Taipei 102
OK, more musings on Taiwan. Taipei strikes me as a very young city. I can't think of any other place I've been where I have seen so many young people on the streets, in stores, and on the subway. Granted, it's not any kind of representative sample, but to my eye it seems like half the people I see in public are under 25. It certainly adds to the energy I feel here.
It's still raining in Taipei, and it doesn't look like I'm going to see a clear day while I'm here. It's too bad because it makes the city seem more gray and dirty than it really is. It is a little gray--while there are some shiny new buildings, there are still many older, declining buildings, and driving along some of the elevated roadways in the city the views of the buildings remind me a bit of driving around Cairo--similar generic "socialist-style" medium-quality architecture.
Taxis--I have yet to have a cab driver who speaks a word of English, and several have been unable to read maps that I have handed them with the destination in Chinese. They've all been friendly, and I will say most have been on the ball, but I've had a couple of rides that remind me of Khartoum taxi rides.
On the subject of taxis, I'm starting to ponder what taxis say about a society. The taxis here are largely clean, newer cars--often Toyota Camrys or equivalent. Much nicer than anything in the US. Taxis in Egypt and Sudan are some of the most beat-up pieces of crap I've ever ridden in, but that's not really much of a surprise, is it? Taxis in Dubai are clean, modern, and neat, similar to the ones here. I'm not about to take on this study, but it does seem to me that taxis are a window into a society in terms of economic development, and also when a society achieved a developed status. Of course, I could be full of crap on this, but it's a thought.
The metro here is fantastic--clean, and one of the easiest to navigate I've experienced. Like many of the other Asian subways, the signs are in English, but also very clear. My one complaint is that tokens here have to be used the day they are purchased. I found that out the hard way when I had to dump six tokens today that I bought last night in an attempt to be efficient.
What else--I'm pretty much itchy all the time thanks to the MSG in much of the food. People are exceedingly nice and willing to extend themselves without hesitation.
One more random realization, I have CNN international on the TV, and I just heard the theme/jingle in the background and I had a Pavlovian response--I actually thought of Dubai since I spent 2 months there watching CNNI and BBC World since they were the only English language channels I could get in my crappy hotel-apartment, but it's a reminder that I'm not in the US--as if walking around the streets here isn't enough of a reminder. As an American I have to say that it can be striking to visit other countries that are not as diverse or multi-ethnic as the US. I've seen maybe a dozen non-Asian people in the last four days. The nice part is that I do get smiles from your girls--especially ones working in stores and restaurants.
