gratitude on a sunny day
Although the temperature is glorious during the summer in Taiwan, Taipei in particular is somewhat depressing due to the overlapping rainy season. I suppose if you enjoy epic thunderstorms it's pretty cool - and i do enjoy those to a point - but when they're happening every single day it kinda throws a wrench into any kind of outdoor activity.
Today was a rare sunny day that featured blue skies throughout, so after several weekends of sulking at home (well, playing computer games at home), i went out on a ride to Bali. It was especially great because the temperature was around 34 degrees, which is around the point where most people decide they'd rather stay home, so the bike paths were empty and the greenways were blissfully clear.
I love the hot weather. Every time i have a peaceful ride in the sun like today's, i remember why i moved to Taiwan. Unlike when i moved to Germany, it wasn't because i wanted to be closer to the music/rave scene. Unlike when i moved to China, it wasn't because i had an interest in the social and political aspects of a rapidly urbanizing country. Moving to Taiwan was a pure quality of life decision.
After biking across Turtle Island and enjoying some lazy days around the Caribbean - Florida, Panama, Colombia - i knew i didn't want to give up the warmth. But i also had to find a warm place which had enough tech industry jobs that there would be a chance of getting immigration sponsorship, which drastically cuts down the options. I also wanted a place that had affordable rental housing. And a place where i could comfortably live without resorting to internal combustion vehicles. That short list got very short indeed.
Taiwan wins because it is a tropical island with all the perks - warm temperatures year-round, plenty of delicious fruit, casual dress/flip-flops all day, you name it. But it's also a big enough island that it has its own supply chain so not everything is imported and expensive. It's got a tech industry. The wealth inequality is not too drastic. There's good public transport everywhere, and the trains are electric. Healthcare is free, just about. Buying a house here is outrageously expensive, but renting is still affordable, even for people on much more humble incomes than mine. Taiwan is a great place to live. That's why i moved here.
So sometimes when i feel bad that i don't have any friends here, or i lament that i don't really feel as connected to the local subcultures (or even mainstream pop culture) as i did in previous places, i remember all those quality of life things are still there, quietly making life here less shit than it might have been in other places. And i wonder if that's the reason why i am coming up on 2 years in my current job, and even though it's stressful and i hate it and i resent it and i wish i didn't have to work just to keep my residence... i'm kinda okay to keep on keeping on. Because the quality of life things make life comfortable and convenient enough for me that i can cope.
Anyway, i will leave Taiwan at some point for a holiday in the future. I am currently planning my next big holiday to visit dad in Aotearoa (New Zealand). I figure i haven't seen him in a while, and even though i hate wasting my personal holiday on family obligations, he is getting on a bit, so i'd like to go do some fun stuff with him while his body is still holding up. Something we talked about doing is sea kayaking, which is his happy place in the summer, cruising around the bay near his home. And, you know, i haven't been back to NZ since i was a kid, so it'd be interesting to see it as a grown-up. There is a lot of painful memories. Probably the hardest times of my childhood happened in NZ, including bullying, sexual abuse, divorce, smoking/drinking etc... But i'm sure i'll write more on that later.
The main point i wanted to write is that thinking about visiting NZ today, the first thing on my mind is "how the fuck am i going to get around". New Zealand is one of the countries that has gone backwards on public transport in the last 20-30 years, similar perhaps to Canada and the US, at least in rural areas. There are less buses running than there used to be. Despite its "green" reputation, private internal combustion vehicles are the standard. And i fucking refuse.
I plan to never drive a car again. My Canadian drivers' license has lapsed, and as i mentioned to my dad on WhatsApp earlier today, the last time i drove a car was when i visited Croatia with him over 10 years ago. Since then i can count the number of times i have even sat in a car as a passenger on one hand per year, because i consider taking taxis to be almost as bad as driving cars yourself. I don't just hate the environmental impact of internal combustion vehicles, i also hate how car-centric design ruins cities and splinters communities. Private vehicles are the fucking worst. I don't want any part of it. If there is a bus, i will wait for it, i don't care how many hours it takes. If i have to walk, i will walk till my shoes wear through. Fuck fucking cars.
