What was, and what was before: Part 1

It's been awhile... That is the short version of many stories to come. The last time I updated I was in the Midwest, and had been previously gallivanting round the Ilha Formosa. Now I'm back in my native land, the often gloomy Pacific Northwest. All I can say is that this blog will be taking an expanded role. It is no longer limited, but instead is the platform for Purk's ongoing perceptions.

In the intervening years between my journeys to Asia and meandering to the Midwest, I had many events and ups and downs. For the majority of the existence of this blog I was in a relationship with my soon to be ex-wife. I would consider these early years of our relationship some of the highs, but also previews of what would become the lows.

This is the first part of the story of my recent relationship. This is not meant to be a critique or an overtly positive recounting. This is just how my mind remembers things. Mostly, this is my experience and view, things that are beautiful and things that are not. I'm not going to write about the nitty or the gritty, but more about the mood and the feeling. I also think that some of these things that have happened to me are just life and know that others have similar experiences. I just hope by putting them to paper it creates an opportunity to relate.

And so it begins:

We originally set out to bridge the distance, I lived in Portland, she in Chicago. Ironically, bridging the distance involved both of us moving across the Pacific to a small-ish, diplomatically isolated, "renegade" province of China. Known as the Republic of China - officially, and Taiwan - unofficially; the country is a mountainous isle in a semi-tropical location in Asia. The majority of the population can generally be called Chinese. Yet, this does a disservice to the actual realities of the island. The island and is people and history are complex and important but are not essential to this entry.

My ex and I had met previously, back in college. She arrived for a conference and was the friend of my best friend's now wife. We got along, were attracted, and shared a moment. Fast forward a couple years later, and our friends are now getting married. I'd done the Facebook friend thing, keeping in contact occasionally but dismissing the possibility of anything serious due to the distance. She was someone alluring but not available.

Enter the wedding. I've known my best friend nearly my whole life. We went to grade, middle, and high school, and even a bit of college together. We've been co-workers and also best men. My friend's wedding was to be in the Chicago area, which meant I would see the one that had previously been an impossibility. I traveled with my friends, and for the most part we treated the time like a field trip, exploring the city of Chicago, going to the sites and various bars, walking next to the frozen Lake Michigan.

When I saw her again, I was confused. I was in her territory, a large city about which I knew nothing about in the dead of winter. We broke away from our friends and had time to reconnect. It was during this time that I decided to give the improbable a chance; I dove in and tried to seize love. The trip became a blur, the time flew. The experience of fresh love enlivened everything. We became paired up during the short stay. We went to parties in mixed crowds of my friends and hers. It all seemed so memorable and unique.

After having these fun times, something started to take over. It was a feeling of curiosity. I had always written off any possibility of a relationship due to numerous factors, distance and relative unfamiliarity being the predominant ones. Yet, I was feeling risky. All my brain said was "Take a Chance." I tried to ignore this as much as possible, but it remained.

The wedding came, it was amazing, the night was spent dancing and in sweet joy. We got together once again. At first, awkwardly putting on a front of disinterest. On my part, knowing that the clock was ticking and my time was running out before I would return home on the West coast. She knowing the same. But the energy was too much. We spent the rest of the night together and inseparable.

Later, in the wee hours of the morning, surrounded by the entire wedding and in the dark, we made a promise to one another. We would teach English in Taiwan together, that way we wouldn't have to move to the other's city. In this way we didn't have to compromise, we both got to do something we wanted, and do it together. It seemed to be the perfect solution to the unfamiliarity and the distance problem. I felt like there was something between us and wanted to see it through, even if that meant trying in a distant land.

Later days:

Hell, I even did the counseling thing, but oddly enough it was directed the wrong way. The counselor was asking why I didn't want to proceed with a wedding after my fiancee peaced out and came back a week later begging for me back. I was the issue to be dissected, but what really strikes me is that he never asked a single question why she had broken things off. It was like a tag team and me under a lamp being asked why I didn't want to get married after a very public and embarrassing break up that was 6 months before the wedding. Even worse, the things that had broken us apart: future of kids, location to live, and how you want to live your lives, were all easily swept aside with a simple, "I thought long and hard for one week and now I want to have all of those things with you because you are the best." Needless to say, the counseling was more directed at my doubts that we should be married.

So we got back together, lived in like 7 months of bliss, and then everything went right back to the original things that had pulled us apart. This all made me feel like she had been more interested in the production and saving of face rather than me. She has her thoughts, and they will never be clear to me, but that is that. We are divorced and my life is on a new track.

Transit Options in Taiwan

Taiwan is a relatively small island, but is also very mountainous and crowded.  Transport from city to city can be hectic, and as such there are many ways to get from point a to point b.


