Part II: The Metro

I like shiny things, easy, clean, shiny things. Thus I LOVE THE METRO.
It's unbelievable, a huge part of Taipei transportation, extremely affordable (around 60 cents, but the price depends on how long you ride for...which makes so much sense), extremely EASY to navigate, and extremely clean.

In addition to being able to get around quickly (the waiting is always less than 5 minutes...and that's an overestimation), there are a lot of rules (formal and informal) that make sense to me. One big one is no eating or drinking, you can get charged $30. Other aspects that are so efficient include lines at the busy stations to board, standing on the right side of escalators so people who want to walk can walk on the left side (do they do that in the US, too? I never paid attention), lights that flash on the platforms before the subway arrives (before you can hear it), and it SPEAKS FOUR LANGUAGES. The cars have very clear marquees that display where you're traveling from, the next stop, and the next one after that. But IT SPEAKS FOUR LANGUAGES. Does anyone else find this very cool?



There are metrocards as well (WITH student discounts). You load it, same as the NYC Metro, but instead of swiping, it's all sensors, so you can keep it in your purse or wallet without taking it out, and just pass it over the little machines (shown on right). If you don't want a card, the one time rides take plastic tokens. It reads your cards twice, once when you get on and once when you get off, so it can charge you accordingly due to distance traveled. This card is also used for the city buses (about 24 cents), and you get a discount on the metro if you use the bus first before you ride the subway. The card can also be used for parking fees, some convenient stores, and other random things...AND unlike some NYC stations, the signs are all crazy clear and visible and don't lead you to random corners. Which is nice. A lot of the stations also have malls connected to them, or underground malls that connect two stations together. We went to one to have lunch at a famous place for these little dumplings. Here are relatives, Catherine and Peggy.

This is one of the entries to the subway, a rather shiny one at that....

Here are some views from the elevated part of the subway...most of it is underground, though.

In this one, you can see the next stop ahead. I like this shot, I'm not sure why...it's kind of futuristic looking, although nothing in it is new.

A couple of different platforms, the first one is underground, the second is above ground. There are also marquees that announce how many minutes are left before the next subway arrives. I especially like how there are people in both of these people staring at me, because I was throwing away all dignity and capturing my great love for this transportation system. :)


And, seriously, I was not joking about how clean it is.


This is the outside of the Xindian Station. Doesn't it look like the convenience store is the beacon of hope for all humanity? Hum. Ponder.