Free access to the sports centre for pensioners: great idea, butt...

I think a free entry for seniors to sport centre is a great idea. Actually a brilliant idea: gets them to socialise and be active. That means healthier and hence less of a burden on the public health. All hail! I wish they did more of this stuff in Poland. Or NZ. Or everywhere for that matter.

But there is a little bit of a lesson today that I learnt. All hail the idea - but I think going at anytime around 8am is a no-go....

Why? Ah well, I learnt a few new things today that I did not know even existed. Normally I' all into the sort of inter-generational learning stuff. Butt...

1. Cabbage is the main meal on Monday. How do I know? There are 4 benches in the changing room. Three were totally empty and all seniors gathered around the fourth one - that's where I was already drying after the swim and shower. They came quite close, there were four full moons at a very close proximity. All moons were a bit of active volcanoes and all let some toxic gasses out. Cabbage smell filled the room...

2. Drying your hair and balls at pretty much the same time (alternating between the bold entities at the rate of 4 seconds) is not only possible but seemed to be pleasurable (based on the satisfying noises produced by the subject - not the drier)

3. To see how a hairdryer can be used as an asshole dryer - in the most literal way - is an experience in itself. Wit a little bit of flexibility (yoga?) and a clever use of the stool, the table and the drier with a rather short cord it is all possible.

4. Around 15 ladies can fit into one of the small 'relaxing pools' (always thought it was for 4-5 people max) in around 15 seconds since leaving the changing room. The chicken-like clucking follows as they settle comfortably in...

5. There is absolutely nothing wrong with patting (hitting?) your balls whilst pulling your willy up in a public place. It's called a massage and it is good for your health (unless you are the witness to that ritual and it might not - no, no - it definitely is NOT - good for your mental health. I think I might need some counselling....

I think I'll take up running or chess maybe from now on...

When in Rome drink coffee. In Taiwan maybe getting into tea is a better option...

It goes something like 'when in Rome...'. If it comes to coffee - being in Rome is good, in Naples even better. You get your superly strong espresso in the morning, or a smooth cappuccino if the concentrated syrup is a little bit too much. Add a cornetto and you set for the day.

Life gets a little bit harder once you in Taiwan. The 'coffee culture' is soaring here - but... or maybe a few 'buts'...Pour-over cafes keep popping up like mushrooms after rain in Polish forest. Even in the 'slum' there are two 'boutique / barista' cafes. All would be great - and I could not be more excited to see this change on the horizon. Finally getting a cup of good coffee and completing some work (ehmmm... in case the boss is reading it...) would not require an hour of commute.

The problem is with the value and what most of these places offer. It appears that a little bit of a 'quirky' - mostly vintage European - deco and a 'standard' selection of '(often self roasted') single origins is all you need to charge NT160-200. That is around €5 - or NZ$10. Pretty steep price considering that in most of the places I tried the coffee was just average. Often too heavily roasted, the pour was OK - but would not scream about it.

When it comes to a decent espresso (my favourite test) it gets even worse. Often undrinkable. Latte usually is so weak and milky that you feel like having a milkshake.

It should not be a surprise since the standard question you get is if you want your coffee cold: the culture of having iced and sweet coffee was here long before the mushrooming of boutique cafes. MrBrown iced coffee is sitting in every convenience store - which means it's everywhere.

There are a few exceptions of course with places like Fika Fika for an excellent flat white or espresso (though I could not somewhat get myself to order any of the NT300-650 for a single origin pour over...), Frog Cafe that combines good coffee and mountain walking or some of the very old establishments that still offer an excellent cupper such as Astoria. these are well worth a visit and for good reasons.

But what seems to be an even better choice is to reprogramme your taste buds and get into tea. No seriously. What you are used to drink in Europe, NZ or US is an absolute piss. It does not deserve to be called tea.

On the other hand, Taiwanese do to tea what Italians and Melbournians do to coffee: achieve excellence and a culinary experience. You have a choice of some excellent green teas, oolong - or the famed Alishan Assam tea (especially number 18). In most cases hand picked and processed. And you can either go the 'full board' with a proper tea house (of try the Zhongshan hall) or a little bit simpler option in the Old tobacco dorm. The Cafe (閱樂書店松菸店) is set in such an atmospheric building and serves a good range of tea.

After a visit to some plantations, meeting the growers and visiting a few fabulous tea houses I can assure you there is a whole new world to discover in the cup of tea!

However, if you need some coffee to complete your day, it may be sometimes a better option to go with some of the chains (I know - never expected myself saying that!)

Although I usually avoid chain cafes - I found that a few of these are probably a better choice if you need a couple of cups a day and a pleasant place to work. Cama cafe (with TN$60 for an americano) is pretty good. Ikari is acceptable (again, in these places I get an americano as the safest choice). Surprisingly, small americano in 7eleven for only TW$25 is not too bad after all...

Taipei like Netherlands. Really???

Coincidence? 
Interesting to hear that Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) looks at Holland rather than Singapore for inspiration. This is an excellent news article to come across the day after my whining about cycling in Taipei: though it says little about what this involves and in the most vague and generic way mentions 'democratic path'.

