Searching for something?
This woman was searching furiously through a book, which I was surprised to discover was actually a Bible. I thought for a moment that she was searching for wisdom, until she turned the book upside and shook it, apparently trying to dislodge an important scrap of paper or a business card. I hope she found what she was looking for.
The church behind her is on Chang An Road, by the way.
If this photo were any more "Taipei," it might explode
How much Taipei life can you spot here? Here’s my list:
Did I miss anything? What’s missing from this photo? Did you notice there’s not a single 7-11 visible?
This idea comes from Jonas, who got to drive a scooter on his last trip to Taipei. For folks who don’t live in scooter-filled cities, driving a scooter (or a moped, as some say) is a cool experience usually only done while on vacation. For people who live in Taipei, however, scooters are a part of everyday life (and sometimes death, unfortunately).
Completing this task was relatively easy, since I already own a scooter (the very photographic Yamaha Vino, which will probably appear again in future posts) and have a few years of experience driving in Taipei. I don’t, however, drive my scooter very often, since I prefer the clean & calm of the MRT (or a taxi) to the choking fumes of sitting at a stop light among 50 other scooters. Still, I decided to make this my first task, since driving a scooter is so very Taipei, and I also needed it to get to my main destination of the evening…
Note to Taipei visitors: Though a scooter is a great way to get around once you know the city and its ways, I wouldn’t actually recommend driving a scooter on your trip to Taipei. Taipei traffic is dangerous, not only to scooter drivers, but also to cyclists and pedestrians. It’s certainly more regulated than, say, China or the Philippines, but Taipei traffic is still rather chaotic compared to western traffic. I see scooter accidents at least a few times a week, and am lucky to be one of the few scooter drivers in my social circle to have so far avoided getting hit by a taxi or another scooter. If you do decide to drive a scooter in Taipei, don’t do it as soon as you arrive. Take a day or two to observe how the city traffic operates, know the laws (such as where it is illegal to drive a scooter), and avoid driving during rush hours. Otherwise, the MRT & buses will get you nearly anywhere you want to go, and taxis are relatively cheap (about $2 USD for a short ride, up to $6-8 USD for longer trips).
5 Days in Taipei 