6
TAIWAN
Manila, Philippines - Taipei, Taiwan
Sadly, no ferries operated between the Philippines and Taiwan; the only option to get
there was by air. The flight from Manila touched down in Taipei at the extremely
inconvenient hour of two o’clock in the morning. The entire process went smoothly
and the whole shebang came out on the belt, bike and all.
Being three o’clock in the morning, I thought it best to wait until daylight before
hailing a taxi into Taipei. The booked hostel was in the suburb of Gangnam (I
couldn’t get the song out of my head), and they only opened at nine o’clock. I
further wanted to drop the bicycle at the bike shop for reassembling, but they only
opened at ten o’clock.
I slept soundly on the soft airport couches and, by daylight, was ready to venture
into the city (still humming Gangnam Style but, thank the Lord, never broke into the
routine).
Taipei was a vast, busy, modern city sporting highways, freeways, flyovers, fast-
moving cars, and even faster-moving trains, all situated amongst lush green hills.
Capitalism and consumerism were alive and well, and the streets were packed with
people and vehicles. Unable to read or speak a single word, I felt as out of place as
stinky tofu at a barbeque back home. I imagined getting out of the city would be
challenging. It rained steadily from the time of my arrival and I wondered if I had
made a mistake venturing this far north.
The following day, I set off into the streets to find a much-needed new Ortlieb
handlebar bag as I was convinced that if one couldn’t find what you’re looking for in
Taipei, it didn’t exist. Warmer clothing was also required to keep the freezing
weather at bay.
Most of the day was spent investigating the numerous narrow lanes and meandering
the markets, at times becoming wholly lost and strangely landing up exactly where I
started. Between its busy alleys, shopping malls, markets and crowded streets, one
could stumble upon a temple dating to the Qing dynasty. In these peaceful places,
the koi was king and the smell of incense mixed with the chanting of devotees.