Settling in to Taiwan

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Long pause before getting into the Taiwan details sorry! Needed time to settle in to where I’m currently staying, a cat treehouse, but that’s for another post.

Our first few days in Taiwan were spent settling into a routine and getting over jet lag. Mornings we’d wake up get breakfast, do a light activity, then settle in for afternoon naps or work sessions to avoid the heat. In the evenings we’d take meetings or head out for long walks and dinner.

There is a lot I miss about summers in Taiwan, the humidity not being one of them. But I miss the rhythm, the social evenings walking around when the sun has set. In general too, I miss being able to walk around by myself at 1 or 2 in the morning when I can’t sleep, without fear. Just being able to walk with my thoughts, stop by 7-11 for a snack, see the morning market vendors setting up their stalls, watch the sunrise. There’s something magical in how the light bathes the buildings early in the morning, deep reds, I can’t describe it properly. There was a lot I wish I had appreciated more when I was here before, but that I’m taking stock of now.

A few highlights from our first couple sleepy days:

Hot Pot

One of my favorite meals is going to all you can eat hot pot. Somehow time slows down, as you focus on the act of throwing ingredients in the pot, mixing sauces, having long catch ups with friends.

Taipei 101

I love coming here for the great views of my old neighborhood in Xinyi, but it’s a pretty impressive building architecturally as well.

Once the world’s tallest building from 2004-2009, Taipei 101 also was offered the record for tallest and largest green building in 2011 for its energy efficiency and environmental design.

The building was designed to be flexible in earthquakes and typhoon winds. It has a tuned mass damper that is suspended on the 88th-92nd floors. It swings on a pendulum to counteract the buildings movements in the wind. The damper is the largest in the world, and is so popular Sanrio was contracted to make the mascot “Damper Baby” which is pictured below in front of the damper.

My old neighborhood was about a 10 minute walk from Taipei 101. A lots changed in the area since I moved, some good, but a lot bittersweet to see. The building pictured below is now directly across the street from Taipei 101. When I lived in the area, it was a massive community garden. I always thought it was so cool, that something like that existed right across from one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers. But alas, when the Tamsui-Xinyi MRT line expanded with a Taipei 101 station, this area began to grow.

Daan Park

Daan Park is home to egrets, ducks, turtles, and more. There’s also public facilities for skating, exercise, and public performances. When I came back in 2019, I’d often go for long walks here on my way home from classes. I had a new found appreciation for nature at that point and loved animal watching by the ponds.

The land pre-park has a pretty intricate history spanning from the Japanese annexation of Taiwan through the gentrification projects of the 90s. I definitely wouldn’t be able to do it justice, but if you have an interest in history or city planning would recommend looking into it.

Din Tai Fung

Our final stop of the sleepy weekend was dinner at Din Tai Fung. They were originally founded as a cooking oil retailer in the 50s, before pivoting into xiaolongbao and opening locations globally. The original location in Xinyi is now only takeout only, so we weren’t able to visit. We ended up going to their new Xinsheng branch nearby.