Ah, you smirk. Sidewalks! This woman has been in Taiwan too long if she gets excited by the sight of a wide, beautiful, smooth and CLEAN sidewalk!
That's only because you haven't seen the typical Taiwan sidewalk. And why haven't you seen any photos here of the typical Taiwan sidewalk? The answer is simple.... because they are few and far between, generally hidden by a dozen scooters and several cars or trucks, a food stand and pots of tropical plants as well as miscellaneous dogs and bags of supplies or litter. Pedestrians have to take their chances walking in the streets--- which also have cars stopped or parked randomly. Taipei was an immediate delight simply because of the sidewalks. Now I should explain a little bit, as Taipei was a place I wasn't even sure I wanted t
o visit at all. It took me nearly six months to decide to make the three hour train trip to Taipei. My main interest in sight seeing Taiwan has been to see the more traditional and historic architecture and lifestyle. I wanted to see Taiwan through glimpses of what might have existed in the lives of the elders, traditions -- beliefs which stood the fickleness of time and generations of youth. But alas, how beautiful these sidewalks of Taipei! What a relief not to have to dodge scooters, step over sleeping dogs, walk dangerously in oncoming traffic to avoid cars parked in the streets, gingerly step over temporary covers to street construction! Hell with romance! These sidewalks make me smile! Seriously though, vis
iting Taipei, even for a very short time, opened my eyes a bit and brought in a sliver of understanding about Taiwan and it's people.... about myself as well and I have a touch of shame. All along I have wanted to experience the character of the historic Taiwan, being disappointed when what I saw was too Western, too modern and efficient. What was I thinking? That America should evolve while the rest of the world stood still? Oh, that American arrogance! It is as much a part of me as it is the other new foreigners here. I recognize this and am not proud of myself. I need to rejoice that the Taiwanese have made great strides in improving the quality of life here. They are a huge force in Asian economy. Much of the advancements are extremely efficient. The technology produced here is used throughout much of the world. They cheri
sh the past, yet guard the future. There are so many examples I could give. So I continue my adventure, unwittingly picking up scraps of knowledge as I go. Knowing all too well that the "open mind" I thought I had is in fact a brittle shell of antiquated ideas pieced together through limited experience and stubborn notions. If I wanted to see and photograph Taiwan of 1970, then that's when I should have journeyed here.
That's only because you haven't seen the typical Taiwan sidewalk. And why haven't you seen any photos here of the typical Taiwan sidewalk? The answer is simple.... because they are few and far between, generally hidden by a dozen scooters and several cars or trucks, a food stand and pots of tropical plants as well as miscellaneous dogs and bags of supplies or litter. Pedestrians have to take their chances walking in the streets--- which also have cars stopped or parked randomly. Taipei was an immediate delight simply because of the sidewalks. Now I should explain a little bit, as Taipei was a place I wasn't even sure I wanted t
o visit at all. It took me nearly six months to decide to make the three hour train trip to Taipei. My main interest in sight seeing Taiwan has been to see the more traditional and historic architecture and lifestyle. I wanted to see Taiwan through glimpses of what might have existed in the lives of the elders, traditions -- beliefs which stood the fickleness of time and generations of youth. But alas, how beautiful these sidewalks of Taipei! What a relief not to have to dodge scooters, step over sleeping dogs, walk dangerously in oncoming traffic to avoid cars parked in the streets, gingerly step over temporary covers to street construction! Hell with romance! These sidewalks make me smile! Seriously though, vis
iting Taipei, even for a very short time, opened my eyes a bit and brought in a sliver of understanding about Taiwan and it's people.... about myself as well and I have a touch of shame. All along I have wanted to experience the character of the historic Taiwan, being disappointed when what I saw was too Western, too modern and efficient. What was I thinking? That America should evolve while the rest of the world stood still? Oh, that American arrogance! It is as much a part of me as it is the other new foreigners here. I recognize this and am not proud of myself. I need to rejoice that the Taiwanese have made great strides in improving the quality of life here. They are a huge force in Asian economy. Much of the advancements are extremely efficient. The technology produced here is used throughout much of the world. They cheri
sh the past, yet guard the future. There are so many examples I could give. So I continue my adventure, unwittingly picking up scraps of knowledge as I go. Knowing all too well that the "open mind" I thought I had is in fact a brittle shell of antiquated ideas pieced together through limited experience and stubborn notions. If I wanted to see and photograph Taiwan of 1970, then that's when I should have journeyed here.
1 comment:
The sidewalk image is wonderful Cheryl.
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