Taiwan’s a nifty place. When you have a country with such strong history with China and old European colonial powers that is obsessed with Japan, things just go well. I was constantly marveling at teeny innovations for daily life, all of which are found spread out in other lands, but Taipei really deserves credit for the following:
*serenading garbage trucks: opera music announces their arrival
*no surprise beauty store: they let you try and sample every product before purchase! No money wasted on makeup that’s not your color or odd lotion consistency.
*umbrella shops all over: because people actually use them when it rains. Sold with 10% discount when not raining, which is thoughtful and reasonable
*adult sippy cup lids: adjustable to any drink container, these appropriately-wide, transparent silicon tops lift on and off the cup by a green protruding leaf stem
*a true convenience store: 7/11 here offers banking, laundry, utility bill payment, healthy and tasty food, seating areas like a café…
*hopeful- looking scratch offs: lottery tickets that look as happy as you hope to feel winning. For the first time in life, I was compelled to buy some, and I blame the overjoyed twin turnips at 100 yen a pop
*computer toilet: it reacts to the weather, your gender, and your drop-off size
*personalized public transport cards: use your own photo (not just a Josie & the Pussycats movie scene!)
*bicycle and car elevators: park in the one-slot-wide garage and a machine will lift it a couple floors. When you want it again, go to that floor, drive into a slot to be moved down the elevator, et voila!
*airport “escape chute”: I was not only amused by all the possible scenarios that cause one to need an “escape chute” at the gate, but also comforted that they thought to provide a solution for a “need” I didn’t know I may have
*first aid blimp: what faster way to find out where emergency health care is, than by floating a massive white balloon with a red cross on it above the first aid station?
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