Taiwan Night Life

Do the Taiwanese ever really sleep? This country gives a whole new definition to the term 'night owl'. They spend more time eating, praying, eating, shopping and did I mention eating, especially after 8pm, than any other country I've ever been visited. For a country that stuffs itself to the gills with fishballs on a stick, duck tongue and turtlehead soup, they sure are tiny. How is it they don't gain weight sampling greasy fried dough bread and barbecue dishes all night? Does praying to the Holy Mother of the Ming Dynasty for a smaller waist line really work?

This country is all about nightlife and not just because it's the season for New Year's celebrations. As soon as the stars come out, it explodes with prosperity and liveliness. They dress up city buildings, street fixtures, harbor promenades, even buses and taxis with outrageous light displays. At a time when I'm about to crash on my feet, the country's power-grid goes on overdrive. I could barely keep up this week and maybe that's because I'm busting my hump producing a travel show. Or maybe, it's because my body still hasn't adjusted to the 12-hour time difference. Or maybe, it's because it's so darn exhausting trying to comprehend broken English from a Mandolin tour guide.

While the rest of the press junket is force-fed for the umpteenth time tonight, I skipped out and enjoyed some Zzzzzzs in the world famous Grand Hotel. This hotel may not have free internet access like the last two 5-star stays but it's an architectural landmark with vermilion pillars, stately archways and a brilliantly tiled roof. It's 20 stories high and sits atop the Yuan Shan Mountains for all of Taipei to marvel. I don't fancy the art-deco look, since all the rooms have stayed the same since '67, but the preserved Presidential Suite is very "James Bond" like. This once topped President Eisenhowers favorites among hotels in Asia.

My favorite visual so far was the changing of the guards at the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall. Every hour at the top of the hour 15 dedicated soldiers dressed from head to toe in military honors parade the grounds. They swing their guns in the air and stomp their feet - just like at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in D.C. I caught it all as the sun was sinking behind a colorful tori in the background. Breathtaking. More to see and read when I get back - including a rather humiliating little ditty that happened to me in the hotel swimmng pool...