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First Days in Taipei!

       View across from our hotel         View from train on the way to Taipei

Traveling to Taiwan has made me see things from a different perspective. From design to food to sights to culture, everything so far has given me insights in the rich culture Taiwan has to offer and has shown me how that has shaped and influenced the overall identity.

Our first day, walking around Taipei was so eye opening and honestly felt unreal. Coming from San Diego, where every plant is a little brown and crispy, the train ride from the airport to Taipei was stunning- all of the foliage was so lush and bright and covered entire mountains. Then, coming into the city, we were blown away by the amount of shops and restaurants in such a small area. Even a big city like Seattle couldn’t compare to the bright signs and delicious smells coming from various stalls and storefronts.

The heat was pretty tiring the first day- we had arrived at 4am and by 11 already felt drained, but because the hotel was not ready for check in we were forced to endure. Walking around, we looked for places to stop but unlike Seattle where shops had places inside to sit, most of the stores around this area were just windows directly facing the street, meaning we ended up sitting on curbs or going underground in the train station in an attempt to avoid some of the heat. We also stumbled upon the underground mall, which felt like it went on for ages and which we barely touched the surface of.

Going to Dadaocheng on our second day was amazing! I was impressed by the different styles of architecture and, true to the tour guide’s words, I could feel the blend of modern and old coming together there. I loved seeing the modern matcha shop and the end of the tour contrasting with the traditional wood and lanterns in the archway.

Me, Amelia, Chandaline walking through Dadaocheng

I also enjoyed the Dot Design tour before Dadaocheng. On our way, the Taiwanese students showed us a cool temple and a church that they knew about and we walked around some of the side streets. The residential areas are so different from the US and feel community oriented with all the balconies facing each other and the plants everywhere and small stands of food being run by elderly.

The designs at Dot Design were very fun and playful and I really appreciated their use of sustainable materials! The lucky cat gachapon was my favorite design I saw and I enjoyed how they employed many different designers from various countries to make them. Overall they were very innovative and creative in their use of materials to create useful and unique designs.

I’m very excited to be in Taiwan and to connect with my roots, while also broadening my horizons with design inspiration and perspectives from other students.

Sesame noodles from street vendor!

inside dot design