One of my favorite things to do when I get to a new city
Is to take a walk around at night. There's a while new life that fills the streets once the sun sets. It's like a light has been switched on, and I don't mean the neon you see in these shots. In the darkness people become different, more energetic, as the daily grind lifts off to reveal a revelrous underbelly.
My wanderings had finally taken me out of Japan. I was on the second leg of a trip filled with unknowns. A month and change of hitchhiking around Japan, then goodbyes in my 'hometown' of Kyoto was over. Done. Finished. I was out of there. For good. Though connections remained, I was U.S. bound, albeit via a very roundabout fashion.
Settling in to my hostel in Taipei didn't take long.
I was eager to get out and see what was what. The tiredness I felt from the flight, customs, the usual crap of international travel, wasn't going to keep me down. I had streets to explore, things to see, experiences to have.
The public transportation in Taipei, I gotta say, is awesome.
Like Japan, they know how to connect places, keep things on time, and keep it cheap. Maps are easy to read, tickets easy to buy, and it's super clean. From Google I had learned of an area market not too far away and so off I headed.
The energy was contagious. People milling about, shoulder to shoulder, the endless rumble of indistinguishable conversation filing my ears. The words were unknown to me. Like Japanese before I learned to speak it, everything sounded musical. Street upon street filled with people buying, selling, eating, drinking. Life, compressed together on these thin strips of light that lined the city.
But, the press of people can get to be a bit much.
The sounds of talking, the endless pushing, harsh lights...you just need a minute away sometimes.
My eyes found a dark opening, a side street perpendicular to never-ending stream of motion, and I cut over. I know a lot of people would be scared to walk down an alley in a foreign country. I mean, what dangers might lurk down this unknown path? But, that's also where some of the coolest things can be found. After all, there are many people of a similar mind that desire a bit of quiet from the raucous crowds. Also, having been through the 'dangers' of Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos, I had a feeling I could take care of myself if needed.
The narrow street wound its way back and forth
Occasionally linking with others. Dimly lit doors, questionable characters, suspicious glances, came at regular intervals. The backside of the city, you could still hear in the distance the soft hum of everyone else. But, in this place, there was an odd peace. And a sharp turn revealed to me a scene reminiscent of one of my favorite movies, The Golden Child, with Eddie Murphy.
The whole scene felt, well, alien. Priests in bright robes, an alter, a free bird cawing, a monkey in a cage, men off to one side playing dominoes, chanting, the strumming of an unknown instrument. A world outside the world, hidden off to the side. The kind of place I love. Undiscovered by most, uncared about by most, an unforgettable instant on the timeline of my life.
You can only take so many breaths in a place like that
Before you need to move on lest you break the spell. I moved away when I felt the magic fading and headed back to the throngs. Pressed in again with the masses, motor bikes spewing fumes as they angled by, I headed back to the station. Back to the place where I had started. I could have continued further, farther, into more, but sometimes you need to take that special moment and savor it, not let it be diluted by other things.
After all, tomorrow was another day with new adventures to be had.
Thank you for dropping by and reading about one of my memories. I hope you enjoyed reading about it as much as I enjoyed writing about it. I'd love to hear about your stories in Taiwan, or what you think about mine :)
Michael
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