My roommate in Hong Kong, Colleen, and I decided to book a trip to Taiwan on a whim. We had literally known each other for two days. I packed and flew to Singapore for a weekend. I flew back to Hong Kong, unpacked, repacked, and then we flew to Taipei the next morning. Three days of extreme heat, countless trips on the MRT, sharing a bed. I'm glad we booked that trip. The thing I immediately loved about Taipei was how gritty it looked on the bus ride from the airport. It was still clean and safe, but there was still that feeling of being a little run down. I don't know what it is about that kind of city. I guess it just feels honest.