Standing in front of a 7-11 shop, with a dead phone in my hand, I stopped every person who walked by and asked in broken Chinese and English, “Nihao, do you know how long it takes for me to get to the Taipei Main Station if I walk?”
Actually, ‘Nihao’ was the only Chinese word I knew.
Most of the pedestrians answered in long Chinese sentences. I wished they could see plenty of question marks floating above my heads.
Half an hour passed, I saw a young woman coming out of the convenience shop. I smiled and asked the same question.
“Where?,” She said
Finally I found someone who could speak English.
“Taipei Main Station,” I answered.
“No. To where?,” She questioned.
I was confused by her question because I thought I did answer her. I guessed she wanted to know where I was heading to from the Main Station. So, I told her my destination was Yang Ming Shan National Park.
“Ah! No walk. Bicycle. There,” She suggested and pointed at the yellow rental bikes parking behind me. They're called YouBike.
I charged my phone at a Starbucks coffee shop next to the 7-11. Then I took a bike and let the GPS be my guide.
The Yang Ming Shan National Park closed at 5:00 P.M. It was around 11:00 A.M. when I started cycling. I hoped to be there around 12:00 P.M. since the GPS said I would get there in just an hour.
The winter’s chilly wind rippled through my clothes as I was riding along the footpaths in Taipei city. I could hear grandma yelling at her grandchildren. A hot-headed guy on a motorcycle honked several times wanting others to give way to him. Hot steam from Dim Sum steamer penetrated through my nostrils. My stomach growled. I wanted to stop for a bite but I kept on moving since I didn't want to get to the place late.
After an hour of cycling, alley by alley, I reached a huge Ximending intersection. Sweat poured down and evaporated in seconds. My heart was about to jump out of my chest. As I stopped my bike on a curb of the road with traffic flowing in six lanes like the Zhuoshui (the longest river in Taiwan) in flood. The other side seemed unreachable. Every lane was filled with buses, cars and motorcycles. All of a sudden, I spotted a man on his bike on the crowded road. During the traffic light, I waited no longer and positioned myself and my bike on the road pretending I was riding a motorbike. I told myself firmly, “Chacha, you’re not gonna die here. You’ll make it.” Once the red traffic light turned green I swiftly pedalled my bike.
An hour went by. The GPS kept directing me to turn left, then right and go straight. I was supposed to be hiking up to the top of the Yang Ming Shan Mountain. But I still saw no way out of this concrete jungle. The rain was falling as though to worsen my journey. My nose started to be runny but I couldn't do anything about it. I had to be there on time.
Looking around I noticed a group of high school girls chatting in front of the big carbon black gate of their school. These students could be my last hope since my e-map had betrayed me. I assumed that they may know some English for they must have been studying English in school for some time. I scooted over to them with a weary smile and asked,
“Excuse me, I want to go to Yang Ming Shan. How long will it take me there?”
The girls looked at each other with a confusing look. One girl quickly asked me back,
“Are you riding this bicycle there?”
“Yes,” I replied.
The other girls said something in Chinese to the girl who asked me, then the girl suggested,
“If you ride, I don’t think you will arrive Yang Ming Shan before it is closed and the way up there is so steep. You should take a bus from Taipei Main Station. It takes only forty-five minutes by bus no.260.”
“Thank you so much,” I said, getting back on my bike.
I rode my bike along the road, following the ‘Taipei Main Station’ signs locating on every sidewalk. Once I arrived the Main Station, I looked for the bus stop and waited for the bus number 260 to come.
After a long morning wasting my time relying on the GPS, I finally realized that it’s better to use the technology as well as asking the locals when traveling.
And yes, we eventually got to our destination 2 hours before the place's closing time.
The place was very beautiful. I'm sorry I didn't get to post more photos from my camera since I lost its memory card. These pics were taken by my phone and these are all I got for the Yang Ming Shan national park photos. I wish I could share those peaceful view with you all.
I guess some of you guys might also have experienced this kind of struggles during your trips. If you have, lets share them!