Taipei

Building 101 on the left

Egrets and a tractor prepare the paddy fields

I leave the paddy fields behind and head for the capital on the HSR (High Speed Rail) which whisks me into the city in no time. In fact the whole experience is so amazing and stress free I can hardly believe it when the train pulls in early. The journey took less than an hour to cover half the country,  much like flying especially with the airport-like stations.

The Taipei heat can be avoided for the most part as there are underground air-conditioned shopping malls that go on forever with a restaurant every few meters. However I continue on towards the Nangang district on the MRT (Rapid Transit system) to visit the TWTC (Taiwan World Trade Centre) to complete some paperwork. Once again it's all so simple to use that I begin to wonder what the problem is with Europe where everything seems to have become so complicated.

Nearby is the now famous 101 building which was until recently the highest building in the world. In fact it gets its name from the number of floors. However I am surprisingly unimpressed by its height for some reason but architecturally it is certainly an interesting building. I venture inside into the shopping mall but already feel giddy looking down and I have only reached the third floor using the escalator. This and the fact that there is a long queue for the observation platform allows me to happily cancel any idea I had of going up to the top.

Surprisingly I found it easier travelling today in Taiwan than in Europe and that in a country where I cannot speak a word of the language or read a single Chinese character. And why, well it's simple: Good ergonomics plus the fact that everyone is extremely friendly and helpful. I even got a return ticket at the business class counter after asking a question. In some European countries after helping you (if you got help at all) they would have told to go to the correct counter for your ticket.