Lessons From the Road
I’m at Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport, where my adventure began two weeks ago.
Huan-dao is the Taiwanese term for cycling around Taiwan. It translates to “touring round an island,” and for many Taiwanese, completing a huan-dao is a rite of passage, something you do once in your lifetime. Riding 950 kilometres of roads and paths, from north to south and south to north, I’ve earned my huan-dao.
I came across these kids playing badminton with their mom, so I stopped and joined in.
I came to appreciate how kind, gracious, and supportive Taiwanese people are. The thumbs up from so many people along the road, and the exclamations of “Jayo!” were motivating, especially on those difficult days.
Before I arrived, I knew two words in Mandarin: ni hao and xie xie. Hello and thank you. I learned that a smile and a ni hao connected me with people, even though we didn’t share a common language.
A smile and a ni hao made easy connections
I never felt unsafe on the road, even cycling through central Taipei. Almost everywhere, including major highways, there was a dedicated lane for scooters and cyclists. And there is a culture of harmony between people here, which meant no aggressive drivers, no honking of horns, and no road rage.
This adventure reminded me that some days are hard. I was equally reminded that better days do come. Those uphills that we think will never end do turn into glorious downhills. The rain doesn’t last forever. And those storms we experience, they too move on.
Even on those miserable days, when we look around, we can often see beauty
I have a t-shirt with the words Seek Discomfort on the front. On my last day, a sixty-kilometre push to Taipei from Fulong Beach, discomfort was delivered. The tail end of Tropical Storm Fung-wong dumped monsoon rains on me and tested my nerves as strong winds conspired against me. It was miserable. But I kept reminding myself that discomfort is temporary. And instead of being mired in misery, I took time to appreciate the landscape I was passing through. Despite the ill-tempered weather, I caught myself more than once saying out loud, “So beautiful. So beautiful.” The mountains were shades of green and gray. Rivers raged. And waterfalls formed next to the road.
The landscape in Taiwan had me saying out loud, “so beautiful.”
Like it is when all journeys end, there was a mix of emotions when I rolled into Taipei. Achievement, yes. And a hint of sadness that it was over.
Sitting at the airport, with my earbuds in my ears, I pressed play on Dermot Kennedy’s Innocence and Sadness and let the words fill my mind: Better savour every moment as it flies by. Every minute, boy, better live it, boy. Return me safely, turn me homeward at the right time.
It’s the right time to turn for home, and as I do, I’ll leave you with something I learned on the road. Whatever it is you’re doing in life, remember this one word—Jayo! Keep going. Keep going.