Upon Arriving in Taipei

Taiwan reminds me of what I think Beijing would look like in ten years. The buildings were crammed on to the streets. There was an eclectic mash of colors, styles, signs, and languages. There were logos that we recognized and some that we did not. There were cars, people, and scooters everywhere. You could feel the rush of the city before even exiting the bus. But it wasn’t a hectic busy like Beijing—it was just a city and it was lively.

We made an analogy as well: Beijing is to New York as Taipei is to Toronto. Beijing was big, busy, and built up. It was very white in color but it was dusty at the same time. It felt manmade. Taipei was different. It was still clearly a city, but it fit so perfectly in to the mountains and the landscape that it didn’t seem out of place. There were trees everywhere and it seemed natural and inviting. It even had Taipei 101 to imitate Toronto’s CN Tower.

The temples are so much more ornate than in Beijing. Beijing was wonderfully painted and well kept. With everything so immense and intentionally placed the importance, power, and majesty of each location was deeply apparent. In Taipei, the intricacy of the colors and designs were the more eye catching aspects of the temples – especially Baoan. The decorations were beautiful and breathtaking, but there was so much to look at that it was hard to take it all in.