Ever since coming to Taipei, I’ve come to appreciate biking a lot more. There’s a really convenient cycling infrastructure here, and it makes getting around the city so much more convenient and fun–I don’t know what I’d do if I had to always walk half an hour to the nearest hub. Biking is faster, and fun, and I’ve found myself often just biking around with no real destination in mind.
It’s led me to find a lot of fun little places in the city. I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to go to Zhongzheng Park–but I happened across a bridge with a great vantage point, and it led to me to a wide riverside road, where I got to take in a stunning waterside view of the city.
I also love taking the bike down random residential alleyways, especially in the evening, when it’s not too hot. Taipei is well-lit well into the night, even the small streets, and feels extraordinarily safe no matter where I go. I’ll stop if I see something interesting, like a unremarkable-looking food stand with an unexpectedly long line waiting for it, or a unexpected pretty bit of scenery.
Once I head off to Mystic this fall semester, I’m definitely going to be looking for ways to keep up my cycling. Somehow, though, I doubt it’ll be able to compare to biking in Taipei.