Well, in theory. In practice i have still taken a few taxis over the past decade. And visiting New Zealand, if i depended on my dad to take me around the place, that would be in a car. Even though my dad happily kayaks the South Pacific, he's still in his 60s and it's not fair to expect him to hike and cycle all the places i would. I mean, and that's even assuming i could cycle anywhere because i don't own a bike of my own any more. Why? Well, i don't like the concept of private property, and another fantastic aspect of Taiwan's quality of life score is that share bikes are ubiquitous along the west coast, because they are considered part of the public transport system. I don't need to own a bike to be an everyday cyclist in Taiwan!
I have, however, been considering buying one, solely for the purpose of holidays. I would like to visit Japan because everybody in Taiwan goes to Japan, and my two top destinations would be Okinawa because it is geographically closest and culturally most similar to Taiwan, and Tokyo, specifically so i could go watch a pro wrestling show and/or enjoy other world class entertainment that Taipei is not big enough to offer (nightclubs etc). In both of those places, it would be convenient to have a bicycle. Okinawa because by all accounts the public transport sucks. Tokyo because sitting in the subway is a far less interesting way to experience a city than pootling around above ground. So buying a bicycle wouldn't be a complete waste of resources. If i could use it in New Zealand, and Japan, and maybe even on the east coast of Taiwan where there is no share bikes... Sure, it'd be a "15 days of annual leave per year" bicycle, which ... IS A FUCKING WASTE OF RESOURCES ... but what other option is there? Taking a taxi? Fuck out of here.
So, i'm thinking about it. But i am also thinking about if i can rent a bicycle for touring. New Zealand, being an "adventure holiday" destination, there are a few places that offer it.
But, yeah, all these thoughts going through my mind about "how the hell am i going to get around" just make me even more grateful for my choice and my chance to build a life here in Taiwan. It doesn't have the best food in the world, or the best rave scene in the world, or the best weather in the world, or the best anything in the world, really... but that overall quality of life score? I really am lucky to live here.
Today was a rare sunny day that featured blue skies throughout, so after several weekends of sulking at home (well, playing computer games at home), i went out on a ride to Bali. It was especially great because the temperature was around 34 degrees, which is around the point where most people decide they'd rather stay home, so the bike paths were empty and the greenways were blissfully clear.
I love the hot weather. Every time i have a peaceful ride in the sun like today's, i remember why i moved to Taiwan. Unlike when i moved to Germany, it wasn't because i wanted to be closer to the music/rave scene. Unlike when i moved to China, it wasn't because i had an interest in the social and political aspects of a rapidly urbanizing country. Moving to Taiwan was a pure quality of life decision.
After biking across Turtle Island and enjoying some lazy days around the Caribbean - Florida, Panama, Colombia - i knew i didn't want to give up the warmth. But i also had to find a warm place which had enough tech industry jobs that there would be a chance of getting immigration sponsorship, which drastically cuts down the options. I also wanted a place that had affordable rental housing. And a place where i could comfortably live without resorting to internal combustion vehicles. That short list got very short indeed.
Taiwan wins because it is a tropical island with all the perks - warm temperatures year-round, plenty of delicious fruit, casual dress/flip-flops all day, you name it. But it's also a big enough island that it has its own supply chain so not everything is imported and expensive. It's got a tech industry. The wealth inequality is not too drastic. There's good public transport everywhere, and the trains are electric. Healthcare is free, just about. Buying a house here is outrageously expensive, but renting is still affordable, even for people on much more humble incomes than mine. Taiwan is a great place to live. That's why i moved here.
