The secret to Taiwanese chill

I had been resisting the temptation to take photos. Until I saw an old man walking barefoot. He wore a face mask but I could tell he was smiling from the wrinkles around his eyes. I asked if I could take his picture. He looked confused, but when I pointed to his bare feet and gave him a thumbs up, he laughed and said what I imagine to be, go ahead, strange lady. I didn’t have the language to explain that we run a business that get people to run as close to the earth as possible. His companions laughed too and teased him.

The runs start out steep and don’t let up. But you can’t complain about elevation if you have old folks trudging up the same hill. Hiking is a pastime for retired Taiwanese. We lost count of how many we came across. They smiled as we ran past.

The trail from Bintan to Daonan in South Taipei winds its way around the hills and reminds me of Hong Kong. But unlike Hong Kong, the paths are not made of concrete. They are well-designed and built carefully into the earth using wood and stone. They make it safer for old people to navigate the incline.

Lucian ran out of gas as we began to make our way down. We forget that he’s a boy and still learning when and how to dig deep. We rest, hydrate, and fuel near a grove of cherry blossoms. It doesn’t take him long to recover and pretty soon we’ve picked up the pace again.

There is a zen-like stillness to Taipei’s nature trails. I feel sorry when we find ourselves back on the road and heading towards the train station. But this is only the first of many runs.