I have decided: I like Taipei.

It is a much more tourist-friendly city than Tokyo and I don’t think it’s because I don’t have a language barrier. I can speak Mandarin, sure, but I can’t read many of its characters. When I visited Tokyo 2 years ago, people seem to avoid anyone who don’t speak the same language. There was no getting help unless one can speak Japanese. I don’t know whether that was me or whether other tourists, in general, have felt similar sentiment when visiting Tokyo or Japan in general.

Taipei is a foodie paradise. There are so much food here, more food than anyone can imagine. If only I can eat. The variety is also out of this world. You can physically find food from every country here.

The only other place I’ve seen so much food was when I visited my hometown in 2017.

So I have decided: I like Taipei and I will definitely come back.

With that said, the top picture was taken from Taipei 101 building. I actually convinced my mom to go up with me. So far, this trip has been much more pleasant than previous trips. I’m starting to wonder what changed. My mom is actually following me without complaint. What happened to my mother?

Anyway, we started the day at the National Dr. Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall, which disappointingly was closed until late 2026. “I guess it gives us an excuse to come back in 2027,” I said jokingly. My mom laughed.

We then made our way toward the City Hall and the Taipei 101 building, which, at the time of its opening in 2004, it was the highest is the world but that record has been surpassed by other buildings around the world since then.

Skyscrapers are fascinating to me, in an architectural sense. I visited my first skyscraper when I visited the Willis Tower in Chicago in 2015 and have made a goal of visiting the famous skyscraper around the world. I’m glad I got to add this skyscraper to my list.

On to Day 3!