An update on the TTC

I wrote a post titled "Life in Taiwan: Taipei Metro" about three months ago after taking the transit system in Taipei. Generally impressed by what I experienced, I listed five things about the Taipei Metro that, as a transit rider, I appreciated, or thought was really neat. I preceded/introduced the discussion with a rant about the ease of using the Taipei Metro for someone new to the city, as opposed to the TTC.

One main issue was the failure of the TTC to have an integrated system with Google Transit, a feature used by many main transit systems around the world, including the Taipei Metro, which made it easy for someone like me, who can barely read Mandarin, to have confidence that I won't get lost on my first trip to some place in Taipei I'd never visited before - and get there on time. The Hamilton transit system is also seamlessly integrated with Google Transit, and it's a feature that was not only very helpful in my first few weeks in Hamilton, but a feature I still use to plan my trips around the city.

Well guess what. As of about 1-2 weeks ago, the TTC announced that it had [finally] reached an agreement with Google Transit, and had been collaborating with the search company to provide TTC details on Google Maps. That feature is now online, and though not perfect, is a great tool for planning your trips involving the TTC. I suggest you try it out: just ask Google Maps for directions, e.g. Ontario Science Centre to Toronto Union Station, and click the icon that looks like a subway (between the car and the walking person).

I am pleased that the TTC has taken this move, and I hope that the TTC can take more steps into making our transit system more representative of a world-class city, an image that our mayoral candidates are trying very hard to sell. Unfortunately, I haven't heard many concrete ideas from the current frontrunners of the race, though the keepttcpublic campaign seems to cast a light on the issues that lie ahead. It seems like we're in for a long battle between public funding and private funding before we actually get to see any significant improvements in the TTC.

Day 29 (Aug 6): Return to Tainan

After a little more than an hour of sleep, I was awake again, making sure nothing was left in our rooms and waving goodbyes out the window (which faced the departing buses). By ten o'clock, all my bags were moved down to the front lobby, filled with campers and Loveboat staff, busy with check-out, and moving out. Final pictures were being taken, and there were plenty of hugs among our goodbyes. Yearbooks (or monthbooks?) were distributed after check-out, which unfortunately only gave us a few moments to give each other our last words (and leaving out any friends who left earlier). Luckily, in today's world of social networks, the Yearbook gave us plenty of information to contact our Loveboat friends.

My first piano teacher, Grace, who was also spending some summer time in Taiwan, picked me up from the Jiantan Youth Activity Center. We first stopped at her parent's house (she lives in Toronto), and along with her parents and nephew, we headed out to Sushi Express, a Taiwanese franchise restaurant serving sushi... conveyor-belt style, aka sushi train! (It was a choice between sushi express and sukiyaki [scroll down about two thirds]; I decided to try something I've never tried before).

Her home in Taiwan is at the heart of East Taipei. Taipei 101 is visible from her window (left), though you can get a better shot just a few steps outside. The Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall (below) is in the adjacent block.

Here are a few pictures from lunch. At Sushi Express, each plate is $30 NT, just less than a dollar Canadian. I thank Grace and her family for their hospitality, and together (her parents, her nephew, herself, and I), we managed to polish off thirty plates =). After lunch, we went back to their home, and I had some "sugar apple", a rare treat I manage to try about once per visit to Taiwan.

After lunch, I was all set to return to Tainan, where I would spend most of my remaining days in Taiwan. Again, helping me around Taipei, Grace brought me to a 7-11 and bought me a ticket for the Taiwan High Speed Rail =). Good thing we got the HSR ticket in advance, as the lines in the station were very long (Friday afternoon, rush hour - I would assume so). I said goodbye and a final thanks to my former piano teacher - I'd see her again on our flights and adventures on the way back to Toronto.

The Taiwan HSR is about three and a half years old, with its grand opening taking place during my previous visit to Taiwan - but I didn't get an opportunity to ride it then. The Amazing Race, season 12, had a chance to ride it late 2007, finally in 2010, I've returned to Taiwan to see how it's like. In one word: convenient. Convenient because it's fast. Because it goes to the airport. Because it goes through the major hubs on the west coast. A major time saver, the HSR reduces travel time from Taipei to Kaohsiung by 2-3 hours, and has lightened highway traffic by 10%, and has significantly reduced the amount of air travel between the two cities (cutting the greenhouse gas emissions per person).

