Taipei is an evolving, organic entity and has been constantly morphing since the moment we arrived here 14 plus years ago. The two photos above fascinated me from that perspective and while not exactly in our time frame, they both show dramatic changes in a short period of time for a big city. The top photo featuring Taipei 101, for a few years the world's tallest building and still the number two, shows a counter shot taken about 1970. Despite the obvious differences in the foreground Hsin Yi district, the most amazing are the views to afar, with the burgeoning sprawl suburbs across the river of Sanchong heading all the way to Wugu just a twinkle in a developer's eye at that stage. The photos both appear to have been taken from the popular hiking spot of Xiangshan (Elephant Mountain).
The second shot is even more striking as it sums up a lot of the progress we have seen literally evolve before our eyes. The scene is at a major intersection in the heart of the city, but similar scenes have played out here in our "bucolic" northern suburb in the past few years. The shot was taken about 1980 and shows a predominantly mid-rise clog of buildings of no architectural appeal or flair facing a grid of already choked streets. The second shot at the same location shows a few interesting developments. Taxis bloom on the streets like wildflowers after rain, motor-scooters buzz rampant and an MRT suburban rail rises from its subterranean home just for this little section. The most common sight, however, is the steel and glass department store monster on this corner (and every third corner these days). While the restaurants and bars huddle and nest down tiny alleys and lanes to avoid the big street rents, these commercial juggernauts flaunt themselves on all the big city super roads.
We had a quiet weekend again as the burdens of the end of semester weigh heavily. Cass had doorsteps of essays to grade, I was preparing replies for disappointed parents (just a few!) after the results of the semester's study had gone out for students in the ESL program and we recovered after a full week back teaching after our mini break. This week should be slightly easier though we both seem to have meetings and appointments after school for various reasons.
We're visiting Austria, Slovakia and Italy in a couple of weeks time, notably Vienna around Christmas, Milan for the New Year and a little buttering of Bratislava in between! I've booked a few more dream tickets for Cassy including premium seats at the incomparable Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Musikverein in Vienna and we're even seeing the Vienna Boys' Choir on Christmas morning. There are a few other big ticket items as well: one of the most interesting might be our uber slick Italian contemporary apartment in the shadow of The Duomo! We'll report afterwards....
Photos: old and new Taipei, the ever-improving master potter Wal and his wares, Cassy has discovered a chocolaty heaven and a couple of exquisitely hand carved local dragon dogs!