December 20, 2023 – Tainan – Meinong – 62kms – Mei Nong Villa

December 21, 2023 – Ride around the countryside near Meinong – 52 kms – Mei Nong Villa

Our ride to Meinong was supposed to be easy, so we didn’t rush out after our buffet feed in Tainan. We headed down the coast before curving inland towards the mountains. Meinong is set in a flat valley tucked in against beautiful limestone ridges covered with feathery bamboo forests. The views were not what they could have been as we climbed and descended the steep mountain road in the rain. Instead of arriving way before check in we barely made it to our homestay before dusk. 

Today was mainly just cloudy so we were able to get out and explore the area. The Hakka town of Meinong gets pretty high billings in both the Lonely Planet and the Rough Guide. (The Hakka are a culturally and linguistically distinct group of Han Chinese. They originated in the north of China but migrated to the south centuries ago.) The main attraction is Hakka culture and cuisine along with heritage courtyard houses that line the oldest street in town. Gord and I were underwhelmed with the town, but perhaps the bus loads of tourists know spots we missed. It was however a delight to cycle the tiny roads through the agricultural land on the plain. The variety of fruits and vegetables under cultivation was remarkable.

We finally tried the “golden fruit” that was given to us by our host several days ago. It was mild, sweet and delicious. I have no idea what it is called in English. Our lunch restaurant gave us a couple of cans of sweetened asparagus juice as a parting gift today. It seems like a weird concept; I will report when we have tried it.