A change in latitude, does wonders to my attitude.

Taipei city is home to one of the world's tallest building, Taipei 101. We stayed at the Sherwood Hotel, a 5-star hotel known for its past VIPs like George and Barbara Bush. A plush and comfortable hotel, it had a feeling of austerity and old grandeur. Getting around the city was pretty easy as the subway network covered a large part of Taipei and taxis were plentiful and inexpensive. Taipei city is set out on a east-west grid so navigation is straight forward, though distances can be very deceiving as boulevards were huge, some with 6 carriageways and streets seemed to stretch for miles. Street names were in Chinese characters and Hanyu Pinyin so a working knowledge of Mandarin is helpful. Day 1: I took the subway to Ximending shopping This is a popular district with the younger generation. Emerging from the Ximen station, loud music blaring from nearby CD shops, flashy and garish garments, fashion accessories, other fashion nicknacks and snack food stands beckons the youthful cro

Tokyo never cease to thrill your senses. It is the fashion, food and the juxtaposition of ultra modernism and traditionalism. The maddening crowds of Shibuya metro station, the fantasy world of Manga come alive in Harajuku on a Sunday afternoon. On the other spectrum, the sereneness of the Nikko mountains and its shrines, the state of Zen, the immaculate tea ceremonies, the obsession with quality and orderliness. Japan exists in superlatives. Civilised yet it had once the world's most fearsome military prowess. We stayed at the Prince Park Tower hotel which is next to the Tokyo Tower and two subway stops from Ginza. As service is big in Japan, check-in at the hotel was a flurry of activity with heads bowing and extra chairs being pulled out for our group. Tipping is not a way of life and can be construed as insulting to the service provider, so i didn't have to worry that i had no change for the bellboy. Day 1: Hopped on the hotel's courtesy bus to take me to the subway. T