So sometimes when i feel bad that i don't have any friends here, or i lament that i don't really feel as connected to the local subcultures (or even mainstream pop culture) as i did in previous places, i remember all those quality of life things are still there, quietly making life here less shit than it might have been in other places. And i wonder if that's the reason why i am coming up on 2 years in my current job, and even though it's stressful and i hate it and i resent it and i wish i didn't have to work just to keep my residence... i'm kinda okay to keep on keeping on. Because the quality of life things make life comfortable and convenient enough for me that i can cope.
Anyway, i will leave Taiwan at some point for a holiday in the future. I am currently planning my next big holiday to visit dad in Aotearoa (New Zealand). I figure i haven't seen him in a while, and even though i hate wasting my personal holiday on family obligations, he is getting on a bit, so i'd like to go do some fun stuff with him while his body is still holding up. Something we talked about doing is sea kayaking, which is his happy place in the summer, cruising around the bay near his home. And, you know, i haven't been back to NZ since i was a kid, so it'd be interesting to see it as a grown-up. There is a lot of painful memories. Probably the hardest times of my childhood happened in NZ, including bullying, sexual abuse, divorce, smoking/drinking etc... But i'm sure i'll write more on that later.
The main point i wanted to write is that thinking about visiting NZ today, the first thing on my mind is "how the fuck am i going to get around". New Zealand is one of the countries that has gone backwards on public transport in the last 20-30 years, similar perhaps to Canada and the US, at least in rural areas. There are less buses running than there used to be. Despite its "green" reputation, private internal combustion vehicles are the standard. And i fucking refuse.
I plan to never drive a car again. My Canadian drivers' license has lapsed, and as i mentioned to my dad on WhatsApp earlier today, the last time i drove a car was when i visited Croatia with him over 10 years ago. Since then i can count the number of times i have even sat in a car as a passenger on one hand per year, because i consider taking taxis to be almost as bad as driving cars yourself. I don't just hate the environmental impact of internal combustion vehicles, i also hate how car-centric design ruins cities and splinters communities. Private vehicles are the fucking worst. I don't want any part of it. If there is a bus, i will wait for it, i don't care how many hours it takes. If i have to walk, i will walk till my shoes wear through. Fuck fucking cars.
Well, in theory. In practice i have still taken a few taxis over the past decade. And visiting New Zealand, if i depended on my dad to take me around the place, that would be in a car. Even though my dad happily kayaks the South Pacific, he's still in his 60s and it's not fair to expect him to hike and cycle all the places i would. I mean, and that's even assuming i could cycle anywhere because i don't own a bike of my own any more. Why? Well, i don't like the concept of private property, and another fantastic aspect of Taiwan's quality of life score is that share bikes are ubiquitous along the west coast, because they are considered part of the public transport system. I don't need to own a bike to be an everyday cyclist in Taiwan!
I have, however, been considering buying one, solely for the purpose of holidays. I would like to visit Japan because everybody in Taiwan goes to Japan, and my two top destinations would be Okinawa because it is geographically closest and culturally most similar to Taiwan, and Tokyo, specifically so i could go watch a pro wrestling show and/or enjoy other world class entertainment that Taipei is not big enough to offer (nightclubs etc). In both of those places, it would be convenient to have a bicycle. Okinawa because by all accounts the public transport sucks. Tokyo because sitting in the subway is a far less interesting way to experience a city than pootling around above ground. So buying a bicycle wouldn't be a complete waste of resources. If i could use it in New Zealand, and Japan, and maybe even on the east coast of Taiwan where there is no share bikes... Sure, it'd be a "15 days of annual leave per year" bicycle, which ... IS A FUCKING WASTE OF RESOURCES ... but what other option is there? Taking a taxi? Fuck out of here.
So, i'm thinking about it. But i am also thinking about if i can rent a bicycle for touring. New Zealand, being an "adventure holiday" destination, there are a few places that offer it.
But, yeah, all these thoughts going through my mind about "how the hell am i going to get around" just make me even more grateful for my choice and my chance to build a life here in Taiwan. It doesn't have the best food in the world, or the best rave scene in the world, or the best weather in the world, or the best anything in the world, really... but that overall quality of life score? I really am lucky to live here.