The collected writings of a Renegade Tourist

Tag hardship and misery

Mountain road outside Hsinchu, 4:41 pm

The rain is truly torrential now, large drops falling at a  rapid pace. The road we’re on has turned into a veritable river; dead leaves and other debris from the surrounding jungle have been washed out onto the road and gotten caught on the edges of the many cracks in the asphalt, forming little islands here and there. The road is steep enough for a current to form, it keeps splitting and reconnecting as it flows around the little islands, even building up swells as it passes around some of the bigger ones. Separate streams flow down the ditches on … Read the rest

Old texts: Miley Cyrus can’t stop the party

This is a text I wrote back when Miley Cyrus’ song We Can’t Stop was popular. It is an attempt at describing the images that pop up in my mind when I hear that dark beat and see that music video.


The party had been going on for almost a week now, not just during the nights, but constantly; people were still partying, still drinking and still dancing, but with less energy than before, the spark in their eyes was all but gone. The ceaseless onslaught on the revelers minds and bodies was taking its toll: several people had passed out … Read the rest

Zhonghua road, 8:12 am

I’m armoured against the weather, warm jacket, rain jacket, rain pants with little built in shoe covers, helmet, and mountaineering gloves. Despite all that I know this is going to be hell, it is cold like it can only be in tropical weather, when normally comfortable temperatures chill you to the bone; and the rain is coming down hard. There is a kind of duality to this; the reports about low water levels in the nation’s reservoirs that I saw in the paper a few days ago had me worried so this is a good thing, but did the government … Read the rest

Road QL15, 11:40 am

The paved road just ended and it turned into a bumpy, rutted mud track. This is, by far, the absolute  worst road I’ve ever been on. My wheels keep slipping and sliding in the mud and I move forward at walking speed, constantly on edge from the fear of falling over. I manage a glance at the GPS, 11 more kilometers until the turning point; it will be hell if it’s going to be like this all the way.… Read the rest

Coastal road South of Tuy Hoa, 5 pm

I’ve seriously had it with this incessant rain, like Samuel L Jackson in Snakes on a plane would have said: enough is enough! It spoils the fun of riding by making the road slippery, it ruins any photo ops offered by the gorgeous scenery I’m passing, but worst of all, I’m getting soaked despite my rain gear. It is utterly and completely miserable.… Read the rest

Under the unobtainable balcony 1:40 pm.

Bushwacking uphill in 35 degree heat under a scorching sun is hard work. My entire body is drenched in sweat and my heart is beating so hard I can feel the thumping in my shoulder blades, but I finally made it to the building with the unobtainable balcony. I can see the stairs up, they are just 20 meters away and I’m filled with anticipation, but first I need to rest.… Read the rest

Company parking lot, 1:40 pm

My boss has sent me to the head office on the other side of town and I need to be there shortly after two which behooves me to set out right after lunch. I’ve only gone the short distance from the door to my parking space at the far end of the lot but I’m already sweating from thr midday heat, and despite being protected by my jeans, the seat of the scooter feels like sitting on a frying pan. Normally the slipstream would be enough to cool me down a bit but as I speed up, even the wind … Read the rest

Zhongyuan road, 8:16 am

I have covered up as well as I can, rain jacket, rain pants and even shoe covers, but the rain is pretty heavy and it gets amplified by my speed; though I’ve only been on the way for a few minutes, I can already sense chinks in my armor, little spots of cold where the water is starting to work it’s way through. It’s like nature wills me to hunker down and shy away, but I keep my back straight and my speed high, defying the elements, defying my own instinct. This will be hell to pay.… Read the rest

Jing guo/ Min quan cross, 5:08 pm

I’ve only been outside for a couple of minutes but I’m already utterly and completely drenched. My shirt clings to my back like a wet dish cloth, my jeans are heavy with water, sticking to my thighs. Every time I brake or change gear, a torrent of cold water runs down my legs and sloshes around in my shoes. When I speed up the heavy drops pound my chest like a fistful of marbles, I’m suffering unmatched levels of discomfort. I see the light turn green and the riders preceding me hit a giant puddle on the opposite side of … Read the rest

Zhonghua road 5:53 pm

It’s drizzling, not very heavily, but enough to make the world damp: a steady layer of water on the road surface that soaks through my shoes when I set my feet down; drops all over my clothes that collect in little puddles in the folds of my jacket, and spray coming off the wheels of passing cars. As soon as the needle of the speedometer indicates more than 40, the droplets hitting my face feel like a sand blaster, and the chill of the air is quickly transferred to my bare hands. General all around misery! But there is one … Read the rest

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