Taipei

We've just finished four days in Taipei, a huge, sprawling city that, depending on how you look at it, is just part of an enormous megalopolis that connects all of the urban centers of western Taiwan.  We did our best to look around in the time we had.

The view from our apartment of Tower 101, the tallest building in Taiwan.

There are still plenty of neighborhoods with an old-World feel, though this one, Dihua Street, is gentrifying fast.

Squeezed between outdoor food stalls and old shops workmen were furiously remodeling the old stone and brick buildings.

Boxes of ginger.

Bags of garlic cloves.

We saw many shopkeepers ritually folding pieces of paper and burning them, a Buddhist tradition for good luck and prosperity.

A famous 150-year old shrine at the end of Dihua Street is famous for single people to pray to find a partner.

Near our apartment the raucous street scene.

Intensified at the outdoor market nearby.

The ACC's Taipei office arranged for me to give a talk at a venue in Taipei, a restored Japanese home.

They also arranged for us to visit the Taipei Puppet Theatre Museum, which has a workshop with a puppet carver.

We saw an amazing performance in the museum's theatre.

And we toured both the exhibits and museum storage.  Well worth a visit if you come to Taipei.