After the long 16 hour flight, we finally arrived in the beautiful city of Taipei and almost immediately began exploring. After dropping our things at the hotel, we got to try a more traditional Taiwanese breakfast from a local vendor. Kyla and I tried a few things – some pork dumplings, a donut, and milk tea – and it was all delicious. Afterwards, we took the MRT to the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall which was super cool. I enjoyed seeing the memorial, as well as getting a glimpse into both the positive and negative impacts that Chiang Kai-Shek had on the people of Taiwan. I also found it super cool that his wife was so influential as well. After leaving the memorial, we went to Taipei 101, the tallest building in Taiwan, to see the city skyline. The view was surreal. We then headed back to the hotel – I changed out of my sweatpants into some more appropriate clothing – and went exploring around the city some more with a small group of students. We ended up at a Hello Kitty themed 7/11 which was super fun to see. Later that evening, we were able to see, and have dinner at, the Grand Hotel. The architecture and detail in the building was fascinating to me and the food was delicious as well (especially the desert). After dinner we headed back to the hotel. Kyla and I fell asleep as soon as we got back!
