First Impressions
I arrived late last night. Entering the country was no problem whatsoever. The queue at immigration for foreigners was surprisingly short. I caught a bus from the airport to downtown Taipei where I was met by Murray who runs the Mandarin hostel. He put me in a cab and sent the cabby on his way with directions. The drive was longer than expected. We drove by the Chiang Kai-Shek memorial Hall, and Taipei 101. Upon arrival at the hostel I was shown my room. It is nice enough, if rather warm. I was offered last night’s accommodation for free as the air conditioning will not be installed until this afternoon.
It is about 32 degrees, and very humid here. I just had a bit of a walk around, poking my head into a few shops, and wandering around a marketplace. It all seems rather hectic and rushed. People are weaving around crowded streets on mopeds. Caged chickens are clucking. Various cuts of meat hang at shop stalls. I had trouble identifying anything that was on display at the market apart from the most basic produce such as bananas. Shopping will be an adventure and, I’m assuming, with my particular dietary restrictions (celiac’s gluten free diet) occasionally frustrating.
This afternoon I’ll hop on the MRT and have a bit of a wander around town. I’d like to poke around the city centre, and maybe have a look at the Shi Da campus.