As I'm commuting on the bus to work in Taipei, the drivers always use the same route. So I've seen a lot of the country between the hotel and the worksite, which is approximately 20-30 miles. I remember driving on a freeway in Los Angeles for some distance and seeing clumps of tall buildings, which constitute the "downtown" areas of different sections of the city.

Since I've never lived there, I couldn't tell you the names of these "downtown clumps", but Taipei is very similar. In between are lower-level buildings which are obviously lived in, and others which are obviously businesses. But in the long drive, I see very little countryside, although trees and other vegetation are quite plentiful.

I could have been describing most any megalopolis in the world, but the similarity ends with my descriptions above. To be quite honest, most of the buildings seem to be fairly old and not very well maintained. The entire area seems to me to be a little drab, with the exception of splashes of nearly random bright colors, mostly signs in Chinese characters.

Everyone is familiar with old Chinese paintings which often include scenes of hills and mountain ranges receding and fading into the distance. Whether it is the humidity, fog, or smog, I couldn't tell you, but I occasionally (in one area we leave much "cityscape" behind for a few miles while first climbing a fair-sized hill, then descending to where the concrete reigns again) see where the inspiration for these paintings come from. The only difference when I see this ancient scene from the comfort of an air-conditioned private bus is that if they were painted today, they would have to include steel towers and power lines from hill to hill.

At one point we pass a fair-sized river. Looking down from the freeway, it is obvious that this area used to flood, as there are HUGE concrete levees. So huge, in fact, that there are actually quite large buildings built right into the levee, on the landward side! I think New Orleans needs to take a look. I cannot imagine these huge structures EVER giving way! Over-topped, perhaps, but never breached!

The plant life is not what I expected either. For mile after mile, one might see deciduous vegetation which would not look out of place in Washington State. However, these are often juxtaposed with tropical palms and other unfamiliar plant life.

I was excited to see these sights the first couple of times we traveled the route, but it has quickly become tedious. I often wish they would take a different route every time. At the end of a long day, however, I'm just happy the ride is over and I can get to my room at the Westin and shower before going down to a "happy hour", graciously supplied by the hotel (and my employer), at which there are any number of foods, which may even look like something I've eaten before, but which often contain calamari, or other fish. I do try several every night, and sometimes I'm pleasantly surprised. More often I'm glad I only took a little bit to try first. I can always get seconds if it's THAT good!

Sometimes we go out to a restaurant away from the hotel, but so far, they are as "Western" as we can find, mostly, in my case, for fear of catching something I don't want to take home with me. With the bottled water (I'm up to about 10 liters a day!) and the (mostly-) Western food, I have not been sick yet and indeed, have not been plagued with the headaches I often get at home.

Then at last, I head for bed, to get up early to catch the bus again, for another long 12-hour day.