Random things I've noticed

My first week here, I spent a good deal of time just walking around the city. Depending on where you are walking around, the sidewalks could either be very wide and level, very narrow, very uneven, non-existent, or existent but taken up by food stands or racks/stands full of goods and wares people are selling. I've never seen so many uneven sidewalks in my life; you really have to watch where you're stepping. Sometimes there's a nice smooth transition like an inclined plane, but other times there's just a sudden drop or elevation. Maybe I'm generalizing too much here, but when people walk around here, they walk really slow, which is ok. But when a fast-walker like me wants to pass them, it's kind of hard because they rarely walk in straight lines--they weave left and right and it's so annoying, but what are you gonna do.

I'm a very warm person, I'll admit that. I'm sweating when most people are comfortable. It's just kind of funny that it can be 65F outside and humid. I'll get weird looks because I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt, while most people are wearing pants and a jacket. (I'm not looking forward to the summer.)

I have never seen so many places to get food or go shopping in my life. I've been to New York before. Yeah, they have a lot of shops and eateries there, but I think Taipei beats it. It's just amazing the quantity and variety of good cheap food available here.

Also, a lot of places here have squat toilets, which I don't care how long I'll have lived here, I'm pretty sure I'd never attempt to use for a number 2. Most bathrooms here (residential) don't have a bath tub; it's just a toilet, a sink a shower head/faucet, and a drain in the floor. This picture was taken at the bathroom on my floor in the hostel.

I had more things to write down but I seem to have forgotten them. Guess they'll have to wait for another post.