have scooter, will travel

There are milestones in our lives. The first steps, the first words, the first day of school, things like that. Then there are defining moments in our lives, like the first kiss, the first time we fell victims to peer pressure, all that stuff. I don't know into which category owning a scooter in Taiwan falls, but it is flipping awesome. Understand that there are more scooters per capita in Taiwan than anywhere in the world, so scooters rule the roads here. Scooters get to drive anywhere, on any side of the road, run red lights, pass cars on the right or left, and the police do nothing! The only laws that seem to apply to scooters are those of physics and those of evolution. The first three days I had my scooter, I was scared as hell. Any road I turned onto was frought with peril. From a bike to a scooter, things speed up tremendously. I had thoughts that maybe I would not be able to adjust to the scooter, that I was stuck on a bike, which would severely limit my ability to travel. After the third day, I found myself doing better. Somewhow I had learned to relax a bit. I liken it to those 3-D pictures, where you have to focus without focussing on any particular point. You have to take in the whole scene in front, beside and behind you, and trust that your reactions are quick enough. That is me on a scooter. It's so fun. I think it is more of a defining moment, at least for my time in Taiwan.