Exploring Taipei (round 1)

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Okay, so I cannot find the text from this entry. It must be permenantly lost out in cyber space. However, I want to republish it so everyone can view my pictures again.

In short, I will say that Taipei was a fun city. It is like the New York City of Taiwan - very big, Westernized in many areas, extremely polluted, and filled with people driving in very crazy ways. It seemed to me that more people walk in Taipei, and the subway system was wonderful! It was so clean and easy to navigate. Also, more people speak English in Taipie, so it was easier to get around. With all of that said, I am happy with my choice of Tainan City because I think I will have a true cultural experience here (without a lot of Western influence.) However, I will return to Taipei again soon, so my opinion could change in the future...

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Photos

Taipei 101
It was too difficult to capture all of the tallest building in the world!

Taipei 101 at night
Yes, it says "Versace" on Taipei 101. Like I said, it's a giant mall!

Taipei street at night
I love all of the neon lights :)

Walkin' in the rain
Me with my new pink umbrella, walking down a little street in Taipei

A little street in Taipei
My attempt to capture the little street (didn't quite work!)

Bella Risa
My attempt to capture Risa's beauty in the quaint little park.

A pet duck?
Yes, I believe this duck is the pet of the people selling bamboo juice. If anyone got close to the duck's owner, the duck would QUACK away! :)

Risa & I in Taipei
We have a hard time getting someone to take a good picture of us, so we tried to do it ourselves :)

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall
This is just the "gate" to get into CKS Memorial Hall, soon-to-be "Democracy Memorial Hall"

Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall
This is the actual Memorial Hall :)

I think it's a temple
We didn't know what this was, but it was near the memorial hall. It's under-construction, but I think it's still perty :)

Bridge in the park
I loved the contrast of the bright-white bridge with all of the trees.

My Fairy-tale Park
Again, I thought I was in another world...

Long-Shan Temple
For some reason, my camera decided not to take good pictures at night :(

"Snake Alley"
This is the night-market I speak of in my blog. Anyone who's into eating snake should head there right-away! :)

Doggy Pedicure
The cutest sight - the dog watching his owner getting a pedicure! I think he wants one too :)

Korean food!
This was our yummy lunch :)

Comments

[Marianne]

I love these blogs and all the pictures! I look forward to reading everything......you're such a talented writer. The story about the man helping you is wonderful......those little things make entire days, and even a hard week, seem better. I liked reading about Chaing. Yes, he was a dictator, and I'm glad to hear they are deciding to stop making him so heroic....I am sure there is another cultural person they could idolize instead! Oh, and a p.s. how much did you love the coldstone and the bookstore....awesome!

[Andrew]

I wanted to say hi and that I got your message on MySpace. I will write you back on there or email soon, but unlike your visit to Taipei, your blog was not so "brief", so I should probably get back to work. It is nice you get to share so many pictures on here, because while your writing is descriptive, it helps get a feel for your journey. Oh, and for the job situation, I will know more in the next day or two, so I will let you know then. As Dad would say, You the bomb.

[Alison Belle]

response to Andrew
Correction: it would be "you da bomb!"