I just wanted to say that Laura must be the most underpaid photography assistant ever. She’ll put in an hour’s work for one coffee at Starbucks. I wish everyone could have seen her climbing over walls trying to catch the best light last weekend. She’s awesome and I’m lucky. Thanks Laura!
Will work for coffee
We may have commented, in general, in the past about how friendly the people of Taipei are, but sometimes it helps to have a concrete example.
Last weekend I spent several hours getting lost, taking photos and ended up a long way from where I started. I was wearing some Birks that weren’t the most comfortable for long walks and I started getting blisters so walking was become less and less enjoyable.
As I was leaving the National Taiwan University campus area I asked someone where Roosevelt Rd. was and he quickly pointed me in the right direction then went on to say that it was quite far. I said thanks and decided that taking a taxi back to my original point was the best idea. I got to a road where I thought I could easily catch a taxi, but couldn’t find one (a rarity in Taipei) so I started walking to a bigger street.
After about 50 steps down the road I felt a tap on the shoulder from behind and the person that gave me directions held up two helmets and asked if I needed a ride. I quickly replied that I’d just take a taxi but he wouldn’t have it any other way and asked me to stay where I was and he’d return on his scooter. Two minutes later he was back. I hopped on back of the scooter and we were on our way. Five minutes later, far too far to walk on my tired feet, we were back at my computer store.
This is just one example of kindness that Laura and I have experienced since moving here. Cities can be beautiful and pristine looking, but without the right people it’s just a pretty place to be. The people of Taiwan make it a great place.
A few friends have emailed and asked about the earthquake in China and wondered if we were affected. Fortunately we were far enough away that we didn’t even feel a tremor. We’ve had our share of earthquakes since moving here, but none of them have caused damage.
You can’t avoid construction in big cities
Ok, about getting lost. I brought the computer down to a shop this weekend to have some work done on it and knowing that it would take 2-3 hours to repair, I decided to have lunch and get lost. I wondered around the alleys and streets around National Taiwan University. My first stop was Sababa, where they serve some very, very good middle eastern food. After a pit stop at Sababa I headed out with no particular destination and no particular photos in mind.
A little red Citreon that apparently still gets used
I walked around the small side streets and found a nice little restaurant called I Swear and grabbed their card so we could find our way back in a taxi. Getting around can be tough sometimes because Taipei is so big and we can’t really stop and ask for directions when we get lost. Having a business card to give to taxi driver is MUCH easier. Luckily we know enough Mandarin now to get back home without any problems.
We’ll be back to visit I Swear sometime in the future
I spent most of my time walking around National Taiwan University. Campus life was fun.
When you’re in Paris your photos have the Eiffel Tower, in Rome you have the Colosseum and in Taipei, Taipei 101 ends up popping its head out in various places.
First of all, we are still here and haven’t moved to another country without telling anyone and secondly I’ve finally solved that irritating pop up window that was appearing under your mouse when you rolled over an image. Apparently, WordPress updated their software and installed a few extras. For me, I found the pop up irritating and cumbersome to get around. I’ve disabled the ‘extra’ now and it shouldn’t be a problem in the future.
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