Get on Your Bikes and Ride!

Me, Danshui River, Taipei 101 in the background

James and I rented bikes and went for a ride along the Danshui River today. It was the first sunny Saturday we've had in awhile, so we wanted to take advantage of it. And after I got over my initial terror that people here would bike the same way they drive (mmm, which they kind of did), I had a lovely time.

From Bike Ride

We saw people flying kites.

From Bike Ride

Then we saw a croquet tournament. And a lizard.

From Bike Ride

And we saw some guys gearing up for a softball game. I was able to muster enough Chinese to say, "Please tell me when you will start playing," but I had to have James translate the response ("soon"). Right now I can only understand precise times, not colloquial approximations.

From Bike Ride

On the return leg of our ride we stopped and watched half an inning.

From Bike Ride

What I really want to see though is some Taiwanese Little League. Taiwan has won 17 Little League World Series, second only to the U.S. (which has won 31). The U.S. has 300 million people, Taiwan has 23 million. Even if you don't care about baseball, this should impress you. Although, I still don't know how kids here find time to play sports after all the school work. But I intend to find out where they play.

We turned our bikes in just before 5 p.m., they only cost $100NT ($3 U.S.) for two hours. So we had a nice, cheap Saturday enjoying Taipei's green space!