Taipei: First Impression

We made it to Taiwan, and it's been quite fun thus far. I heard that the humidity can get pretty nasty this time of year, but it doesn't seem so bad (knock on wood), or at least, it's better than Seoul weather. It's hot, but at least there's a bit of an island breeze.

I would say that Taiwan is like Chinatown with a dash of Seoul and a smidgen of Japan. Or, as Cyndi describes, it's like Seoul, only two decades ago.

Last night we stayed in the Song Sang district, an area near City Hall. At first, it seemed to be pretty boring (maybe even a little seedy), but then we turned a corner and found a night market. We stayed at a budget hotel called Won Star aka Wan Tai Hotel. It looked a little suspect, but the room was clean and comfortable.

Since JIm will be joining us today, we've moved to a hotel in the trendy Ximen district. The hotel, King Shi is another budget hotel, but it's clean and the location is great. I would liken Ximen to Myeongdong, only more sprawling.

Cyndi and I were deciding between a trip to Thailand and a trip to Taiwan. I'm very glad that we picked Taiwan. It's a haven of cheap eats, cheap clothing, and cute character paraphenalia. I didn not realize that the Japanese influence was so prevalent. You can find Japanese "imports" all around town. We're even finding all sorts of unnecessary, but cute Domokun and Gaspard et Lisa accesories. The fashion also seems to be heavily influenced by Japanese trends, only the clothes are brighter and more bling (You can even find Cosplay here). Taiwanese girls seem to like the shorty shorts, but unlike Korean women and their fake Manolos, Taipei girls tend to were slippers or flats. That's how we island people roll.

My Taiwanese classmate told me that women are prettier in Seoul, but men are better looking in Taiwan. Based on what I've seen so far, I think this statement is still up for debate. I'm not really feeling the Taiwanese Pop Idol haircuts.

It's day 2 out of 5, the highlights so far are:
- Getting my entire face threaded
- Eating Taiwanese Beef Noodles
- Drinking Bubble Tea
- Glamour Shots

I, of course, will post more details, as well as pictures, when I return.