{"id":520,"date":"2009-01-24T15:26:32","date_gmt":"2009-01-24T22:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/?p=520"},"modified":"2013-03-12T12:59:11","modified_gmt":"2013-03-12T18:59:11","slug":"walking-gregs-bike-back-home-helpless-female-lost-in-taipei","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/walking-gregs-bike-back-home-helpless-female-lost-in-taipei\/","title":{"rendered":"Walking Greg’s Bike Back Home – Helpless Female Lost in Taipei"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"bike<\/p>\n

Greg\u2019s bike has been at a police station since Wednesday morning.<\/strong>\u00a0 They were nice enough to take it into protective custody<\/em> after he crashed.\u00a0 Today there was opportunity to schedule picking it up.\u00a0 An officer had kindly written the station address on a piece of paper, in Chinese, for a potential taxi driver.\u00a0 With that information, which I couldn\u2019t read, I got into a taxi at the corner near our apartment.<\/p>\n

The first part of the route was the same as the way to the hospital, so I was hopeful.<\/strong>\u00a0 Then he drove farther, turned a few more corners, and I was pretty much lost.<\/em>\u00a0 In about 20 minutes, he did get me to the correct police station, however, for which I am thankful.<\/p>\n

I had taken Greg\u2019s alien resident identification card with me.<\/strong>\u00a0 I showed the formal, but polite, officers that and tried a simple Chinese sentence stating I was here to pick up his bicycle.\u00a0 I got the impression that they got the completely wrong idea.\u00a0 In my mind, its a toss up as to whether they thought I wanted to visit him in a cell or wanted him arrested.<\/em>\u00a0 It just goes to show that a slightly formed preconception on the receiver\u2019s part combined with a bad accent<\/em> can be very misleading.<\/p>\n

Since this was Chinese New Year\u2019s Eve, I had limited options as to who to call for help.<\/strong>\u00a0 Providentially, the landlord had visited Greg earlier in the morning and I had met his daughter, who is fluent in English.\u00a0 Her number had been given to me the night before when she had spoken to me over the phone, after her brother called for her language skills in communicating to me.\u00a0 With a friendly face to go with the voice and its offer of future help, I felt comfortable calling and asking for translation help.\u00a0 When she spoke to the policeman I could see the understanding fill his countenance.<\/em><\/p>\n

He very quickly lead me to the bicycle (and helmet), made sure it rolled, and looked at my map with me.\u00a0<\/strong> He spoke one word in English after much thought (and I know that feeling)<\/em>, saying “left” while pointing right.\u00a0 I decided to follow the gesture.\u00a0 I tried to get on the bike, but found there were several minor problems preventing it from functioning, including the chain being displaced.\u00a0 It wouldn\u2019t fit in a taxi.\u00a0 The sky was very overcast (like it always is in these sorts of stories),<\/em> with no sun to see.\u00a0 So off I started, not<\/em> knowing what street I was on or which direction the river was in.<\/p>\n

I tried to look confident, just so I would feel better, if nothing else.<\/strong>\u00a0 That\u2019s hard to do while straining to locate street signs and reading a map.\u00a0 The officer\u2019s directions seemed to pay off, though.\u00a0 I found the flood wall to a river.\u00a0 A river meant a bike path.\u00a0 All I had to do was find a way across the 8 lane city street.<\/p>\n

The first part of this crossing involved a small city park \u2018island\u2019 adjacent to the larger part of the street.<\/strong>\u00a0 There are small and large parks all over the city, so this was nothing unusual.\u00a0 What was unusual was the homeless men sleeping on the benches.\u00a0 One of their dogs began running toward me, growling and barking.<\/em>\u00a0 The bike was between me and it.\u00a0 It seemed best to stop for a moment and try to appear non-threatening.\u00a0 Okay, I was<\/em> non-threatening and I think the dog knew it.\u00a0 I was having a major adrenaline rush and seeing no options for escape.\u00a0 That particular man rather apathetically called the dog back, which caused it to pause but continue to make its point.\u00a0 Then it began to come towards me again.\u00a0 The man stood looking kind of at it and me, but kind of distantly like the whole situation was inconvenient.\u00a0 I could only think in English at the moment and said, \u201cPlease help.\u201d several times somewhat weakly.\u00a0 Did I want to be asking a homeless man for help?<\/em><\/p>\n

Strangely, the dog decided rush past me<\/strong> and chase after something else.\u00a0 I breathed a sigh of relief and thought of walking the rest of the short distance out of the park.\u00a0 That\u2019s when I saw the pack of strays being aroused at my presence.<\/strong>\u00a0 There were 8-10 of them, medium to large sizes, all looking strong and aggressive.\u00a0<\/em> About half of them were already on their feet and beginning to come my direction, slowly.\u00a0 There\u2019s something menacing about a pack of dogs exhibiting that kind of confidence.\u00a0 I tried to keep and eye on them without giving them the challenge of a full stare.\u00a0 They were blocking my access to the smaller street I had just crossed.\u00a0 The large busy street was just a few feet away and I began moving toward it.\u00a0 Then my phone rang.<\/em><\/p>\n

