|
By Paul Andrew
Photography by Steven Vigar
Anyone who’s been in Taiwan for more than a few months knows that walking anywhere in Taiwan is a daunting task. To say it’s not a “walk in the park” is an understatement. The sidewalks are filled with scooters and debris, and cars parked across the sidewalk force you to walk on the road. And let’s not forget the noodle stands and stinky tofu carts that set up shop every night.
For these reasons most xpats choose scooters as transportation, even if our destination is only a couple of blocks away. Who wants to walk on the road when drivers don’t seem to notice you? But sometimes it’s enlightening to walk. There are dozens of little stores and specialty shops you miss when you’re navigating the chaotic traffic. In my little urban hometown just outside of Vancouver, I knew every single store and service that was available. In my adopted hometown of Tainan, my knowledge barely scratches the surface. I probably know a tenth of what this place has to offer.
For example, I happened across a leather specialist one evening while walking in the maze of alleys that comprise my neighborhood. I never would’ve seen it had I been on my scooter, and my classic leather jacket from the Hard Rock Café in New York, which was growing mold from the humidity, would be moth-meal right now. That’s why I enjoy walking around my neighborhood. I always see some vital service or something new or interesting that eventually gets my patronage. But even when you’re walking, it’s easy to miss some things.
I usually walk the same route up an alley, and down a side street to my teashop and rarely notice very much; but one day, hidden in the jumble of little stores, I spotted a place that sold nothing but nuts and bolts, screws and similar fasteners. I had been looking for something like this to fix my second-hand office chair. Now the chair’s as solid as a stump. Likewise, on my way to buy flowers one day, I found an exotic little seafood restaurant recessed into the side of a grey, non-descript building. The restaurant had maybe two tables and was very small but charming and intimate. The restaurant décor was comprised of thin tree branches woven above and around rustic wooden tables, offering romantic privacy. Even when walking you can easily miss these hidden gems. I surely would have overlooked it had I been on my scooter, trying to avoid the other riders popping out from blind corners carrying kids and dogs.
It’s easier to explore alleys on foot than it is to hike the mean streets of Taiwan. Let’s face it: white Western people look odd among the Taiwanese, all of whom look as though they are doing something and are meant to be there, even when they’re idle. Foreigners, on the other hand, almost always look out of place unless they’re in the vicinity of an English school or Western pub. It takes a brave soul to nose around the side streets of the city. But it’s highly recommended, even if you’re a Taiwan veteran.
I once had to walk back and forth to the mechanic’s a few times while my motorcycle was being fixed. What an eye-opener that was. I was embarrassed when I realized how little I knew about my neighborhood. I never noticed this funky shop selling stuff from the 1970s; in the window was one of those bubble lamps I wanted when I was young. And remember those chairs that were shaped like hands? Yeah, there was a hand-chair in there. Although these things are of no use to me now, it’s cool to know the shop is there if I or my friends decide to go retro.
If you’re like me (and heaven help you if you are), you stay relatively close to home most of the time. I know of a person in Taiwan who worked and lived and ate on the same street for months before breaking out of his protective bubble. Although most of us aren’t that hermetic, we tend to be satisfied with the familiar—like our favorite teashop. However, it pays to stray from these places. I was invited to meet a friend at an alien teashop not long ago and found a vibrant little neighborhood not six blocks from where I have lived for two years. It has almost a pedestrian-mall feel to it. For a moment I felt like I was back home where drivers respect pedestrians. It was enough to brighten my visions of Taiwan’s smaller cities, most of which seem grey and dingy when you’re driving. Seeing things up close on foot can be a revelation. Besides, you don’t drive in Taiwan’s cities: you move from one red light to the next.
Finding the services you need for your life in Taiwan can seem impossible when you need them, yet seem to appear in rapid fire order when walking the streets. These stores can be smaller than two meters across and sided with private homes, garages and scooter shops. Actually, most of them do look like scooter shops when you’re driving. Less than half the stores have English signs so how are we to know what they are? We can’t find out without taking a close look. Now, I surprise my Taiwanese friends by taking them places even they don’t know about because I like to explore.
There’s a newly renovated historic park near the triangular block of alleys I live in. This park has obviously been given the royal retrofit. It’s a small park on a busy side street, but it’s absolutely gleaming in its historic glory and well-manicured hedges. I recently took a Taiwanese friend to this park, a stone’s throw from my home, and she marveled at its simple elegant beauty. She was impressed and I felt flushed with pride. I lived here for months before I spotted this park. How could I have achieved this had I not been the brave pedestrian explorer?
|
