What a relief to arrive in a country that is organized and knows what clean means. No offense India, but clean and organized is not your strong suit.
And so quiet here. No honking on the road.
And we're driving on the other side now, which after two months of driving on the wrong side, the right side seems like the wrong side. My mind can't decide right side from wrong side anymore. Sheesh.
Taipei is so quiet. Incredibly quiet.
I slept a few hours, then came out onto the street, not wanting to try and do anything too challenging, because I'm still jetlagged, but it was so quiet that it wasn't hard to walk two blocks down to a famous noodle shop.
Yong Kang noodles. It was pleasantly crowded. I got in line and I ended up eating at the same table as the guy in line in front of me because he was also eating alone. And that's just how they seat people at that noodle house. Empty seat- here you go. You also get your own tea at this restaurant. And I ordered the beef noodles -their famous dish, and it was so satisfying. Yum! Great first meal here.
So far the ease of this country is a huge relief.
At first I thought it was because I came from India, but after 24 hours of being here, I don't think it's that. I just love Taiwan.
I LOVE it!
It was instantaneous, love at first sight, and my affection is only getting stronger. Taipei is just so quiet and even a busy night market doesn't seem overwhelming at all. This is just an extremely lovely place.
And so clean. Even the bathrooms in the MRT (subway) are clean. I didn't think that was possible in any country!
Literally one day I've been here and no signs of stomach sickness at all. Its almost like my body simply rejected India and the whole experience and every moment I was there I was having some sort of stomach problem. I thought it was the malaria pills so I stopped taking them but even after ten days my body did not adjust. But one day here in Taiwan and I'm fine. So weird.
I was so excited about India and I did have so many amazing experiences there, but my body did not agree with it at all. Maybe it was the heat.
Thank you Taiwan for being the perfect antidote to India. To being clean and quiet and easy and cool.
Today I found a place to buy a new phone cover, front and back. So my phone is like brand new again. Like a brand new toy, all the gunk from the old cover is disappeared. Yes!
Holy bicycles. Taipei has a huge bicycle culture! You can ride on the sidewalks and the streets.
Other than Taipei 101 and a handful of others, the buildings in Taipei are incredibly plain and unremarkable. Most are faced with small tiles, often white, reminding me of old New York subway tiles. With time, the tiles have been discolored and there is no other decoration on any of the buildings. Even the railings and other accoutrements that could be fancy are minimalist. The tiles are the decoration. No fancy borders or symbols, and only occasionally two colors are used. But an undecorated building is simply grey cement.
It's definitely a singular look, but not decorative or what I would say beautiful. The simplicity strikes me as utilitarian and plain, rather than high design minimalism. This seems very Japanese and may be a leftover influence from the Japanese occupation of the island or perhaps due to the fact that this was meant to be a staging ground only and the Chinese who came here meant to return to the mainland and overthrow the government. So they didn't or couldn't afford to invest much into their buildings at the time. Whatever the reason, it's very simple.
Which makes it all the more remarkable that Taipei 101 exists at all. That building, designed to reflect bamboo and looking to me like an elongated Chinese pagoda, is a wonderful architectural accomplishment. It shines in the middle of the plainness around it and gives the city it's unique skyline. Akin to the empire state building, Taipei 101 makes the city's skyline instantly recognizable. It's looming and beautiful. And without it, I would have never come to Taiwan. Thank you Taipei 101!
The fashion sense of the city is surprising as well. Lots of jeans and tees, and outfits so relaxed I thought only Americans would wear them. What do I know? And also great dressier outfits with a lovely Asian flair. I would love to spend a few weeks buying a new wardrobe here - I think it would be something I could actually wear back home. But that will remain a dream due to the price tag.
Tons of noodle places here. No surprise. But, a big surprise, great French style bakeries, with wonderful breads and pastries, and lots of individual serving sizes so you don't have to get the whole loaf. Love it.
Lots of people wearing the paper face masks here to cover their mouths. I gather they do this when they're sick so they don't spread the germs around. I originally thought it was to keep from getting sick, but I don't think that makes much sense now.
Some things I learned in Chinese:
Lian wu - an apple-like fruit native to Taiwan, in English it's called a rose apple
wa put tong - I don't understand
Shea shea - thank you
ni hao - hello
