I wrote about how the smog in China's big cities has become so dense that at east one city's air is blamed for killing a marathon runner.
It caused me to remember a time when I was nearly killed when running in Taipei...and it wasn't the smog.
I awoke early one morning, (jet lag) no doubt and went running. I had no idea where I was at or where I was headed, but I could see an opening between some buildings and I guessed it might be a park of some sort. I lived to learn that it was.
However, it was not without almost meeting my maker.
At one point, I ran to cross the street - of course I checked both ways - I learned that lesson in kindergarten. But, when I got into the street I suddenly heard a collective gasp and it was as if time froze and everyone started focusing on me. (picture a guy running slow motion - I do run slow - and everyone is frozen and watching him)...it was something like that.
A big truck came around the corner and was heading right at me.
Now in America, we are not afraid of trucks; they yield to pedestrians, dumb or otherwise. But I was not in America.
When I returned back to my home in Japan (at the time), my Taiwanese exchange
students told me just how close I had come to death.
They said if the guy had hit me and NOT killed me, he surely would have backed over me again and again until I was dead.
Apparently, it is cheaper to pay for someone's death by accident in Taiwan than it is to pay for their ungoing medical care. Yikes!
I obviously lived to tell this tale but, you can be sure, I will NOT run in front of another truck or any vehicle the next time I am in Taiwan.
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