Rail(TRA)
Taiwan has a logical and efficient rail network.  It circles the island and hits all the major cities, and also some smaller isolated towns.  The Taiwan Railway Administration runs the trains.  There are 3 main categories of trains: limited express, express, and local.  The fastest and most expensive is the limited express which bypasses many smaller stations and offers assigned seating.  The express is virtually identical but stops at more stations.  There is also the local train, which stops at every station has no assigned seating.  There are a couple main lines in Taiwan:  The Western line, the Eastern line, and the South Link line.  There are also a couple of tourist lines: the Pingxi branch line, Jiji line, Alishan line, and Neiwan line.  The tourist lines are narrow gauge and are crowded on weekends to their scenic destinations.  The main draw of the TRA trains is that they are cheap and convenient.  Most stations are located in the center of any given city, with ample connections to buses, taxis, and subways. 


High Speed Rail
The crown jewel.  The HSR runs on the west coast of Taiwan and its 8 stations are located near the major population centers of Taiwan.  The total track length is 345km, which the trains blaze through in a mere hour and thirty minutes.  The trains consist of 12 carriages with room for 989 passengers, all traveling at a speed of 300km an hour.  The HSR is only a couple years old and its stations are very modern and filled with restaurants and gift shops.  The only gripe that I can really muster is that the stations are often very far from the actual city that the station is supposed to represent.  This simply means that you have to take a shuttle or hop in a cab and pay a bit extra to get to your final destination. 


MRT
The equivalent of a subway system, this is the most convenient form of city transit in Taiwan.  The systems are well designed with signage in English and Chinese.  The rides are cheap and fast, and let you off close to your desired destination.  The only hang up is that only Taipei and Kaohsiung have them.


Taxis
These are a complete wild card.  Some days they can be fast, cheap, and pleasant but other days they can be a horrifying experience.  Most cab drivers care only about transporting you as fast as possible.  Rides start at $100 NT  (about $3 USD) and grow more expensive as the distance grows, with every half kilometer adding $5 NT and every 5 minutes adding $5 NT  If your destination is far you can always try to negotiate a fair with the driver. 


Buses
Buses are very popular and are a cheap way to get places.  The only problem is that most drivers are not exactly compassionate for those who may be prone car sickness.  Bus stations are generally found next door to TRA stations.  For those of us who can't speak or read Chinese the schedules for the buses can really be troublesome.


Cars
Driving your own car can be a good way to get around, but also a real hassle.  Parking is always extremely limited, and you will have to resort to turning on your blinkers and parking in the road.  Parking simply put is insane here.  Most weekends you can expect a steady flow of families in their sedans heading to the surrounding day trip areas of any city.  The freeways can also pile up due to the sheer number of folks.  Streets are also narrow and can make maneuvering a little tricky.


Scooters/Motorcycles
Simply put scooters are indispensable, annoying, and dangerous.  They come in many sizes, shapes, and colors.  This is by far the most popular way of traveling short distances.  They get great fuel economy, are cheap to upkeep, and can cut through thick traffic like a hot knife through butter.  So what makes them annoying?  The fact that there are so many of them, means that they are littered on sidewalks all over Taiwan.  Another problem is that many folks drive them like idiots: driving way too fast, way too slow, or the wrong way.  Scooters are dangerous because they don't offer any protection from the large buses and trucks mashing on the roadways of Taiwan.


Airplanes
There are many domestic flights that service the island.  There is also the Taoyuan International Airport which connects to the rest of the world.  Just recently restrictions have been lifted on direct flights to cities in China, and there is non-stop service to London, Toronto, and many American cities.  Most domestic flights are aimed at the outlying islands: Penghu, Lyudao, Lanyu, Matsu, and Kinmen.


Bikes
Commuting on a bike can work in the city, but its not the most comfortable form of transit.  There are not many dedicated bike lanes, so you will be sharing your space with scooters and pedestrians.  This simple fact can make cycling a bit tiresome.


Walking
Like a cyclist, pedestrians can have a heck of a time getting around.  First and foremost, there are not many sidewalks.  If there are sidewalks, they will be covered with scooters or serve as an extension of a store.  Most of the time as a pedestrian you will have to walk in the road and swerve in and out of a maze of sidewalks, covered walkways, and alleys. 


Ferries
Since Taiwan is surrounded by water there are some ferries that operate to the outlying islands.  They take a long time and the seas can often turn rough, so flying is usually the preferred method of travel.

Taipei Project Blunders

Bike Lanes
While reading the paper I noticed a letter to the editor talking about a recent bike lane that was constructed in Taipei.  It had been overrun by scooters and parked cars within the first day of opening to the public.  The path was hastily constructed without input from the local community, and apparently without any regard for usability.  The construction of the bike lane narrowed the car and scooter lanes to such a degree that scooters were forced into the bike lane, and because there is never any space for parking, cars had to stop in the bike lane and put on their blinkers to access a local shop.  In addition to the narrowing of the lanes they were also inconsistently painted so that the lane would shift from being 1m in places than shrinking to half a meter or disappearing completely.  This whole setup forced bicyclists to use the sidewalk, and thus defeated the whole point of construction.  In fact the poorly planned project made things worse!  The government of Taipei City effectively paid a couple million dollars for nothing.


Politics
Sadly this project and its failures are just one of the more recent failures that the mayors of Taipei have sped through in a rush to secure votes.  The governing logic of most politicians in Taiwan seems to be that they sit around and do nothing for 3 years and in the final months leading up to an election quickly fix the roads, plant some flowers, and complete a project ahead of schedule.  All this as to say to the voters that they are worthy of another term.  The impacts of this kind of political culture are obvious in the example of yet another failed project.


