Taipei, Taiwan

Today, I had an 8-hour layover in Taiwan, so I took a 1-hr bus into Taipei proper and walked around. I was surprised how similar the most urban areas were to other US cities I've been to. There's a more striking contrast between poor and rich however. Tons of brand new apartment buildings nicer than many in NYC stand tangent to run-down apartments with a cage around every balcony and window.

As many people drove vespas as taxis and buses, but the streets are actually really nice! People move quickly, but not with the sense of desperation and angst that overwhelms the senses in NYC, or even all of California!

I stood next to the tallest building in the world, Taipei 101 (tallest from 2004-2010), which was obviously built to inspire awe at human creation and economic vitality. But, it just didn't induce that in me. I've spent too much time in mountain ranges where one slope can climb10,000 feet in a single shot, so 101 floors and 1,667 feet just didn't compare. No matter how much humans marvel at themselves, nature will always knock our egos down, and always dwarf human "accomplishment".

Didn't mean to get negative, it was awesome running around my first Asian country to visit for a few hours. And, it's awesome that the airport has computers with free internet! Who'd have thought? Anyway, off to my connection to Manila, and hopefully a nap. Till the next country... ;-D