Welcome to Taiwan
Two days ago I unfolded myself from a 13 hour flight and walked into the humid heat that is summer in Taiwan. At 7:30 pm, and with the sun having set an hour prior, my exit from the airport still felt like walking into a sauna. Welcome to Taiwan!
Welcome to Taiwan, Little Raccoon!
And I’ve been told this is not as hot as it gets. Good thing I researched and then bought the best waterproof makeup on the market. I’ll let you know how well it holds up. Once or twice I fully expect to look like a raccoon that’s spent the night digging for dinner in the bottom of a rain soaked dumpster.
Image by Alexas_Fotos from Pixabay
Taiwan Is…(Drumroll, Please)
What is Taiwan like? Well, so far my exploration of the island has only included Taipei and New Taipei City. These two areas are a beautiful collage of old and new, urban and wilderness, the comfortingly familiar and completely foreign.
What The City Tells Me About Its People.
New, aesthetically pleasing construction coexists with older, more blocky buildings, sometimes even replacing them. The lovely and iconic Taipei 101 leads the charge into this new phase of these cities’ futures.
The sturdy older buildings refuse eradication, though, and I’m glad. There is a history and a sense of community imbued in the older buildings that can’t be duplicated.
To me, these buildings speak of where Taiwan has come from and about the enduring and resilient nature of the people who live here. The newer construction reveals their creativity and willingness to embrace the future.
There are 6.6 million people living in Taipei and New Taipei City. Time to get out there and meet them!