So let me have an opinion here - since I just spent a months in Rotterdam and other great cities. What is striking and worth following:

1. cycling paths and culture. Paths on its own do nothing. Paths of 2m are waste of money (Tamaki drive in Auckland or many paths in Krakow are just this...). You need paths that go from one end to another, shield you from the traffic - but you also need people to get on their bikes. The more people cycle, the faster the revolution. Can you incentify people? sure. UBike + paths + some apps that compare and track the health benefits of cycling.

2. restricted traffic in the city centre: oh yes. expensive carpark + city centre that is pedestrianised = city that people enjoy walking around + bars + shops. And more cycling (see point 1)

3. electric cars. There are tons of these babes in Holland. Tesla, BMW, Audi. You name it. The first taxi you are likely to spot at the airport is Tesla. So how come there are so many of them in comparison to other countries? I asked my colleague (a professor in innovation studies). It is actually quite simple.
- Provide tax breaks and incentives for electric cars. Especially for company cars. TICK
- Provide carpark spaces for electric cars only. Especially where parking is hard. TICK
- Have the designated spaces? well, allow people to charge for free. TICK

Would it work in Taipei? I think the better way to get around it would be to start with scooters and then cars. But the three points above might not be enough. When I asked some friends here why they don't get an electric scooter, the same old tune each and every time: it's too expensive to buy. So what would work? Simple again:
- introduce tax on scooters in the city
- introduce stricter environmental regulations for scooters to get rid of the biggest offenders
- use the money to reduce the price of electric scooters
- introduce appealing 'trade-in' scheme
- provide free charging stations and 'electric only' parking spaces around the town for the next couple of years

Of course you will be risking your next re-election. Of course you would be cursed for a couple of years. But in 3-4 years people would thank you for cleaner and quieter city.

And if Penghu can get on with electric scooter revolution, why not Taipei???
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/local/offshore-islands/2016/08/03/474302/Penghu-offering.htm

But there could be another, long term benefit of going electric for the whole country. As the demand for scooters grows, local companies will start investing into R&D and pushing the boundaries. This could put Taiwan at the forefront of the electric scooter in Asia. And there are plenty of cities that would follow the suit to get cleaner. Taiwan could become the household brand for electric scooters in Asia.
Gogoro is a good idea - but it needs some incentives - or competition - to take up properly. It remains niche and in some areas you will be lucky to see any at all.

So what would be the golden ratio for achieving 1-3 in Taipei? These three elements nicely reinforce each other. It would take a few policy tweaks, some extra taxes and some incentives to get more people cycling, using the excellent public transport or switching to electric scooters.

All of this will bring better quality of life and health benefits in the long term. And, if played well, could also establish a very profitable industry on the Potato Island. Just like the Dutch did...

Joys of cycling in Taipei

Cycling in Taipei is on the rise.  And there is the U-Bike - a pretty good city sharing bike system that is growing.
So, get your YoYo card, get your bike and off you go. At least in theory...

Today there was no rain so decided to cycle from Yong He to the National Library (my new office) and then back. Only about 5km each way so no issue. And the traffic was already picking up.

So here you go. 5km of non-existing biking routes and some of my route going through pretty busy dual-carriage road and plenty of busy junctions. What could possibly go wrong?

Lets start with taxis. They ensure your 5km delivers as much adrenaline as hurtling down some steep mountain track or skydiving. Life was never that exciting! They killer instincts are on a an par with Glasgow buses. The drivers seem to detest pedestrians, bikes and scooters (in that particular order) and ignore any legal or just social rule of driving. They constantly pull in front of bikes, scooters or other cars. They stop in the middle of a junction or on the crossing (you want to cross the road? just go around my little yellow (royal they seem to think) coach... Today 6 separate taxi-related incidents...

Then come the scooters. Being used to being the prey, they seem to enjoy their revenge by swooshing centimeters from your handle-bars. There is no '1.5m distance' here. 1.5cm maybe. If you lucky.
But this is not the worst part of mingling with the noisy herd. The worst are the busy junctions and waiting for the red light. The countdown gets to 10 second, rev your engine. I mean seriously? The squeaky noise is unnecessary! Hearing damaged, I guess I've also already passed any safe annual intake levels of poisonous gases and heavy metal fumes - just by doing 10km cycling in Taipei...

Last but not least are the silent assassins - pensioners on bikes with nerves of steel. They slow but deadly. They have nothing to lose (or so they seem) and so they just appear unexpectedly from the flanks and push you into the middle of the road, straight into the scooter-swooshing territory...

All in all, cycling here is good for adrenaline junkies or suicidal types. If you dodge the taxis - the fumes will kill you...

But more seriously, this could be a great place to get around on a bike. What would you need?
Well, some decent cycling paths to start with. It ain't fun on the main roads and pavements are non-existent due to the continuous land-grabbing culture of local shops and scooter owners.

But the biggest change that will need to happen is change of behaviours (you will hear that a lot here from me!) so the paths remain usable and not just another place to park when you getting your 7eleven coffee or a place for dumpling stand.