MRT Neihu Line
Taipei has a wonderful subway system, the Taipei MRT.  But recently an extension was built to the existing Muzha line(the brown line) called the Neihu line.  The existing line had to be modified with a new electrical system and rolling stock from Matra to Bombardier.  The original price tag was listed as 42 million TWD  but quickly approached 63 million TWD.  The line finally opened after 13 years of delay.  Upon opening on July 4th 2009 the line had a series of malfunctions.  Only a week later on July 10th the line had to be shut down from 3:30pm until 6:30am the next day.  These malfunctions disrupted passengers and left trains stuck on their elevated tracks.  Passengers had to walk on the elevated tracks to the nearest station.  After numerous errors and problems the system was investigated by a special council which found out that the mayor had rushed the completion of the line without proper testing.

The Maokong Gondola
Another classic example of ineptitude is the Maokong Gondola.  The Gondola is a cable car route which starts near the end of the Wenshan line(south brown line).  The Gondola gives folks access to the gorgeous tea fields of Maokong.  The Gondola opened on July 4th 2007.  On the first day of operation the mayor Hau Lung-pin and former mayor, now president Ma Ying-jeou were suspended in the air for 10 minutes due to mechanical failure.  Passengers have complained about the ventilation of the cabins as well, stating that they can become very hot in the sun.  The major problem that struck the line was one that was quite foreseeable: a typhoon.  Typhoons strike Taiwan on the regular, at least 5 every year.  So after a typhoon struck, the hills where the support columns were built had shifted due to erosion from the rain, and lack of trees to support the hill.  So once again another project that could have been amazing, was shut down after a year of operation.  Operations were officially stopped on October 1st 2008.  The line was recently fixed this year, and many recent passengers have said that the line feels like it could stop at any moment due to a rough ride.  The opening of the line nicely coincides with Taipei City government elections, coincidence?

Taiwanese Architecture

Cityscape
Many times walking the streets of Taiwanese cities I hardly notice the architecture of a building.  Part of this is due to the fact that everything is very dense.  Another aspect is that many times as a pedestrian you walk under a covered extension of a building because sidewalks are not common.

Aesthetics
Most buildings serve a purely utilitarian function, with any decoration being too lavish.  Most buildings are covered with advertisements and have bars on their windows.  Rooftops of residential buildings most often have a cistern and space for drying clothes and some rooftop plants.  Some folks have aviaries as well.  I'm unsure if the design aesthetic is one of rigid compliance with expensive seismic modifications or if its one that puts minimum expense over beauty.

The Classic
When one glances at the traditional homes and temples of Taiwan there is soul to be found in their ancient designs.  The principles of Feng Shui come into play.  Traditional Fujianese (the province in China across the Taiwan Strait, from which most Taiwanese trace their ancestors and culture.) houses and their Taiwanese descendants are long houses that have classic Chinese styled roofs and a central courtyard.

The Modern
The influence of these traditional buildings can still be found in the modern buildings.  The length of buildings is critical.  Most 3-5 story buildings have very long, narrow floors.  When you enter a shop it always stretches back, and gives a sort of optical illusion of space.  Many storefronts are crammed into a block using this method.

Geography
There is also something to be said about where people live.  Most homes and buildings in general stick to the lowlands and these areas are quite few and far between on such a mountainous island.   The constraints of limited space force these buildings to be squished together.  The threat of typhoons, earthquakes, and mudslides also play a part in these buildings design.

Feng Shui
The principles of Feng Shui are also still important.  As a Taiwanese friend recounted the house hunting process she was going through:  "Our local Feng Shui expert compiled our birthdays(her and her fiancées) and created a plan for which way our house should face, and other details to look for in a house.  So we looked and looked and just couldn't find the right place." 
There are numerous stories from locals about how new businesses take over a building and have to go about remodeling and renovating in order to achieve good Feng Shui.  To the uneducated Western eye it is hard to see such changes as they are mostly done to the interior of the building, while the exterior retains its old ads and bars on the windows.

Photos and Text by Brendan Purkapile

Precipitation Comparisons

Hypothesis
When I first was debating coming to Taiwan I thought: "It's a tropical island, duh..."  This was in comparison with Korea, where I thought about snow and cold.  Tropical tends to be a loaded word.  With it not only are you closer to the equator, but generally you also get more rain.  I also thought that by being a native of Portland, Oregon that I would be prepared for rain and gloomy days.  My girlfriend is from Chicago and I thought that she would have trouble with the rain.


Facts
As it turned out I didn't do my homework and a simple comparison of rainfall would of enlightened me:

Average Annual Rainfall:
Chicago   38 in or 965.2 mm
Portland   43 in or 1,092 mm
Taipei      68 in or 1,727 mm
source: weather.com


Theory
So as you can see Portland isn't really that rainy, it has this popular myth that it is very rainy, but it has about as much rain as Chicago.  Taipei on the other hand has a ton of rain,  and unlike Portland's drizzles, when it rains it pours.