Taipei is no Dubai. But they sure try. And in this tenth and last part to the Travel Geek: Documentary Taiwan series, that’s where I make my send-off.
Having visited basically every other part of the country, I thought that this was a suited end to the all-nation trip I’d made overland and to the isles on both sides.
I’d hate to say that Taipei is just like any other city. But I am not really a “city guy.”
Having said that, there’s still an interesting and recent history that I cover in this portion of the film. And having studied it from the traveler’s perspective, it’s got a unique story indeed.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxu5RuAbPDc&w=560&h=315]
Coming from humble beginnings, and having not been the country’s original site for its chosen capital, Taipei has risen like a phoenix from its representative, communist ashes. And it’s done so with gusto.
Having been ruled with the same iron fist of mainland china for so long, once freed, the Taiwanese people chose a different future for themselves. And while this made China definitively covetous over their newfound kinship with freedom, they were steadfast and anything but reticent, maintaining their very public stance as the new world’s international posterchild for indignant, anti-communist ideology.
And it proved very fruitful, as the once- neglected town has become a gleaming city, far removed from the antiquated designs and attention of its fledgling self.