I landed in Taipei thinking that I had an hour and a half layover... only to discover that my ticket actually said "PM" instead of "AM" and my 1.5 hours had suddenly become 13.5.

With seven bucks on me, a backpack with my laptop, and two rice paddy hats from my travels in Vietnam, I set off to explore what little I could of Taipei. And yes, I was wearing socks with my Crocs. Judge all you want, who knew I wasn't going to be stuck on a plane for 36 hours?

Obviously, the city is pretty easy to get around via bus and subway (it was all in Chinese and I managed to do it just fine). The folks at the tourism desk at the airport are amazingly helpful.

Don't ask me how, but I stumbled upon the Democracy Hall at dusk and was able to capture the quiet and stillness of the monument at dusk.

My experience captured a quick snapshot of the city: friendly, efficient, thriving, and beautifully introspective in some moments. I can't wait to get back to Taiwan to see what I can experience with some notice!