When I first went to Taipei I'd gone with no expectation of actually liking it. I really didn't know much about it, and my expectation was that it would be unremarkable, maybe like Nanjing which was an OK place to spend a few days but nothing I'd rush back to. But I'd fallen for the place pretty quickly, loved Taipei and loved the little bit of travelling around the country I had time to do. So I was excited to have a chance to come back, and spend a few days working in Taipei on my way to a conference in China. Last time on my way back I'd seen bright aurorae from the plane somewhere over Siberia. This time I saw them again but much fainter, just a vague green glow on the horizon.

The only thing I didn't like about Taiwan was feeling out of my mind with jetlag after crossing 12 time zones to get there. So this time, only crossing eight seemed much less horrific. I arrived late in the evening, met up with a friend for some food at a night market, then managed to get to sleep by about 4am.

I spent a couple of days discussing astronomy with colleagues at the Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, learning a lot and surviving the jetlag.

The astronomy department is on the top floor of a tall building and the views over Taipei were pretty awesome. When I'd been here before it was sunny and springlike the whole time. This time it was hotter and rainier. I still loved it, though people kept telling me I should visit in the humid hell that apparently is August before falling too deeply in love with this city.

click on the images to see the changes

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