So I have clearly not posted the second half of my hiking trip, or anything else fun I’ve done since November, but I’m gonna start of with the New Year and work backwards. Taipei 101 is the launch pad for Taipei’s infamous New Years fireworks. Streets are blocked off in the business district, traffic patterns are rerouted, metro hours extended, bus lines added, and massive Taiwan pop superstar concerts held. After waiting for HOURS in a sea of several hundred thousand excited Taiwanese teenagers, the countdown finally started.

Check out my video of the first half of the show: Taipei 101 New Years 2010

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After a short but beautiful 3 minutes of fireworks, the crowds dispersed while kids played with sparklers and some irresponsible teens launched fireworks from the middle of the park. The evening ended with a concert by my favorite Taiwanese artist, Wang Lee Hom. Upon the completion of the fireworks display, “Taiwan UP” appeared on the side of 101. In the days to come there would be serious debates on the Taiwanese news about how the city government managed to put a Chinglish slogan on the side of the building, thereby instating it as Taiwan’s motto for 2010. Not only does the phrase not make sense in English, but it also seems poorly timed. Only days later Taipei 101 was officially knocked back in the rankings to 2nd tallest building in the world by Burges Dubai.