I have been living in Taichung for roughly 2 weeks and it seems that much as evolved for me personally. I have found a job, learned how to ride a 2-wheeled motorized vehicle and now am the proud owner of an adorable blue, 125cc, automatic scooter. Yes, watch out Taiwan locals, I'm out on the road.
In all seriousness, I had a wonderful scooter teacher. Simon was extremely patient and supportive. We would find wide, desserted streets (which is a bit of a challenge here) and I would practice going around and around the blocks. Each session, I became more and more confident. Eventually, I rode in mild traffic and all has been well. Last Thursday, I bought a great scooter from an Oregonian who was off to travel through Southeast Asia. On Friday night, I had my first girls night out with my roommate Elza and friends Shelley and Holly. We literally shopped until we nearly dropped at a night market. Driving to this huge market was very exciting. Imagine 10-50 or more scooters all stopped at one intersection, revving their engines waiting for the light to turn green, then a cloud of exhaust puffing up into the sky as a symphony of engine music surrounds your atmosphere... all while trying to keep an eye out for your friends, because I had no idea where we were going.
Here are a few interesting Taiwanese traffic observations:
*People tend to drive fairly carefully here; not necessarily too fast, but everyone is very aware of the people around them. Accidents are not all that common.
*The horn is used as a communicating device and to remind others not to cut you off.
*Sometimes people drive on the wrong side of the road (but on the shoulder, mind you) because it's easier than getting across multiple lanes of traffic.
*The police drive around with their lights on, as if to say "we are here-don't do anything we have to pull you over for", which is quite considerate. If they turn on their sirens, then you're really in trouble.
*Taxi drivers are crazy and don't seem to deliberately try to drive you off the road, but somehow don't mind getting REALLY close to you, even if you are driving in the scooter lane. (In my experience, taxi drivers in every country are a bit nutty).
*Scooters are not allowed to take left hand turns, so to turn left, you must wait for a green light, veer to right of the intersection across from the direction you want to go and wait in a little scooter box painted on the ground, until you get another green light.
The night market was HUGE. We spent 3.5 hours there and didn't see everything. The Taiwanese are very good at shopping and eating, so the market food was delicious and the shopping was massive. As many of you know, I do not eat wheat. Here they have every kind of sausage being grilled on nearly every corner. Rather than serving the sausage on a bun, they have created these rice rolls in the shape of a bun. So, I ate a rice roll wrapped around a delicious sausage. You can all imagine how excited I was to have a real sausage and "bun". Now, back to the shopping. It's a bit of a tricky game because not every shop will let you try clothes on. They claim their dressing rooms are unavailable or broken, I'm not sure. The sizes are quite different here, as you can imagine. I am undoubtedly, very average in size, so a small pair of pants is sometimes too small, but not always. Shopping can be a bit of a crap shoot. But, the deals, oh the deals, are so sweet. I can walk out of a store with 2-3 outfits for less than $30 (USD). There are bags, shoes, clothes, accessories and much, much more sold on nearly every street corner.
This weekend, we went to Rie Yue Tan or Sun Moon Lake. From Taichung, it took us 2.5-3 hours to get there. A total of 11 of us went on this trip and it was great fun. Thursday I officially learned how to ride a scooter, Friday I bought a scooter and Saturday I rode my new scooter through windy, curvy, steep hills. Maybe not the best thought out plan, but it was a great learning drive. Simon purchased me a very safe and big helmet, so my head is quite cushioned should anything happen. Learning to lean into the curves as you drive down a steep hill is a bit intimidating, but I survived and feel much more confident on the roads now. Sharing the highways with large trucks and other cars can be exciting and a bit thrilling. Huge trucks blowing exhaust right into my face made me fear for the future of my ovaries, but I just held my breath anytime a big truck passed me. Obviously, holding my breath for long periods of time isn't the best long distance driving strategy.
We camped right on the lake, but we were not allowed to swim in it. In my last post, I discussed how the word "safety" is a relative term here. Well, the Taiwanese are quite worried about people swimming in open bodies of water. Most Taiwanese do not know how to swim and yes, they live on an island. So, at Sun Moon Lake, people can swim across it once a year and it's a huge event. But, we went swimming in it anyway. We just waited until really late at night and snuck into a swimming area. It was fun, no one drowned and all was good. :) Some of our friends also did a boat tour, where each adult had to wear a life jacket, but the children didn't and were seen running around on the boat decks. Ah Taiwan!
Our group consisted of foreign teachers and we met up with other foreigners also from Taichung. We spent our days buzzing around the lake, exploring the area and little towns along the lake. The area is quite touristy because it's Taiwan's largest and most beautiful lake. One of the most gorgeous sites I saw was the Wenwu Temple. It's a huge temple that overlooks the lake. From the top of the temple, there are observation decks and you stand, surrounded by serene tiled temple roofs and can see the lake and the lush green surroundings so peacefully.
The ride home was quite stressful, as the downhill curves were very difficult for me, but Simon stayed right by my side and gave me lots of encouragement when I was feeling defeated. During the ride home, I saw my first sunset in Taiwan and it was jaw-dropping gorgeous. Imagine a bright red round sun balancing perfectly above the horizon, completely surrounded by light orange and pink hues. All of this surrounded by hills of trees and amazing landscapes. I tried not to stare at the sunset for too long, as I didn't want to endanger myself and other drivers on the road, but am so thankful for the views I did catch. Taiwan is a beautiful country and there is much to see, I realize.
A typhoon is moving in, which has made the temperature and humidity much cooler. The skies and clouds are often stagnant in Taiwan, but when a typhoon moves in the clouds dance across the sky so beautifully and smog seems to melt away. However, the rain keeps people inside and businesses are often closed. But, I'm hoping typhoon Kaemi is a bit bigger and heftier than Bedisir. Driving in the rain is a fun challenge.
In recent light of the tsunami that rolled through Indonesia and with the recent change of political climate in the Middle East, I am reminded at how blessed I am to be safe and happy in a wonderful place. I am thankful for each of you and hope this message finds you happy, healthy and full of life! XO!
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