5 April 2018: I chose my Airbnb room in Taipei because I saw on Google Maps it was in Xinyi District (信義區), close to the Elephant Mountain Nature Trail (象山自然步道). As I’ve mentioned, one quality I look for in a city is closeness to nature; in particular, proximity to hikeable hills and mountains. Hong Kong,
7 April 2018: Night markets (夜市場；夜市) are my favorite thing about Taiwan. As the name suggests, they take place at night (although some actually open for business in the late afternoon), one or more nights a week. They vary in size, but typically take up at least a few city blocks. They happen on streets
Taipei vital statistics: Population (2015 estimates): 2,704,810 (city proper); 7.047,559 (metro) Latitude & longitude: 25˚ 04′ N, 121˚ 31′ E January average temperature: High 19.1˚C (66.4˚F), low 13.9˚C (57.0˚F) July average temperature: High 34.3˚C (93.7˚F), low 26.3˚C (79.3˚F) Time zone: GMT+8 (12 hours ahead of U.S. EDT) Language: Chinese, Taiwanese, Hakka Currency: New Taiwan Dollar