The video clip has not been edited in any way, showing the view 
outside the high speed train as it runs at a speed of 298 km/h.

Taking the 3:00 pm train, I was at the HSR Tainan station at 16:43 (the trains run exactly on schedule. in every way unlike the TTC). The station is in the outskirts of the city, but the HSR ticket price ($1350 NT, or about $45 CAD) also covers the shuttle bus lines that run through Tainan's major roads and to its major stops, while stopping at attractions along the way, such as my Grandma's house =P. Well, maybe it's the park across the street that draws the tourists, but the bus stop is literally within 10 metres from my maternal grandma's front door =).

Within minutes, I was settled in the home that my mom, along with her brother and three sisters had grew up in, and was playing with the piano. My second aunt arrived shortly afterwards, and we headed out to have dinner with my cousin Mark, and his wife Sophia, who were married about a year ago!

Dinner was great as always. We shared some Apple Sidra, Mark's favourite drink, and soon I was back at my grandma's house, sleeping almost immediately following a busy day with only an hour of sleep to prepare for it =D.

Day 28 (Aug 5): Sunrise, Sunset... Sunrise

Today, August 5th, marks the last full day of Love Boat, where we spent four weeks learning about Taiwanese culture and touring the beautiful island with other overseas youth. Officially known as the Overseas Compatriot Youth Formosa Study Tour - our camp would officially end with our closing ceremonies, which would feature many of the skills that we have learned in the past month. As the program is government sponsored, we were promised speeches from the heads of the organizing committees. Along with a few cameras and journalists, and the presence of a few SIPs (somewhat important persons), several rehearsal slots over the past few days, as well as today, were set up so we would have a smooth (and hopefully impressive) performance.

With a late morning flute rehearsal and a run-through of the closing ceremonies in the afternoon, the day passed by without much activity. Free time was spent trading contact information and packing our luggages. Even dinner was simple - we had our average cafeteria-style Asian food. Honestly, I was somewhat disappointed. Other summer programs that I had participated in, like Shad, ended with a bang! Eating rice with some type of chicken in the basement of a youth centre seemed a little anti-climatic, especially with the great food (and seafood!) that Taiwan has to offer...

After dinner, we were given some time to change before the closing ceremonies. Wearing our semi-formal / formal attire, my friends and I took the opportunity to take some pictures on the roof of the Activity Centre. The rooftop provided some of the most beautiful views of Taipei - and I've been to the top of Taipei 101 before. 

The Sunset over the Keelung River. (by inference, this is the view towards the West =P)

To the East.

Kevin and I. Longtime friends from Toronto. Taipei 101's in the background.

Heading back downstairs for the closing ceremonies, we passed by tables, displaying many of the crafts that we've been working on in the past four weeks. 

The closing ceremonies featured our performing talents, including Kung Fu, Traditional Dance, Speech Arts, the Chinese yo-yo, and the dizi, aka the Chinese flute. The night went well, and with the official finish out of the way, we spent the rest of our scheduled time playing group games, and taking pictures for our final farewells. 

Of course, being the last night, our activities were far from over. We did have our last bed check at 11pm to clear our the last administrative technicalities - making sure the room was still in order and that no one stole any clothes-hangers. Soon, we were outside, walking around Shilin night market, before arriving at Holiday KTV to Karaoke with a group of 14 (my second time). 

We sang until four in the morning, with songs mostly either in Mandarin or in English, leaving before the sunrise, and with enough time for those who were leaving on the early six o'clock shuttle bus. 4:30 a.m. is perhaps the time with the least activity in Taipei. The night market stands begin closing after midnight, but there is always activity until two to three. By five thirty, (as we noted from our last time at KTV), the morning rush is just beginning.

The sunrise for Aug 6 was around 5:20, and we made sure we were on the rooftop to see the sun's arrival on our final love boat morning. Clouds kept us from seeing a distinct shape, but the sky gradually became brighter and brighter. Lots of pictures were taken, before departing from the great scenery, and saying goodbye to those leaving on the early bus. Returning to my room at six-thirty, I finished some notes/gifts for the counselors, and was able to nap at seven.

View towards the South, just before sunrise. That's Taipei's second tallest building.
I love the mountains in the back. Almost like a powerpoint background =P.

Left, middle: The view towards the West, before and after sunrise. Right: Towards the North.

The sun rising in the East.