another shot up the river.

Scroggins smiles for a picture.

Nok and I are suckers for animals.  After the unfortunate passing of Jeebo last month, we swore we wouldn’t get another animal until we were in a position to settle down in one place indefinitely.  Our plans haven’t really changed in that we won’t be in Taiwan for more than two years and will probably continue moving from country to country for the foreseeable future.

Yet here we are today with a new dog named Scroggins.  We got in touch with a group of foreigners here who run a handful of dog and cat shelters in Taichung county.  They had tons of dogs looking for homes, and after visiting one of the shelters we chose an 18 month old mutt previously named Maui.  He was found living on the city streets as a puppy, and he would have stayed there if he hadn’t been picked up by the government animal catchers.  Since the government shelters eventually put to sleep the animals they find, these people rescued Scroggins from the pound and took him to live on their spacious, no-kill shelter at the top of a lovely mountain on the edge of Taichung City.

Nok and I went out to that shelter last week, and it’s a pretty interesting place.  The road gets incredibly steep, narrow and windy towards the top, so much so that our taxi refused to continue and we had to walk another kilometers pretty much straight up.  Scroggins was delivered to our home the next day, and so far he seems to be adjusting well.

Scroggins in our apartment just after he arrived.  He is one of the shyest dogs I’ve ever seen.

Nok hugs Scroggins on the floor of our apartment.

Scroggins on the roof of our building.  I tried to get him to sit for a picture, but he’s so clingy he just kept following me when I backed up to take a picture.  This was the best shot I could get.

Today we took Scroggins for a walk at the school behind our apartment.  The tall building behind the palm trees on the left is our building.  I don’t know about the quality of teaching inside the school, but facilities of the schools I’ve seen here are far superior to any schools I attended as a kid.  This is an elementary school, yet it has a massive athletics field complete with a nice, new, rubber-topped track.

A shot from Go-go mountain, where Scroggins’ shelter was.  This was taken from where the taxi dropped us off, on top of a massive abandoned Buddhist monastery.  The monastery was condemned after the massive 921 quake.

Another shot from on top of the old monastery.

Well, I said I was going to write more about my riding a bicycle to work, but this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind. When I first moved to Taiwan, in spite of riding a motorbike for a year in the insane traffic of Bangkok, I decided that it was too dangerous to ride a scooter here. So instead I bought a bicycle which I planned to use for my daily 5k commute, until I could afford to buy a car.

Last night I was riding home from work as usual. As I was coming up a small hill, I stood up and shifted all of my weight onto one pedal to gain momentum. As I did so, I heard a loud CRACK! as the pedal snapped off the bicycle. I nearly fell off the bike, but instead I slammed my leg into the metal spike where the pedal used to be. I don’t know if the pedal shattered or simply fell off. I was in too much pain to think about that, and didn’t bother looking for the pedal on the ground.

Still, as painful as it was, I could see that the spike hadn’t torn my jeans so I thought the wound wasn’t serious. I rode on, with no pedal, for another kilometer or so. It wasn’t until I had to stop at a railroad crossing that I noticed a pool of dark liquid staining my jeans. At first, I thought it was oil from the pedal, but after I touched it and held my hand to the light I was startled to see that it was red, not black.

I’ve been known to be a wuss about such things. I still didn’t look at the wound. I was probably about 600 meters from home now, so I returned home before I finally took a look at my leg. What I saw was a nasty, gaping wound that was clearly in need of stitches. So off Nok and I went to the emergency room where they cleaned my wound, stitched me up, gave me two shots and five bags of pills.

I returned to the hospital this morning to have the dressing changed and to get a fresh batch of medicine. But it’s not over yet. The doctors are afraid of an infection, so I need to return to the hospital again on Saturday and again on Tuesday, and then yet again in two weeks to have the stitches removed. And even though I have National Health Insurance here, I’m still stuck with a good portion of the bill. Pretty crazy, eh? I bought a bicycle because scooters were too dangerous, and look what happened.

Anyway, for those with a strong stomach you can see a picture of my freshly stitched wound here. The shot was taken today, the morning after the accident.