Dan Hsui (淡水)

Dan Hsui, a famous tourist town at the northern end of Taipei Metro and a town hosting numerous colleges, has changed drastically from the old days.

To go to my old junior college during the old days, I took a 30-minute bus ride to Taipei Railway Station, walked to the nearby bus stop, waited in line, took an 1-hour bus ride to Dan Hsui, waited in line, took a 30-minute bus ride to the school. It was long and unpleasant and expensive; no wonder as soon as I could legally ride a scooter, I never went back to the tiresome public transit.

If I go to the same college today (Thank God I don’t!), it’ll be a completely different story. I’ll take take Taipei Metro from home and make 1 efficient transfer to Dan Hsui, which takes less than 45 minutes without much walking or waiting or sweating. Because the original bumpy 2-lane road got turned into a smooth 4-lane one plus a 4-lane bypass to avoid Downtown Dan Hsui, the bus ride will take less than 15 minutes to the college. The time saving is incredible, and that’s just for one person.

And for this particular reason, most tourists come to Dan Hsui by metro, which siginificantly decreases this town’s traffic jam. Plus, because it’s only 30 minutes away from Downtown Taipei, it’s an easy getaway from the suffocating daily life and offers some much needed breathing room. Taipei Metro doesn’t just save people time, it also improves the quality of life. Well, I guess I just can’t stop talking about the greatness of Taipei Metro.

Today I visited Dan Hsui with my best friend Jennifer. Since her body couldn’t function properly under the ruthless sun, we took the tourist route counterclockwise — starting from the downtown area and finishing at the riverside — and took a couple of AC breaks. If not because of this new route, we wouldn’t run into groups of future artists, catching the breathtaking view with their cryons, markers, and watercolor paints. Each one interpreted the view differently but honestly, and all of them were so full of imagination and fun.

Every adult was a kid at one time, and everyone enjoyed expressing oneself through art at one point. When did we forget that bliss and even become afraid of it?