You’ll often hear that you need an international driver’s license to rent a scooter in Taiwan, but this is manifestly untrue, at least as not observed at small scooter-rental stores.
Never being one to leave a theory untested, I decided to experience first-hand what driving a scooter in Hualien, Taiwan, felt like.
I’ll say this right off: today was the first day I have ever driven a scooter. They’re massively popular in all the Asian cities I’ve been to. I’ve wanted to ride one for a long time, but I believed it was impossible with my US driver’s license. An opportune meeting at the bus station with a New Zealander convinced me otherwise.
He took us to the shop where he had rented one, and I got to try one out before I paid for it. I took it around the block - and damn, it was fun! Nothing to it. Highly intuitive. Easier than a motorcycle. So I filled out the paperwork with my New Mexico driver’s license number, paid $400 NTD (about $13 USD), and we were off!
Though I jumped right in with minimal experience, I’m going to get all grandmotherly and recommend new riders practice in quieter areas first and always wear a helmet, which most rental shops provide.
Well, off to somewhere. The tourist maps are rarely accurate, and I got lost in three different directions. Stopped to check the map and ask around in my best Mandarin. Finally, being chased by a mangy dog (there was nothing good in his eyes, believe me!) before I made it out of town. The whole time I couldn’t keep a grin off my face.
My friends: have you been to Asian cities? Have you seen the chaotic YouTube videos of the traffic in Asian cities? To a die-hard pedestrian, it seems insane. But when you’re on a scooter with quick acceleration and quick brakes, it becomes incredibly fun. Just like weaving in and out of Philly traffic on a single-speed bike.
Quickly I realized that the chaos of the traffic was actually my best friend. In the US, when you ride a bike, you’re constantly watching out for asshole drivers. There’s a definite sense of entitlement if you’re in a bigger car, and these people will act dangerously just because they can, or because they think that you’re disobeying the rules and goddammit they’ll drive the way they think is right no matter who it puts in peril. It’s your own fault for riding a bike.
But here. Here in Taiwan, where the traffic is chaotic, every driver is constantly aware that something odd might happen. Everyone’s foot is by their brake. Everyone expects the unexpected. Right of way doesn’t exist - you just go, and stop when you need to. I love it. Go like hell and harm none.
What I thought was an intimidating, possibly illegal, adventure turned into one of my favorite lessons from that trip. I suppose this helped me view traffic anywhere in a new way - I didn’t have to feel entitled or have the right of way, I just went where there was an opening, always ready to stop for a person or bigger vehicle. This was like some giant autonomous zone where anarchy reigned and semi-peacefully worked out. I smiled and zoomed between two large busses before they could merge, hand on the brakes for what was on the other side, where I couldn’t yet see.