It was the landlord\u2019s daughter checking to see how I was doing with my errand.\u00a0<\/strong> Being required to speak while under the tension of the dog situation lead to a flood of tears.\u00a0 I apologized for answering while crying, trying to explain my current dilemma.\u00a0 She tried to help me figure out where I was, but it was unfamiliar territory to her.\u00a0<\/em> She said she would think about it and call me back.<\/p>\n

I felt silly crying in the middle of Taipei.<\/strong>\u00a0 There weren\u2019t the usual crowds of people around to watch.\u00a0 However, no one was walking by to offer help like usual, either.\u00a0 I thought it was because of the part of town, but it may have been because they were all getting ready for their celebration tonight.\u00a0 Most of the tension now having been released, I decided I preferred walking on the highway to walking any closer to the dogs. I was able to find a break in the traffic that let me safely make my way up past the park and back to the side street.\u00a0 The dogs began barking loudly and I looked back to see them rushing a college age man who was getting on the bus at the stop next to their \u2018pad.\u2019<\/em>\u00a0 I then remembered having seen him standing on the other side of the street.\u00a0 He, too, had not wanted to be near the dogs.<\/p>\n

After a few hundred feet, I came upon a vast cross walk.\u00a0<\/strong> I made it to the other side, but could not locate access to the river.\u00a0 The side streets were either looking like dead-ends or questionable habitat.\u00a0 Again, there were very few people out and about, and the ones who were were unsmiling men.<\/em>\u00a0 The main street was now only an overpass for cars.\u00a0 I chose a side street and direction based on the road signs, such that I knew I was at least heading north.\u00a0 It seemed to be leading toward the river, but it also seemed to be going to a shop or industrial area, somewhat vacant looking.\u00a0 I questioned both my wisdom and my sense of direction,<\/em> but couldn\u2019t come up with better options so decided to go on for a bit more.\u00a0 A couple of distantly spaced bicycle riders passed me.\u00a0 Then a couple more who really looked like recreational riders.\u00a0 Then I saw the ramp to the river bike path.\u00a0 Hooray!<\/p>\n

Once I was up on the path I could see two major landmarks that Greg had pointed out to me on our various excursions.<\/strong>\u00a0 I knew exactly which direction to head in and called Greg.\u00a0 ( the landlord\u2019s daughter did call back around then, so knew I was okay.)\u00a0\u00a0From his recliner, nursing his three broken ribs, he was able to tell me which bridge to use so that I would have the shortest trip home.\u00a0<\/em> It meant going on very high ramps and sidewalks on the sides of bridges, definitely not my favorite things to do, but I would end up on a section of bike path that I had ridden on several times.\u00a0 It would be worth it.<\/p>\n

The picture below shows a glimpse of the side I was coming from, after I felt safe enough to stop and take a picture:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"bike<\/p>\n

In the photo below you can barely see the round building in the center right that is our major landmark for locating the smaller walking path that leads to the apartment.<\/strong>\u00a0 Line your eyes up the the dark fence post most center and you should be looking right where I was looking.\u00a0 The walk is about 20 minutes from there.<\/p>\n

\"bike<\/p>\n

The next photo shows the tower that was the first landmark that I saw.\u00a0 And it shows the bridge I was crossing.<\/p>\n

\"bike<\/p>\n

I thought this next view interesting in the visual effect of the unfinished sections of bridge hanging out in the air.<\/p>\n

\"bike<\/p>\n

The bike path is much longer when one is walking.\u00a0<\/strong> It is a little more tiresome to be pushing a bike<\/em> the whole time, too.\u00a0 Here is a desolate stretch along the river.\u00a0 Most of the time I was the only one there.\u00a0 Greg should have been riding today.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"bike<\/p>\n

I am happy to report that the rest of the walk was uneventful,<\/strong> saving that I was less than patient with drivers, once I got into the lanes, honking at me to walk faster out of their way.\u00a0 Sure, they were on their way to family gatherings, but I had just walked a bike for an hour and a half, some of the time not knowing where I was or if I was going to be some dog\u2019s dinner.\u00a0<\/em> When I got home, I enjoyed the left-over pizza and hot chocolate that I had been deciding on for the last hour.\u00a0 How was your day?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Greg\u2019s bike has been at a police station since Wednesday morning.\u00a0 They were nice enough to take it into protective custody after he crashed.\u00a0 Today there was opportunity to schedule picking it up.\u00a0 An officer had kindly written the station address on a piece of paper, in Chinese, for a potential taxi driver.\u00a0 With that […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9,26,31],"tags":[35,69],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=520"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=520"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=520"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=520"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}