Chinese Proverb: He who returns from a journey is not the same as he who left.
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- 274 - Ovaltine on Sunday
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- 269 - Leather pants and piano too
- 268 - Photo Update
- What I did leave behind
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My Taiwan Adventure
Monday, October 24, 2005
Scootin'
It was cold as I drove my little scooter into Taipei yesterday. Okay so you all think I'm a whimp and that's fine but after months of 30 degree temperature when it's hovering around 20 with no sun to speak of things are cold. I was even searching for the warm spot in my bed last night which is a sign that I need to dig out the electric blanket pretty soon. Back to the story...
I drove my scooter into Taipei yesterday and have now had my first "close call." I picked up a bad habit from scooter riding friends - making left turns. What's so bad about that? Glad you asked. Left turns are done in stages here for us scooter riders. First you go with the pedestrians across the street and then you wait in a little 'turning box' painted on the ground for the light to change and get across the intersection going in the direction you want to go. It's really rather clever and I suppose it cuts down on a lot of accidents. Whatever the case may be... I made the slightly illegal left turn and just about got cut down by another scooter. Quick reactions by both and a hand of God helped us rectify the situtation. Needless to say there will be no more illegal left turns for a while.
Why is there such an appeal in the illegal? Imagine the lights and you can watch them count down from the 97 seconds left until the light change. Boredom sets in pretty quick when you're travelling on that scooter alone at the stop light. And for some reason a white girl on a scooter is just like being a circus side-show freak. It gets a bit tiresome after the first day or two.
The other thing I've discovered is unlike my parents big wonderfully comfortable motorcycles, my 50 cc scooter has some comfort flaws. It has no shocks to speak of and Taipei has a bewildering array of manhole covers. There's no windshield to protect you from flying debris. And I have to kick-start my scooter innumberable times. At the best of times it's not a smooth ride and in rain it's just flat out uncomfortable.
That all said I love the convenience of having my own ride. I like getting from point a to b at my own pace and in my own time. I enjoy having the wind whistling in my ears as I do a happy illegal 65 kph on the quiet stretch of road. I rejoice at the freedom of being able to drive my scooter up the local hill and see the town from above in solitude.
Maybe I can arrange to ship this baby home when I'm done...
Scoot on...
T. Destiny
I drove my scooter into Taipei yesterday and have now had my first "close call." I picked up a bad habit from scooter riding friends - making left turns. What's so bad about that? Glad you asked. Left turns are done in stages here for us scooter riders. First you go with the pedestrians across the street and then you wait in a little 'turning box' painted on the ground for the light to change and get across the intersection going in the direction you want to go. It's really rather clever and I suppose it cuts down on a lot of accidents. Whatever the case may be... I made the slightly illegal left turn and just about got cut down by another scooter. Quick reactions by both and a hand of God helped us rectify the situtation. Needless to say there will be no more illegal left turns for a while.
Why is there such an appeal in the illegal? Imagine the lights and you can watch them count down from the 97 seconds left until the light change. Boredom sets in pretty quick when you're travelling on that scooter alone at the stop light. And for some reason a white girl on a scooter is just like being a circus side-show freak. It gets a bit tiresome after the first day or two.
The other thing I've discovered is unlike my parents big wonderfully comfortable motorcycles, my 50 cc scooter has some comfort flaws. It has no shocks to speak of and Taipei has a bewildering array of manhole covers. There's no windshield to protect you from flying debris. And I have to kick-start my scooter innumberable times. At the best of times it's not a smooth ride and in rain it's just flat out uncomfortable.
That all said I love the convenience of having my own ride. I like getting from point a to b at my own pace and in my own time. I enjoy having the wind whistling in my ears as I do a happy illegal 65 kph on the quiet stretch of road. I rejoice at the freedom of being able to drive my scooter up the local hill and see the town from above in solitude.
Maybe I can arrange to ship this baby home when I'm done...
Scoot on...
T. Destiny
Posted by T. Destiny in Taiwan at 8:32 AM 
